Whispers from the Abyss Vol.2

Whispers from the Abyss #2

by Kat Rocha, Dennis Detwiller, Cody Goodfellow

The WHISPERS FROM THE ABYSS anthology series returns with more H.P. Lovecraft-inspired fiction created for readers on the go. Contained within are 25 spine-chilling tales by Laird Barron (The Imago Sequence), Cody Goodfellow (Spore), Greg Stolze (Delta Green), A.C. Wise (Future Lovecraft), John Palisano (Dust of the Dead), John C. Foster (Dead Men), Orrin Grey (Painted Monsters & Other Strange Beasts), Dennis Detwiller (Delta Green), Chad Fifer (The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast), Konstantine Paradise (Coven), and many more. Now come, begin your slow descent into madness...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction by Michele Brittany
“We Are Not These Bodies, Strung Between the Stars” by A.C. Wise
“His Carnivorous Regard” by John C. Foster
“The Labyrinth of Sleep” by Orrin Grey
“Death May Die” by Nathan Wunner
“Knot” by Dennis Detwiller
“Skoptsy “ by Jonathan Sharp
“Red America” by Cody Goodfellow
“Shadow Transit” by Ferrett Steinmet
“Baby Rhyme Time” by Deborah Walker
“Nyarlathotep's Way” by Tom Pinchuk
“Strident Caller” by Laird Barron
“Lucky Chuck Takes the Sunshine Express” by John Palisano
“Five Minutes or Less” by Michael Hudson
“Notebook Concerning the Class Struggle in Dunwich, Found in the Ruins of a Construction Site” by Kevin Wetmore
“The Baby Downstairs” by Chad Fifer
“Gifts “ by Robert Stahl
“Now We are Nine” by Joel Enos
“The Great Old Thing in the Fridge” by Samuel Poots
“God Does Damn the Mind” by Marc E. Fitch
“In the Light” by Greg Stolze
“Kickstarter” by Richard Lee Byers
“The Vindication of Y'ha-Nthlei” by David Busboom
“Echoes in Porcelain” by Konstantine Paradise
“Shadows of the Darkest Jade” by Sarah Hans
“The Dreadful Machine” by Hunter James Martin

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Lovecraftian, Short Stories

316 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2015

About the author

Creator, Entrepreneur

Kat began her publishing career as a collaborating artist on such projects as UTOPIATES, a CATWOMAN story for BATMAN 80pg GIANT for DC Comics and TITANIUM RAIN. She produced numerous concept designs for Spartan Games and has had work featured in Interzone magazine. She began her own comic series entitled LD30: The Adventures of a Swinging Robot in 2010.

In 2011 Kat founded 01Publishing with the goal of producing the best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror of both prose and graphic story telling. 01Publishing’s catalog of books have received acclaim from the Huffington Post, SF Signal, Kirkus Reviews, Innsmouth Free Press, and The Examiner.



Besides being CEO and Editor-in-Chief of 01Publishing, Kat Rocha is a founding member of the San Diego chapter of the Horror Writer’s Association

Artist: Utopiates
Editor: Whispers from the Abyss / Whispers from the Abyss 2

Regularly appears on the following Podcast/s:

SciFi Writers Play Old School DnD

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whispers from the Abyss 2 is a collection of 25 tales inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

I donated for the Kickstarter that created this anthology. It was well worth it.

Much like the original Whispers from the Abyss, Whispers From the Abyss 2 is a collection of tales designed to be wolfed down in one sitting.

Like all anthologies, the quality of the tales vary. Quality-wise, I felt like this one was a step behind the original. However, the content was worth the price, maybe even a wider range of Lovecraftian nasties than the previous one. Azathoth and the Innsmouth folk were prominently featured, always a plus in my book.

For my money, the standouts of Whispers from the Abyss 2 are We Are Not These Bodies, Strung Between the Stars by AC Wise, The Labyrinth of Sleep by Orrin Grey, Death May Die by Nathan Wunnder, Shadow Transit by Ferrett Steinmetz, Lucky Chuck Takes the Sunshine Express by John Palisano, and The Vindication of Y'ha-Nthlei by David Busboom.

While I didn't enjoy it as much as Whispers from the Abyss or Heroes of Red Hook, Whispers From the Abyss 2 was still a good weird fiction anthology. I'll be ready when the Kickstarter for the third volume is announced. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this collection we have “We are not These Bodies, Strung Between the Stars” by A. C. Wise. If you enjoyed Venice is Burning, which ran at PseudoPod, you’re in for a real treat. Her story “Chasing Sunset” in the first Whispers collection is also stunning. Orrin Grey, a favorite at PseudoPod with The Worm that Gnaws and with Night’s Foul Bird, appears here with the Labyrinth of Sleep. Chad Fifer of the H P Lovecraft Literary Podcast returns to Whispers again with The Baby Downstairs. John C Foster gives us the gut punch of His Carnivorous Regard. Richard Lee Byers brings some extra horror to crowdfunding. And Laird Barron brings the awesome with “Strident Caller” as he is wont to do. This is just a sampling of what you have to look forward to.

[Jaffa Kintigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology solidly delivers an array of Lovecraft inspired tales. Accordingly, horror and the supernatural permeate the collection with heavy doses of absurdist bents. While the horrific and unfathomable comprise the lion's share, there is humor and heartfelt represented, too.

Most tales share a fresh perspective rising above Lovecraft fan fiction. The best of the bunch carve their own path through the mythos to great effect. I've separately reviewed and rated each of the collection's component stories, giving top honors and 5 stars to "Shadow Transit" by Ferrett Steinmetz in which a mother is heartbreakingly losing her daughter to forces and voices beyond her understanding.

My 4-star honorable mentions include Robert Stahl's "Gifts" which also tackles mental illness with compassion and originality. Three others raise the stakes on Lovecraftian horror: Martin James Hunter's "The Dreadful Machine", Jonathan Sharp's "Skoptsy" and Greg Stolze's "I Saw the Light". Two more play with Lovecraft's myth of the dysmorphic folks of Innsmouth. Deborah Walker's "Baby Rhyme Time: Youngsters Enjoy Initiation at Innsmouth Public Library" takes a playful approach while David Busboom's "The Vindication of Y'ha-nthlei" employs the 1930's detective noir voice to wonderful results.

Also included are:
Barron, Laird--"Strident Caller"--3 stars
Enos, Joel--"Now We Are Nine"--3 stars
Fitch, Marc E.--"God Does Damn the Mind"--3 stars
Foster, John C.--"His Carnivorous Regard"--3 stars
Grey, Orrin--"The Labyrinth of Sleep"--3 stars
Hans, Sarah--"Shadows of the Darkest Jade"--3 stars
Palisano, John--"Lucky Chuck Takes the Sunshine Express"--3 stars
Paradias, Konstantine--"Echoes in Porcelain"--3 stars
Pinchuk, Tom--"Nyarlathotep's Way"--3 stars
Wetmore, Kevin--"Notebook Concerning the Class Struggle in Dunwich, Found in the Ruins of a Construction Site"--3 stars
Wise, A. C.--"We Are Not These Bodies, Strung Between the Stars"--3 stars
Detwiller, Dennis--"The Knot"--2 stars
Fifer, Chad--"The Baby Downstairs"--2 stars
Goodfellow, Cody--"Red Americans"--2 stars
Hudson, Michael--"Five Minutes or Less"--2 stars
Wunner, Nathan--"Death May Die"--2 stars
Byers, Richard Lee--"Kickstarter"--1 star
Poots, Samuel--"The Thing in the Fridge"--1 star

I received this new anthology directly from 01 Publishing through bookreviewdirectory.wordpress.com.

[Ian Welke · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the introduction on Whispers From The Abyss 2 ranges from brilliant to merely solid. I thought the stories from Sarah Hans, Konstantine Paradias, Kevin Wetmore, John Palisano, and Cody Goodfellow were all stand outs. The Goodfellow story in particular… I read that after a particularly crappy week and it turned my terrible mood around.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories that have been inspired by H.P. Lovecraft. Scary, humorous and strange, this collection runs the gamut of storytelling. I especially thought the funny stories incredibly clever and very enjoyable. I'm anxious to read the first volume now as well as looking forward to purchasing a physical copy of this book.

[Joel Hacker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preface: some of this is a rehash of what was in my review for the previous volume, but I think its important enough to repeat.
I looking at 01Publishing's website, I was right off the bat assaulted by some messaging against political correctness and 'No Safe Spaces.' Which, incidentally, is also the name of the podcast that Rocha and Finney run, which is pretty aggressive in its anti-pc talk. The slogan is also on some of their graphics, which seem like sf/horror versions of a some of the skull (punisher skull, skull mask, etc.) iconography used by the far right these days. Symbolism not helped by it being flag coloured/patterned. Doing some digging on twitter, it looks like Rocha (the editor as well, for the record) has changed accounts a few times, with the most recent one talking about moving to Parler in the bio. Some of her older accounts appear to have followed accounts espousing uniting traditional conservatives and libertarians to 'take back our culture.' In some of her Youtube videos there use of the alt-right slur 'soyboy', during which Patton Oswalt of all people is pictured.
Could these all be individual red flags that ultimately amount to nothing? Sure. But taken as a collection of facts, as well as some other bits and pieces of catch phrases, rhetoric, and political figures the editors seem to follow, its cause for some concern. I have queries out to some authors that have worked with this publisher and Rocha to see if I can get anything more concrete. But at this points, especially with some of the youtube video comments about lovely, humane people, I can't endorse anything put out by this publisher. Which is a shame because I dearly love some of the authors included here. If you really want to check it out, please buy it used and don't support a publisher that endorses such problematic views. I know Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer have made the stories they had in this and the subsequent collection available as audio stories through Witch House Media and the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast. You may want to check them out there.
I really respect and enjoy a lot of the authors included in these...Chad Fifer's 'The Baby Downstairs' is probably the funniest and creepiest two page story I've every seen (or heard). Orrin Grey's 'The Labyrinth of Sleep' shows up in some other collections by other publishers, and is an fantastic integration of some of my favorite elements of both dreamlands and non-dreamlands elements. John C. Foster's 'His Carniverous Regard' brings lovecraftian weird fiction elements to science fiction, and we have another great entry by Greg Stolze of White Wolf fame. Other talented, recognizable names like Barron and Byers also make memorable appearances. Its a great collection of talent and ideas. But I just can't give a positive rating to a publisher with seemingly such disturbing political stances.

[Danforth Spitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whispers from the Abyss: Volume One is a wonderful anthology of dark fiction/horror based in the shared literary world of HP Lovecraft, know that first.
This anthology is a marvelous collection of weird fiction, some of it of a violent brutal nature. Some of it told in a clever modern manner, others in the classic gothic/lovecraftian journal entry trope. This is a wonderful read. I highly recommend this ebook.

[Book lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lived up to its title

It's an interesting read of a generous number of stories. It isn't as captivating as book but a few tales stood out; like "There is something in the fridge" and the one after. They were well written with a note of humour. I recommend it to horror, Sci-fi, and supernatural fans especially HP Lovecraft enthusiasts.

[The Smoog · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is usual for any anthology, there was the odd story which didn’t appeal to me personally, but overall this is a solid collection which I think I enjoyed even more than the first one. It could have done with a little more editing for spelling and grammar, but nothing too noticeable.

[Daniel Cloutier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordentliche Horrorsammlung, jedoch häufig nur mit losestem Lovecraft-Bezug.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read:

The Baby Downstairs - Carl Fifer. -3/5

[Bill Borre]

"The Thing in the Fridge" by Samuel Poots - The mayor's son tells a policeman about an Old One living in the fridge. Frank thinks he's being pranked until he gives the boy a ride in his car back to the house and the child's mother appears unhinged. The mayor returns and tells Frank the fridge is a portal to Cthulhu's domain. Frank is astonished when other cult members arrive in ceremonial robes and begin chanting. Frank reaches for the door of the fridge...

"Echoes in Porcelain" by Konstantine Paradias - Gladys' toilet becomes infested by rat-things from R'lyeh so she acquires a cat-thing from an oddities shop to dispose of them.

"Five Minutes or Less" by Michael Hudson - A worshipper of the Old Ones attempts to convert Ray by enticing him to sacrifice his wife and children.

"Death May Die" by Nathan Wunner - This story postulates that consciousness is a disease stemming from Azathoth.

"The Vindication of Y’Ha-Nthlei" by David Busboom - The narrator is killed when Deep Ones assault the ship.

"The Labyrinth of Sleep" by Orrin Grey - The narrator finds himself a participant in Cthulhu's dead dreaming.

"Kickstarter" by Richard Lee Byers - wc

[Nicholas Diak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did a review of this comic collection for Fanbase Press. I concluded the review as:

Whispers of the Abyss Volume 2 is successful at delivering Lovecraft-inspired stories on a short scale. The intended audience may be folks on the go, but a wider audience will definitely appreciate them. The majority of the stories are competently written, but aside from a handful of exceptions, they are not necessarily original. The stories in Whispers Volume 2 that do stray from the old formula are the definite gems of the anthology, and it is hoped that even more stories of this type show up in Whispers Volume 3.

The full review can be read here:
http://fanbasepress.com/index.php/blogs/guest-contributors/item/6551-whispers-from-the-abyss-volume-2-anthology-review

[John R. Dailey Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A BAG OF STRANGE TALES IT IS...

Hello, this is quite the collection of short stories. These stories don't necessarily hold to the same theme. Most of the stories are quite dark and do not have a happy ending. Thanks.