The New Madrid Horror

by Aaron Hollingsworth, Brett Nuefeld (Illustrator)

Based on the Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and true historical events, The New Madrid Horror details the dastardly deeds which triggered a massive earthquake that devastated the state of Missouri along the Mississippi River. This is a story of family-gone-wrong, a tale of piracy, murder, and cannibalism. Worst of all, it reveals the cosmic horror derived from Numerology. What is the True Number of that great river? What happens when that number, that name, is called out?

This tale was originally published in Folded Steel: More Tales of the Weird and Woeful.
Cover Illustration by Brett Nuefeld.

Genres: Horror

10 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2019

About the author

Aaron Hollingsworth is the author of the Four Winds-One Storm saga, the Steel Tales series, a few odd novellas, and numerous tabletop RPG supplements. He is a sloppy-yet-enthusiastic martial artist, a rhythmically-challenged songwriter, and a spewer of odd facts at social gatherings. His stories usually involve sword fights, unorthodox usage of magic, fast-moving plots, archaic adjectives, romance-without-commitment, poetic justice, and/or ironic revenge.

His mundane life involves keeping his artist wife Stephanie Hollingsworth inspired and well-supplied, preventing their sons Jude the Dude and Leonidas from summoning eldritch horrors, and making sure that a certain high school in the Kansas City area is a clean environment for teachers and students.

He dares readers to explore his website at aaronhollingsworth.com and to like his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/AaronHollingsworthWr....

Reviews

[Latasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a messed up Lovecraftian tale. I liked it! It's really short but it packs a punch. I would listen or read more from this author. I listened to this one. It's narrated by Danny Montooth and wow! He is really, really good!
I requested this audio book in exchange for a honest review.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a weird and crazy story. Cosmic horror where brothers deal in magic and pursue evil devices to the point that one twin decides he must eat his brother to gain back in the bloodline. Things don’t go the way you may expect. I really liked it. It was a really well done tale.

[Chuck Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on Audible. I have never hidden my love of the Godfather of Cosmic Horror, H.P. Lovecraft. Not only do I love his works, but I love when newer voices the the reins and run. Brian Lumley, Ramsay Campbell, Laird Barron, and now Aaron Hollingsworth. (Yes I realize there are others.) I have not yet read the whole collection this story came from, but it is surely on my radar now. This story, set in the early days of the state of Missouri, concerns two brothers who, having consumed their parents (literally and metaphorically) become entranced in numerology and occult practices t call forth (Elder?) gods to reign. The narrating brother on the night he has chosen to murder and consume his twin, awakens to find his brother in the midst of a spell which ultimately fails, not only destroying the island they lived on, but causing an earthquake that all but destroys New Madrid. a city on the Mississippi River, near the Illinois and Kentucky borders. It sits directly on a fault line.and in 1811-1812 was affected by more than 1000 earthquakes, the strongest of which was nearly an 8. This is the earthquake written into this story, making historical event a supernatural one. I will definitely be continuing the adventures that Mr. Hollingsworth is writing.