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The Taint and Other Novellas
A collection of thrilling tales from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos by one of horror's biggest legends. This volume contains the very best of Brian Lumley's Mythos novellas.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Horror at Oakdeene
Born of the Winds
The Fairground Horror
The Taint
Rising with Surtsey
Lord of the Worms
The House of the Temple
279 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2007
47 people are currently reading
1207 people want to read
About the author
Brian Lumley
444 books1,354 followersBrian Lumley was born near Newcastle. In 22 years as a Military Policeman he served in many of the Cold War hotspots, including Berlin, as well as Cyprus in partition days. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major before retiring to Devon to write full-time, and his work was first published in 1970. The vampire series, 'Necroscope', has been translated into ten languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
May 27, 2020
Welcoming the chance to get my Lovcraftian horror on via the excellent narration of Joshua Saxon, I tore into THE TAINT AND OTHER NOVELLAS. What fun!
A collection of 5 novellas which were written back in the mid to late 1900s, these tales do not have the polish of Lumley's later works, like the Necroscope series. These stories are more the work of a writer starting out, (while serving in the military), a writer bewitched by Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. The fun parts of the mythos are here, but they lack the racism and other issues of Lovecraft's work.
My favorites of the 5 were:
LORD OF THE WORMS This tale featured Titus Crow, a name I remember from back in the day, though I can't quite remember the tales in which he featured. In this story, he's invited to a home under the pretense of cataloging a large book collection at an old estate. Of course nothing is as it appears. Throw in some mesmerizing hypnotism, (see what I did there?!), some maggots and some spiked wine and you have yourself a great time!
THE TAINT was a fun tale involving fish-men. That's right, fish-men. With all the creepiness inherent in that phrase. It's not as much a pulp tale as one would think, with just the right mix of horror and perhaps a bit of social commentary, (but that's just my take.)
Finally, the last story THE TEMPLE HOUSE takes the form of a man inheriting an old estate from his uncle. He takes a friend and goes to Scotland to inspect his inheritance, and soon finds a letter from his uncle asking him to destroy the place. Why? You'll have to read this to find out!
Regarding the narrator, Joshua Saxon-I've only listened to one other performance of his, which was the excellent THE CIPHER by Kathe Koja. In that book he was voicing only one character while in this collection, he voices all kinds of people and he does it quite well. English, American, Scottish, he does them all and never for a moment did I doubt the origins of any of the characters. Well done, sir!
This was a collection full of fun Lovecraftian monsters, fish people, maggots and worms. If these are the things that delight you, then you'll enjoy the hell out of this volume!
Recommended!
*I received this audio download free from the narrator, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
A collection of 5 novellas which were written back in the mid to late 1900s, these tales do not have the polish of Lumley's later works, like the Necroscope series. These stories are more the work of a writer starting out, (while serving in the military), a writer bewitched by Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. The fun parts of the mythos are here, but they lack the racism and other issues of Lovecraft's work.
My favorites of the 5 were:
LORD OF THE WORMS This tale featured Titus Crow, a name I remember from back in the day, though I can't quite remember the tales in which he featured. In this story, he's invited to a home under the pretense of cataloging a large book collection at an old estate. Of course nothing is as it appears. Throw in some mesmerizing hypnotism, (see what I did there?!), some maggots and some spiked wine and you have yourself a great time!
THE TAINT was a fun tale involving fish-men. That's right, fish-men. With all the creepiness inherent in that phrase. It's not as much a pulp tale as one would think, with just the right mix of horror and perhaps a bit of social commentary, (but that's just my take.)
Finally, the last story THE TEMPLE HOUSE takes the form of a man inheriting an old estate from his uncle. He takes a friend and goes to Scotland to inspect his inheritance, and soon finds a letter from his uncle asking him to destroy the place. Why? You'll have to read this to find out!
Regarding the narrator, Joshua Saxon-I've only listened to one other performance of his, which was the excellent THE CIPHER by Kathe Koja. In that book he was voicing only one character while in this collection, he voices all kinds of people and he does it quite well. English, American, Scottish, he does them all and never for a moment did I doubt the origins of any of the characters. Well done, sir!
This was a collection full of fun Lovecraftian monsters, fish people, maggots and worms. If these are the things that delight you, then you'll enjoy the hell out of this volume!
Recommended!
*I received this audio download free from the narrator, in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
December 10, 2019
What a treat! I requested this audio book but i was in no way prepared for this much fun. I really enjoyed this collection of cosmic doom. Each story tackles a different mythos from H.P. Lovecraft's making. The writing is so good. The stories are great and fun. If your a fan of HPL, you definitely should pick this one up.
Joshua Saxton read this. He did really great. His voice sounds so smart and scholarly. I felt he added sophistication to the production.
As i said earlier, i requested this audio book and voluntary left this review.
Joshua Saxton read this. He did really great. His voice sounds so smart and scholarly. I felt he added sophistication to the production.
As i said earlier, i requested this audio book and voluntary left this review.
June 27, 2009
The prolific Brian Lumley, a stalwart of British horror, has collected what his publisher calls his best Cthulhu Mythos tales in the first volume of what appears to be a series.
Where does it stand in the Lovecraftian canon? Well, it mostly stands as a worthy successor to Derleth, if you take the Mythos not to be the starting point for great literature but as a universe for pulp exploitation. In this volume at least, Lumley largely concentrates on tales of horrors associated with the ocean and, in one story, the winds. The smell of the sea, as you might expect of a British writer, pervades the book.
Most of these stories, which contain their own inner coherence (for example, the Oakdene asylum appears repeatedly as if it had wandered in from an Amicus movie production), were written when Lumley was not yet a full time writer but was holding down a steady job in an extended military career - solid, workmanlike stuff but showing none of the signs of a mind able to give itself completely to its subject matter.
Most of the stories come, therefore, from the late 1960s through to the early 1980s, and they bear loose comparison with the Stephen King collection, which has its own occasional use of more land-based Lovecraftian themes, as reviewed by us recently - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
King, as Lumley might well admit, is the superior writer, although Lumley at his best is far better than King at his worst. The bulk of the stories in this collection are entertaining enough - although the last two ('The Lord of the Worms', a dreadful sub-Wheatley tale of black magic whose only purpose seems to have been to give some sort of back story to his Titus Crow creation, and 'The House of the Temple') might easily have been left out with profit. The latter, however, although largely pedestrian and predictable, opens out (as Lumley is, on occasion, wont to do) into some remarkable last pages of genuine eldritch horror even as it bathetically collapses into cliche at the end.
Other stories are more solid but they contain nothing that should hold a reader who is not a died-in-the-wool Lovecraftian, one who needs his fix and will put up with some less potent drug than he would really like.
Two stories or rather novella rise above the rest - 'Born of the Winds' (1972/3) and 'The Taint' (2002/2003). These suggest that Lumley is at his best (as in his Necroscope series) when he is given the space to tell a longer tale and develop character. In this, he is much like King and unlike Lovecraft himself and, say, Ligotti. His other short stories are basically pulp, at times almost pastiches of the entertaining fodder to be found at the top end of the 'Wierd Tales' market, but these two novella really do have something going for them.
The earliest, BOTW, is derivative of Algernon Blackwood's 'The Wendigo' which Lumley cleverly identifies with Ithaqua, the Wind Walker, from the Lovecraftian Mythos. The transition is seamless. Although perhaps not great literature in that absolute sense beloved of the Academy, the writing is atmospheric (it is set in the Canadian wastes) and it is a worthy addition to the canon.
But it is 'The Taint' that holds our attention. It is a small masterpiece. It can be no accident that it comes after well over thirty years of practice at the art of writing.
It takes the Innsmouth story and creates a tale of miscegenation between man and sea-beast that contains none of the racist disgust of Lovecraft. Instead it creates a very humane story of the human costs of dark dabblings in the past that becomes a lively metaphor for the terrible effects on later generations of the boundary-crossing of earlier ones. References to AIDS and CJD are not accidental, nor the idea that scientific interest in the Innsmouth population might have its own, not necessarily entirely evil, momentum.
There is little of Cthulhu in this story but a great deal of interest in developing what Lovecraft had never explained into a narrative that fills some gaps plausibly. In this sense, it is more than another tale within a tradition, it is a brilliant extension of the narrative, still very much loyal to Lovecraft's 'facts' but from a more humane if pessimistic British perspective at the beginning of the twenty first century.
It has also been brilliantly translated into a Cornish environment - directly across from the New England coast. The 'surprise' (we are not into spoilers) seems no surprise when it comes and yet Lumley's skilled writing has brilliantly drawn us away from the only logical reason the protagonist is in the decayed fishing village and towards the relationships between the middle class exiles who stand apart from the locals. It is a skilled example of literary misdirection and shows what Lumley is capable of.
This story has appeared elsewhere (in 'Weird Shadows over Innsmouth', publ. 2005) so that this book does not need to be purchased if you have that volume and are not a Lovecraftian mythos completist. On the other hand, the story is so interesting that I would say that the book is worth the purchase for it alone - assuming you are reasonably well educated in Lovecraft's themes and can enjoy the other stories for what they are, dark fun.
I like Lumley. He is an honest cove in popular literature, It is good to see him still appearing on Waterstone's shelves and with a decent section at 'Forbidden Planet', but this collection is otherwise really (like King's) strictly for the fans or for Lovecraftians (like me) who cannot fail to get a thrill from the Master's grim world-view (albeit as twisted by Derlethianism).
'The Taint' is the best story in part because it goes to the core of the Master's work and throws out all the accretions of Arkham Press. It develops Lovecraft and when we say we wish Lovecraft had written more, this is what we generally mean - that his dark vision, set in each successive time, should reflect what science, not myth, might tell us about the eldritch horrors 'out there'.
Where does it stand in the Lovecraftian canon? Well, it mostly stands as a worthy successor to Derleth, if you take the Mythos not to be the starting point for great literature but as a universe for pulp exploitation. In this volume at least, Lumley largely concentrates on tales of horrors associated with the ocean and, in one story, the winds. The smell of the sea, as you might expect of a British writer, pervades the book.
Most of these stories, which contain their own inner coherence (for example, the Oakdene asylum appears repeatedly as if it had wandered in from an Amicus movie production), were written when Lumley was not yet a full time writer but was holding down a steady job in an extended military career - solid, workmanlike stuff but showing none of the signs of a mind able to give itself completely to its subject matter.
Most of the stories come, therefore, from the late 1960s through to the early 1980s, and they bear loose comparison with the Stephen King collection, which has its own occasional use of more land-based Lovecraftian themes, as reviewed by us recently - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
King, as Lumley might well admit, is the superior writer, although Lumley at his best is far better than King at his worst. The bulk of the stories in this collection are entertaining enough - although the last two ('The Lord of the Worms', a dreadful sub-Wheatley tale of black magic whose only purpose seems to have been to give some sort of back story to his Titus Crow creation, and 'The House of the Temple') might easily have been left out with profit. The latter, however, although largely pedestrian and predictable, opens out (as Lumley is, on occasion, wont to do) into some remarkable last pages of genuine eldritch horror even as it bathetically collapses into cliche at the end.
Other stories are more solid but they contain nothing that should hold a reader who is not a died-in-the-wool Lovecraftian, one who needs his fix and will put up with some less potent drug than he would really like.
Two stories or rather novella rise above the rest - 'Born of the Winds' (1972/3) and 'The Taint' (2002/2003). These suggest that Lumley is at his best (as in his Necroscope series) when he is given the space to tell a longer tale and develop character. In this, he is much like King and unlike Lovecraft himself and, say, Ligotti. His other short stories are basically pulp, at times almost pastiches of the entertaining fodder to be found at the top end of the 'Wierd Tales' market, but these two novella really do have something going for them.
The earliest, BOTW, is derivative of Algernon Blackwood's 'The Wendigo' which Lumley cleverly identifies with Ithaqua, the Wind Walker, from the Lovecraftian Mythos. The transition is seamless. Although perhaps not great literature in that absolute sense beloved of the Academy, the writing is atmospheric (it is set in the Canadian wastes) and it is a worthy addition to the canon.
But it is 'The Taint' that holds our attention. It is a small masterpiece. It can be no accident that it comes after well over thirty years of practice at the art of writing.
It takes the Innsmouth story and creates a tale of miscegenation between man and sea-beast that contains none of the racist disgust of Lovecraft. Instead it creates a very humane story of the human costs of dark dabblings in the past that becomes a lively metaphor for the terrible effects on later generations of the boundary-crossing of earlier ones. References to AIDS and CJD are not accidental, nor the idea that scientific interest in the Innsmouth population might have its own, not necessarily entirely evil, momentum.
There is little of Cthulhu in this story but a great deal of interest in developing what Lovecraft had never explained into a narrative that fills some gaps plausibly. In this sense, it is more than another tale within a tradition, it is a brilliant extension of the narrative, still very much loyal to Lovecraft's 'facts' but from a more humane if pessimistic British perspective at the beginning of the twenty first century.
It has also been brilliantly translated into a Cornish environment - directly across from the New England coast. The 'surprise' (we are not into spoilers) seems no surprise when it comes and yet Lumley's skilled writing has brilliantly drawn us away from the only logical reason the protagonist is in the decayed fishing village and towards the relationships between the middle class exiles who stand apart from the locals. It is a skilled example of literary misdirection and shows what Lumley is capable of.
This story has appeared elsewhere (in 'Weird Shadows over Innsmouth', publ. 2005) so that this book does not need to be purchased if you have that volume and are not a Lovecraftian mythos completist. On the other hand, the story is so interesting that I would say that the book is worth the purchase for it alone - assuming you are reasonably well educated in Lovecraft's themes and can enjoy the other stories for what they are, dark fun.
I like Lumley. He is an honest cove in popular literature, It is good to see him still appearing on Waterstone's shelves and with a decent section at 'Forbidden Planet', but this collection is otherwise really (like King's) strictly for the fans or for Lovecraftians (like me) who cannot fail to get a thrill from the Master's grim world-view (albeit as twisted by Derlethianism).
'The Taint' is the best story in part because it goes to the core of the Master's work and throws out all the accretions of Arkham Press. It develops Lovecraft and when we say we wish Lovecraft had written more, this is what we generally mean - that his dark vision, set in each successive time, should reflect what science, not myth, might tell us about the eldritch horrors 'out there'.
December 22, 2019
LOVED this collection!
November 23, 2013
Even though ive read 3 of these tales before in other anthology's it was still great & very satisfying. I so enjoy Brian Lumley with his Lovecraftian overtone's coloring these work's. My favorite's are "Born of the Wind's", "Lord of the Worm's" & "The House of the Temple". This is a wonderful read & you can be assured it deliver's, I really enjoyed this book- Holly=+=
May 4, 2016
A rather split compilation of several of Lumley's novellas within the scope of the Cycle of Cthulhu Myth. About half of them are pure pastiche; channeling Lovecraft so precisely that I thought I might have been reading August Derleth. That said, Lumley is a great writer and one of my favorite in the field, so he's a pleasure to read even when the pastiche prose are purple. Lumley's introductions to each novella (exclusive to this gorgeous Subterranean Press edition) help soften the blow a bit in their self-deprecating humor and earnestness. Most of the pastiche stories were written 35-40 years ago and represented some of Lumley's earliest published works, so one can't fault him too fiercely, if at all.
As much pulpy fun as it was to read the handful of Lovecraft homages, the real joy comes in the later novellas also included here, especially The Taint and Born of the Winds. Clearly written after his style had matured somewhat, these tales are unique in character and content (if not necessarily in setting) and were a real pleasure to encounter.
I've been a fan of Lumley's since reading his Necroscope novels some years ago, but had had very little exposure to his Mythos Cycle stories. This was a pretty good collection with which to rectify that omission and the brief time it took me to read them was well-spent. A solid comp with some slight lows, a lot of midlines, and a couple of very high highs. Four stars for fans of Lumley or the Mythos, probably far less than that for anyone else.
As much pulpy fun as it was to read the handful of Lovecraft homages, the real joy comes in the later novellas also included here, especially The Taint and Born of the Winds. Clearly written after his style had matured somewhat, these tales are unique in character and content (if not necessarily in setting) and were a real pleasure to encounter.
I've been a fan of Lumley's since reading his Necroscope novels some years ago, but had had very little exposure to his Mythos Cycle stories. This was a pretty good collection with which to rectify that omission and the brief time it took me to read them was well-spent. A solid comp with some slight lows, a lot of midlines, and a couple of very high highs. Four stars for fans of Lumley or the Mythos, probably far less than that for anyone else.
March 17, 2012
There's already a much better review of this on the website, and since I agree with most of what he says, I'm just going to leave this short and with minimal comments. As some others have said, the title story was the best, and it was the latest as well, which shows that Brian Lumley had gotten much better as a writer over the years in my opinion. But Brian Lumley at his purplest worst is still a barrel of monkeys, but I'm kind of a Lumley fanboy. And the Kindle has opened up great new realms of Lumley stuff to get into in my somewhat book-starved area of the world. Great, pulpy horror, and while nowhere nearly as mesmerizing as Lovecraft, his homages are really heartfelt, and I think that counts for a lot.
Also, take a look at that fucking cover. I never pass on books that look like that.
Also, take a look at that fucking cover. I never pass on books that look like that.
October 15, 2020
(stories i didnt comment on, were commented/read from other collections)
The Horror at Oakdeene
A nurse in an asylum, after some months, ends up being a patient.
Born of the Winds
Lumley’s At the mounts of madness! Almost a novella, big and entertaining, scary and suspenseful!
The Taint
A story about the Deep Ones of Insmouth givin heritage to a family in England.
The Horror at Oakdeene
A nurse in an asylum, after some months, ends up being a patient.
Born of the Winds
Lumley’s At the mounts of madness! Almost a novella, big and entertaining, scary and suspenseful!
The Taint
A story about the Deep Ones of Insmouth givin heritage to a family in England.
December 28, 2014
This is a pretty good collection of Lovecraftian and Lovecraft-influenced fiction. The author himself admits that much of the work here is uneven, some stories are much better than others, but a few rise to some pretty high levels in my opinion. Lumley doesn't really frighten except in a few rare instances, these are just well-written mythos tales that are steeped in great atmosphere.
The Horror At Oakdeene - Decent story, I like the setting and feel of it, but Lumley is right, this is pure imitation of Lovecraft, still fun to read, but not too original and a bit predictable. An author working in an asylum becomes fascinated by an inmate who went insane after acquiring a evil text which explains how to invoke alien beings.
Born of the Winds - Pretty good story, a Lovecraftian take on the Wendigo myth. It's got some creepy moments, but really I can't say I enjoyed it too much; although it had a great sense of place, and a decent mood, it held back in the creepiness. A man is asked to accompany a woman to venture into the snowy Canadian wilderness to find her son who is the leader of a strange Wendigo cult.
The Fairground Horror - Good Lovercraftian novelette, nothing great here perhaps, but fun, pulpy as all get out, just nothing special in my opinion and not a lot of horror. A sideshow owner kills his brother to take possession of his Cthulhu relics, hoping to use the idol to rob people, and make their bodies disappear into it's green light which takes them as sacrifices.
The Taint - Really enjoyed this novella, the second best in the collection. It’s got some creepiness in it, but it’s not scary, just good, smartly-written Lovecraftian fiction. I could see this would be slow to some, certainly at times it’s almost more of a drama than horror tale. A retired American doctor moves to a small seaside English village where he discovers evidence of a previous Innsmouth resident having lived and given birth to a man who is developing into a fish-man.
Rising With Surtsey - I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than some others which the author himself seemed to prefer in his commentary. Sure, it's pulpy as hell and not exactly subtle, but I liked it, and the end has some really weird, creepy stuff. A man's brother spends time reading ancient tomes of magic, and becomes convinced through his dreams that Cthulhu is soon returning. He is put away for a year, but when he's released he seems to be possessed by another spirit entirely.
Lord of the Worms - This was the best in the collection in my opinion. It feels perhaps a bit overlong at times, but at the same time I loved the setting and mood so much, I didn't mind. It deftly built up suspense and kept it at a high pitch. Titus Crow accepts a job cataloging books for an old occultist. Little does he know he is being drugged and hypnotized by the man who wants to take over his body, and has already done it to many others.
The House of the Temple - This was a pretty good one, I would put it right below both Lord of the Worms and The Taint. Good sense of place and atmosphere, the end was quite horrific and action-packed. A man inherits an old estate from his uncle in Scotland, his will demands that the house be destroyed, because after researching family history he came to believe a soul-sucking thing lives in the pool beside the house.
The Horror At Oakdeene - Decent story, I like the setting and feel of it, but Lumley is right, this is pure imitation of Lovecraft, still fun to read, but not too original and a bit predictable. An author working in an asylum becomes fascinated by an inmate who went insane after acquiring a evil text which explains how to invoke alien beings.
Born of the Winds - Pretty good story, a Lovecraftian take on the Wendigo myth. It's got some creepy moments, but really I can't say I enjoyed it too much; although it had a great sense of place, and a decent mood, it held back in the creepiness. A man is asked to accompany a woman to venture into the snowy Canadian wilderness to find her son who is the leader of a strange Wendigo cult.
The Fairground Horror - Good Lovercraftian novelette, nothing great here perhaps, but fun, pulpy as all get out, just nothing special in my opinion and not a lot of horror. A sideshow owner kills his brother to take possession of his Cthulhu relics, hoping to use the idol to rob people, and make their bodies disappear into it's green light which takes them as sacrifices.
The Taint - Really enjoyed this novella, the second best in the collection. It’s got some creepiness in it, but it’s not scary, just good, smartly-written Lovecraftian fiction. I could see this would be slow to some, certainly at times it’s almost more of a drama than horror tale. A retired American doctor moves to a small seaside English village where he discovers evidence of a previous Innsmouth resident having lived and given birth to a man who is developing into a fish-man.
Rising With Surtsey - I actually enjoyed this one a bit more than some others which the author himself seemed to prefer in his commentary. Sure, it's pulpy as hell and not exactly subtle, but I liked it, and the end has some really weird, creepy stuff. A man's brother spends time reading ancient tomes of magic, and becomes convinced through his dreams that Cthulhu is soon returning. He is put away for a year, but when he's released he seems to be possessed by another spirit entirely.
Lord of the Worms - This was the best in the collection in my opinion. It feels perhaps a bit overlong at times, but at the same time I loved the setting and mood so much, I didn't mind. It deftly built up suspense and kept it at a high pitch. Titus Crow accepts a job cataloging books for an old occultist. Little does he know he is being drugged and hypnotized by the man who wants to take over his body, and has already done it to many others.
The House of the Temple - This was a pretty good one, I would put it right below both Lord of the Worms and The Taint. Good sense of place and atmosphere, the end was quite horrific and action-packed. A man inherits an old estate from his uncle in Scotland, his will demands that the house be destroyed, because after researching family history he came to believe a soul-sucking thing lives in the pool beside the house.
August 3, 2012
Despite getting the impression from all the pre-publishing hypes and reviews that this book would contain the longer stories of "Cthulhu Mythos" by Brian Lumley, actual reading of the stories resulted in me being pleasantly surprised. The stories in this book are more properly describable as 'Lovecraftian', since they succed in invoking the feeling of cosmic horror without going through the hackneyed themes, words and damnable incantations! The best story in this book is undoubtedly, "The Taint", with its haunting narrative and the chiller ending. Lovers of Cthulhu mythos should lap this book up, because after a long time such a fresh voice has been heard in the venerable hall made slimy by incompetents and frauds.
January 30, 2020
This collection was a bit underwhelming; I really enjoyed Lumley’s “No Sharks in the Med and Other Stories” so I was looking forward to reading more of his work. Unfortunately these stories weren’t as well written, I think the fact that they were firmly set in Lovecraft’s mythos constrained creativity and restricted Lumley’s skills. That’s not to say they were bad, they were still enjoyable Lovecraftian stories, it’s just not Lumley’s best work.
December 21, 2019
Awesome collection of short stories and novellas, I have been Burning through brian lumley's collections lately and loving them. This was also expertly narrated.
November 13, 2020
I took my time with this one and whereas I found it enjoyable, there were a lot of parts where the story just drug on and made it difficult to enjoy. Brian Lumley is a spectacular writer but to me, many of his books are the same with a slight reskin and character change. Titus Crowe feels like Tales of the Primal Land Vol. 1 feels like Haggopian and sometimes that is just what happens. His Necroscope series is an example of what happens when you work your way into a niche corner and cannot get out. His Fruiting Bodies is interesting, as is House of Doors and Caller in Black because they are independent stories. (HOD is supposed to be a series but never took off)
Jim Butcher and RA Salvator fall into this trap as well; they wrote a great character that they just can't kill off (Harry Dresden and Drizzt Do'Urden respectively) and are doomed to keep them going for the sake of money and keeping relevant in the current market.
3 solid stars.
Jim Butcher and RA Salvator fall into this trap as well; they wrote a great character that they just can't kill off (Harry Dresden and Drizzt Do'Urden respectively) and are doomed to keep them going for the sake of money and keeping relevant in the current market.
3 solid stars.
October 3, 2019
I really really loved this collection of short stories. They were dark and interesting and creepy. Brian Lumley expanded on the HPL universe without overtly bending it to his will. My favorite stories were The Taint, Born of the Winds, and The House of the Temple. I got my fix in now, I need to move on to other mythos or I will get sucked down the Cthulhu rabbit hole and might never find my way out again. This was cosmic horror done right and I really appreciate the opportunity to review the collection. Joshua Saxon is the perfect narrator for these stories, he was masterful in bringing each character to life no matter the nationality or circumstance. Fantastic job.
This audio book was given to me at my request for my free and unbiased review.
This audio book was given to me at my request for my free and unbiased review.
March 17, 2012
Or , for an alternative title, "Lumley does Lovecraft" - & does it very well....!
I've reviewed HP on here , & said that , although his ideas are good , he went on a bit.....well , these novellas are some of Brian Lumley's work in the mythos - & he has picked up the ball & ran with it . There isn't a duff tale in the collection , but the 2 standout stories for me were "Lord of the Worms" (an early tale of Titus Crow) , & "The House of the Temple" (dark deeds in the Pentland Hills , & an eldritch horror in a pool) .
Brian Lumley crafts his tales well , & this is an excellent continuation of Lovecraft's work.
Worth the investment .
I've reviewed HP on here , & said that , although his ideas are good , he went on a bit.....well , these novellas are some of Brian Lumley's work in the mythos - & he has picked up the ball & ran with it . There isn't a duff tale in the collection , but the 2 standout stories for me were "Lord of the Worms" (an early tale of Titus Crow) , & "The House of the Temple" (dark deeds in the Pentland Hills , & an eldritch horror in a pool) .
Brian Lumley crafts his tales well , & this is an excellent continuation of Lovecraft's work.
Worth the investment .
December 17, 2013
I love this stuff. Mr. Lumley captures the spirit of Lovecraft and his dark watery monsters. His tone is almost Victorian-spooky, dark, mesmerizing.
September 22, 2019
**DISCLAIMER**
I have NOT (gasp) read Lovecraft or any other works in the Cthulhu Mythos (with the exception of Robert E Howard's Conan stories, which I consider to be only tenuously connected). Therefore, my review will be based on this book alone on its own merits with no biases or comparisons to other Mythos works.
That said, while novella is a very broad term that can be quite a range of lengths, here we have a nice collection of what I would call mostly short stories. There are a number of twist endings and reversals that were a pleasure to read.
About the audiobook narrator:
Joshua Saxon has a pleasant, eminently listenable voice and an impressive ability to draw multiple voices and accents. My one complaint is something quite common, particularly with deeper-voiced male narrators; his female voices are basically just softer toned versions of male voices. However, he has great control of vocal inflections and his tempo shifts throughout the text are spot on.
Now, the stories.
First, I would like to thank the author for the explanation in the opening about what constitutes the Cthulhu Mythos, as heretofore my only exposure to it has been via (very brief) experience with the tabletop RGP, Call of Cthulhu.
Now, here we have quite an array of stories that cover several different themes and approaches to the mythos. The one overarching idea that comes across is almost all of them is that generally speaking, humans in a Cthulhu story are doomed.
Now, some readers may consider that a point against these stories, as happy endings are a rare thing. But personally, I feel that as a culture we've lost touch with the reality that typically when people encounter monsters, we rarely come out on top. Even most modern horror has lost touch with that.
So, for me, the fact that the protagonist rarely wins is not only a point in favor, but several points in favor. This is what horror is. This is what horror should be. Horror is meant to be, well, horrifying. And while some of these stories lean more toward the grotesque rather than truly horrifying, they still do their work quite well.
I was particularly fond of "The Taint," "Lord of the Worms," and "Born of the Winds." Each for different reasons.
In short, whether you enjoy realistic (while still supernatural) horror or if you are specifically a fan of Lovecraft or Cthulhu Mythos, I highly recommend giving this a read.
**DISCLAIMER 2**
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased review.
I have NOT (gasp) read Lovecraft or any other works in the Cthulhu Mythos (with the exception of Robert E Howard's Conan stories, which I consider to be only tenuously connected). Therefore, my review will be based on this book alone on its own merits with no biases or comparisons to other Mythos works.
That said, while novella is a very broad term that can be quite a range of lengths, here we have a nice collection of what I would call mostly short stories. There are a number of twist endings and reversals that were a pleasure to read.
About the audiobook narrator:
Joshua Saxon has a pleasant, eminently listenable voice and an impressive ability to draw multiple voices and accents. My one complaint is something quite common, particularly with deeper-voiced male narrators; his female voices are basically just softer toned versions of male voices. However, he has great control of vocal inflections and his tempo shifts throughout the text are spot on.
Now, the stories.
First, I would like to thank the author for the explanation in the opening about what constitutes the Cthulhu Mythos, as heretofore my only exposure to it has been via (very brief) experience with the tabletop RGP, Call of Cthulhu.
Now, here we have quite an array of stories that cover several different themes and approaches to the mythos. The one overarching idea that comes across is almost all of them is that generally speaking, humans in a Cthulhu story are doomed.
Now, some readers may consider that a point against these stories, as happy endings are a rare thing. But personally, I feel that as a culture we've lost touch with the reality that typically when people encounter monsters, we rarely come out on top. Even most modern horror has lost touch with that.
So, for me, the fact that the protagonist rarely wins is not only a point in favor, but several points in favor. This is what horror is. This is what horror should be. Horror is meant to be, well, horrifying. And while some of these stories lean more toward the grotesque rather than truly horrifying, they still do their work quite well.
I was particularly fond of "The Taint," "Lord of the Worms," and "Born of the Winds." Each for different reasons.
In short, whether you enjoy realistic (while still supernatural) horror or if you are specifically a fan of Lovecraft or Cthulhu Mythos, I highly recommend giving this a read.
**DISCLAIMER 2**
I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher and am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased review.
July 24, 2022
My decision to learn about and read stories of the Cthulhu Mythos has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I am so grateful to all the writers who have kept the mythos alive and who continue to do so now and in the future. I’m completely OBSESSED!!
When I started my Mythos Journey, a couple months ago, I was told to avoid reading Brian Lumley’s work. I don’t understand why…. This was my first time reading (listening to) Lumley’s work and I think these stories were great!! I really enjoyed the Titus Crow story “Lord of the Worms”. It was a fine contribution to the Cthulhu Mytyhos!
I plan on reading more of Lumley’s books…. No, wait…
I plan on listening to his audiobooks because they are narrated by my number one favorite narrator, Joshua Saxon! I believe he narrates all of Lumley’s work!!! So, Hell yeah!!!
When I started my Mythos Journey, a couple months ago, I was told to avoid reading Brian Lumley’s work. I don’t understand why…. This was my first time reading (listening to) Lumley’s work and I think these stories were great!! I really enjoyed the Titus Crow story “Lord of the Worms”. It was a fine contribution to the Cthulhu Mytyhos!
I plan on reading more of Lumley’s books…. No, wait…
I plan on listening to his audiobooks because they are narrated by my number one favorite narrator, Joshua Saxon! I believe he narrates all of Lumley’s work!!! So, Hell yeah!!!
September 20, 2019
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The fascination with Lovecraft continues with Brian Lumley collection of Cthulhu based stories another h. P. Inspired tales.
Running the gamut of Love crafts work this collection does a fine job of both playing in the sandbox of Lovecraft as well as mimicking his prose and style. The individual stories are all fine without a stand out story that is a home run. Narration is perfectly suitable for the old english-style language and will suit any Lovecraft fishing out of just fine. Ultimately however it is not a necessity to read as essentially well written Lovecraft fanfiction.
The fascination with Lovecraft continues with Brian Lumley collection of Cthulhu based stories another h. P. Inspired tales.
Running the gamut of Love crafts work this collection does a fine job of both playing in the sandbox of Lovecraft as well as mimicking his prose and style. The individual stories are all fine without a stand out story that is a home run. Narration is perfectly suitable for the old english-style language and will suit any Lovecraft fishing out of just fine. Ultimately however it is not a necessity to read as essentially well written Lovecraft fanfiction.
November 16, 2022
Excellent Lovecraft Eldrictch horrors
March 7, 2024
This is a collection of several Lumley stories regarding Cthulhu and The Old Ones (otherworldly monsters). Some of these stories I’d read before, but I always enjoy reading them again. Anytime I’m reading Lumley (or Tolkien, King or Koontz) it’s like visiting with an old and dear friend. These stories are old and dark and include locations such as an insane asylum in England, a cursed estate in Scotland and the great, white, freezing wilderness of Canada. One never knows where or when they will catch sight of these monsters or if they will live through the experience. I highly recommend Lumley’s creepy and dark novellas. I find them an absolute delight to read.
October 22, 2019
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I have to admit, I struggled with this one. I had to take breaks, listen to something else and then come back to this one.
While the stories are not bad stories, I found them a bit repetitive and somewhat drawn out.
A couple of the stories however were very good, and held my attention very well, the titled story "The Taint" being one of those. It was really just hit and miss for me with this one.
Narration was well done.
I have to admit, I struggled with this one. I had to take breaks, listen to something else and then come back to this one.
While the stories are not bad stories, I found them a bit repetitive and somewhat drawn out.
A couple of the stories however were very good, and held my attention very well, the titled story "The Taint" being one of those. It was really just hit and miss for me with this one.
Narration was well done.
November 5, 2019
As usual with an anthology, this is somewhat of a mixed bag. Overall, the quality is high - Lumley is a fine author, and he clearly feels an affinity with the Cthulhu Mythos. Of the seven stories that comprise this collection, there was only one - Rising with Surtsey - that I didn't enjoy. The standouts were the The Taint and Lord of the Worms (which features a young Titus Crow).
November 22, 2008
While the case may certainly be that I simply do not care for Lumley's work, the case might also be that I simply do not understand Lovecraftian horror: I never really found myself horrified with these novellas. Lumley consistently either gives the plot away within the first page — which ruins the suspense — or he tells an extremely boring piece of fiction which, inevitably, features a Shyamalan-esque twist at the end which contains some visage of horror. Except, in the latter case, he never really describes the horror, so we are left with the narrator proclaiming, "It was so horrifying!"
The only story I really found enjoyable was Lord of the Worms, the novella featuring Titus Crow. Even then, Worms falls to a number of the issues that I feel plague the other novellas, such as the shopping list of occult book references that, for some insane reason, has to be featured in every single story. I have not read any of the Mythos outside of Lumley's works, so perhaps this is a common trait; however, Lumley seems to realize that his stories lack a certain Mythos umph, and thus require, often in a single paragraph, references to all of the occult books that exist in-Mythos. How many times, exactly, is the Cthäat Aquadingen referenced in this book? Too many, especially for the stories (such as The Horror at Oakdeene) where it plays the role of McGuffin for the narrator's descent into insanity.
And that is a common theme, as well: with the exception of Crow, all of the narrators inevitably glimpse something of the occult — although we are never really given much in the way of a lucid description of what they see, only that they have seen it — and promptly either descend into madness, die some horrifying death, or are revealed to be the harbingers of doom themselves. Perhaps, on their own, and read in the context of other speculative fiction stories that cover other topics, these novellas would be palatable; however, in mass, I find them to tell the exact same story, over and over again.
The only story I really found enjoyable was Lord of the Worms, the novella featuring Titus Crow. Even then, Worms falls to a number of the issues that I feel plague the other novellas, such as the shopping list of occult book references that, for some insane reason, has to be featured in every single story. I have not read any of the Mythos outside of Lumley's works, so perhaps this is a common trait; however, Lumley seems to realize that his stories lack a certain Mythos umph, and thus require, often in a single paragraph, references to all of the occult books that exist in-Mythos. How many times, exactly, is the Cthäat Aquadingen referenced in this book? Too many, especially for the stories (such as The Horror at Oakdeene) where it plays the role of McGuffin for the narrator's descent into insanity.
And that is a common theme, as well: with the exception of Crow, all of the narrators inevitably glimpse something of the occult — although we are never really given much in the way of a lucid description of what they see, only that they have seen it — and promptly either descend into madness, die some horrifying death, or are revealed to be the harbingers of doom themselves. Perhaps, on their own, and read in the context of other speculative fiction stories that cover other topics, these novellas would be palatable; however, in mass, I find them to tell the exact same story, over and over again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2020
This is the third book by Brian Lumley that I've listened to, and they have all been super great! I remember in the past attempting to read an H.P. Lovecraft story (don't remember which one) but, needless to say, I had a hard time focusing, like it just didn't call to me, which means that I didn't finish it. So while these were Lovecraft-ish, I had no problem here.
Of course, Joshua Saxton, my #1 fav narrator, did an amazing job. I did realize with this batch of stories that his female voices weren't really "female," like he kind of stuck with his regular voice. I know he's read for female characters in previous books, but I don't remember what he did for them. Either way, that did not deter me.
Anyway, I love when authors provide the readers an explanation of how they came up with their short stories, or something along that line; I always find that an interesting bonus.
I think my favorite story was "Lord of the Worms."
I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Of course, Joshua Saxton, my #1 fav narrator, did an amazing job. I did realize with this batch of stories that his female voices weren't really "female," like he kind of stuck with his regular voice. I know he's read for female characters in previous books, but I don't remember what he did for them. Either way, that did not deter me.
Anyway, I love when authors provide the readers an explanation of how they came up with their short stories, or something along that line; I always find that an interesting bonus.
I think my favorite story was "Lord of the Worms."
I received a free audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2013
I came across the work of Brian Lumley when I received a free copy of his Necroscope series - I loved it and from that day forward to have to read all he releases ( or at least try to with the number of rare and expensive collectable books he now publishes ).
anyway along with his major works are a whole raft of shorter fiction from short stories to novellas. This book is a collection of the latter and great as they are (he has written some cracking Cthulhu mythos books) there is only so much material out there. And this has led to a number of his stories being reprinted time and time again till its getting to the point you can buy a 400 page book and find only a handful of pages of original material. However this books is still a great read and does have a fair share of original work.
anyway along with his major works are a whole raft of shorter fiction from short stories to novellas. This book is a collection of the latter and great as they are (he has written some cracking Cthulhu mythos books) there is only so much material out there. And this has led to a number of his stories being reprinted time and time again till its getting to the point you can buy a 400 page book and find only a handful of pages of original material. However this books is still a great read and does have a fair share of original work.
April 16, 2013
This collection of short stories and novellas highlights one of the weaknesses of the Cthulhu style story - they are very formulaic. Almost every one of the 7-8 stories here follows a similar pattern, and reading them over several weeks just highlighted that similarity.
That being said, Lumley does write better than Lovecraft did, and the stories were in general entertaining, even if they weren't amazingly original. Lumley explores avenues of the mythos a little different than the norm, and the stories were interesting. It probably wasn't the best introduction to Lumley's writing, though. Not bad, just repetitive.
That being said, Lumley does write better than Lovecraft did, and the stories were in general entertaining, even if they weren't amazingly original. Lumley explores avenues of the mythos a little different than the norm, and the stories were interesting. It probably wasn't the best introduction to Lumley's writing, though. Not bad, just repetitive.
April 24, 2010
Born of the Winds really is a lovely story and more than makes up for the otherwise mediocre stories in this book.I know that this is a Mythos book but a little less using of the same old tomes in the stories would be more interesting.I like his work though but does he have to talk about him being in the service so much?It gets a little repetitive in the intros.
I would give this book a solid 3 1/2 though.If you can't get enough Mythos stuff this is right up your ally.
I would give this book a solid 3 1/2 though.If you can't get enough Mythos stuff this is right up your ally.
January 9, 2011
I think read with the right perspective this can be an enjoyable read. The almost corny and quaint melodrama is to me very appealing but I can understand how it might turn off some people. Some of the stories were better than others naturally but I think I enjoyed the title story the least. In all I'm glad to have discovered this author (took a while I know) and I will regard him as reliable as Silverberg... not exactly earth shattering but always dependably enjoyable.
January 11, 2014
This is a good collection of stories, and Brian Lumley has a good style. This is definitely worth a rummage, either in a shop or along your bookshelf, as the reward in reading it is found in building on the Mythos.
The Titus Crow story is rather interesting, though most of them have something to hook you with.
The Titus Crow story is rather interesting, though most of them have something to hook you with.
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