Friday, May 6, 2016

Urban Temples of Cthulhu

Most people think of Cthulhu from that South Park "Coon and Friends," but people who don't rely on pop culture to give them everything know Cthulhu as an elder God brought to life by H.P. Lovecraft. The stories in this anthology center around showing modern takes of the elder God....sans Eric Cartman.....


Little Gods- James Pratt's character talks about his beliefs and his encounter with someone who brings in some perspective.

Sects and the Single Girl- Steven A. Roman shows that sexual harassment suits can happen anywhere, but sometimes it's just a little understanding that's needed.

The Kings in Rebel Yellow- Kurt Khave presents the tale of a very sought after couch.

The Face of God Within- Brian H. Seitzman shows us what happens when a loser decides to take his life back by following a friend's referral to a place that sounds too good to be true.

The Black Metal of Derek Zann- Aaron Besson's Bleak Cathedral bring a new member into the fold and he brings them into a whole new level.

Cosmic Cavity or The Mouth of Man- Carl R. Jennings lets us meet the dentist of the damned.

Along the Shore of Old Ridge- Stuart Conover's soldier wants to satisfy his curiosity, to find an answer to something he found so many years ago.

Sleep Talking- Jeff C. Stevenson puts new meaning to getting rid of the ol' ball and chain.

Matriarch of Skid Row- M.C. Bluhm shows what happens when a cop gets a little too curious in the name of being righteous.

Uncle Lovecraft: The Complete Oral History- David Acord talks about a show that may or may not have existed and how it affected those who were able to see it.

Strange Communion- Allen Griffin shows how accepting new things can lead in very interesting directions

Death in the Sunset- Guy Riessen talks about what we do to fix things, but ultimately, we become fodder for something else.

The Abomination of St. Jude- David F. Gray introduces us to Destin. Destin meets Sloan. Sloan shows Destin his new destiny.

Flesh-Bound Shadow- M.S. Swift's gardens should be closely watched and not disregarded.

Doorstepping- Kelda Crich finally gives a third option that seems to more sense than what we're experiencing right now.

Saturday Night at the Esoteric Order of Dagon- Jill Hand talks about belief and dashed hopes. Bet they didn't think the belief was so strong to escape the mistaken identity.

City of our Lady, Queen of the Angels, Virgin Mother of a Thousand Young- Keven Wetmore lets us see what happens when you think you know more than you really do.

Warm Red Sea- Jaap Boekstein wraps things up with Nathalie's journey to become who she really is and not what Leon thinks he's manipulated her into.

The stories collected in this anthology were great to read and the way the voices came together was just great, but my biggest problem was the digital formatting. There were times it became difficult to read because of weird spacing and randomly inserted images.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for the kind words.

    Aaron Besson

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  2. Thanks for the review, particularly for the quick one on Amazon! This is my first published story, so extra thanks, tinged with excitement.

    Cheers

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