Historical Lovecraft: Tales of Horror Through Time [Paperback]

Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Author), Paula R Stiles (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2011

Historical Lovecraft, a unique anthology blending historical fiction with horror, features 26 tales spanning centuries and continents. This eclectic volume takes the readers through places as varied as Laos, Greenland, Peru, and the Congo, and from antiquity until the 20th century, pushing the envelope of Lovecraftian lore. William Meikle’s inquisitor tries to unravel the truth during a very hostile questioning. Jesse Bullington narrates the saga of a young Viking woman facing danger and destruction. E. Catherine Tobler stops in Ancient Egypt, where Pharaoh Hatshepsut receives an exquisite and deadly gift. Albert Tucher discovers that the dead do not remain silent in 10th century Rome.

These are tales that reimagine history and look into the past through a darker glass. Tales that show evil has many faces and reaches through the centuries. Tales that will chill your heart.

Join us in our journey through horror and time, if you dare.

Stories by: Regina Allen, Jesse Bullington, Nathalie Boisard-Beudin, Mason Ian Bundschuh, Andrew G. Dombalagian, Mae Empson, Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas, Orrin Grey, Sarah Hans, Travis Heermann, Martha Hubbard, Nathaniel Katz, Leigh Kimmel, Meddy Ligner, William Meikle, Daniel Mills, Aaron Polson, Y. Wahyu Purnomosidhi, Alter S. Reiss, Josh Reynolds, Julio Toro San Martin, Bradley H. Sinor, Molly Tanzer, Albert Tucher, E. Catherine Tobler, Bryan Thao Worra.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Does a superb job of reviving the Lovecraftian appreciation for bygone epochs" - Grim Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Innsmouth Free Press (September 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0986686409
• ISBN-13: 978-0986686405
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Lovecraft-inspired stories June 5, 2011

By Tristan J Tarwater

Format:Paperback

Where history's mysteries lay gaping open, there 'Historical Lovecraft' goes, seeing to fill in the holes in time and human knowledge with eldritch horror and terrors from beyond the stars. At least that's what a good portion of the short stories contained within the book admit to using as their inspiration, which is fine by me. As someone who enjoys history and the unexplained, as well as someone who digs H.P. Lovecraft I was very happy with the answers the stories in this anthology had to offer. When I finished this book ( I was dreading finishing it, just because I was enjoying it that much), I vowed to reread it, and soon. I was going to let my spouse read it but he may have to wait while I devour the book again.

My personal faves were 'Black Hill,' an interesting take on an oil operation, 'Deus Ex Machina,' especially as an ex theatre geek, 'Shadows of the Deepest Jade,'...honestly, there wasn't a story that I didn't enjoy, though there were ones I definitely preferred over others. Innsmouth Free Press did a great job picking a wide array of subject matters and time periods. I thought the Modern Era stories would be less interesting but 'Black Hill' is honestly one of my favorites and happens within the last 200 years. Cultures, religions and governments are all fair game and rattled by not only Cthulhu but shoggoths, The Old Ones, Nyarlathotep, The Deep Ones, all answering the questions put forward by the stories. If you are only interested in stories told in the same voice of HP Lovecraft this is probably not the book for you. However, if you can appreciate that fear is eternal and calls out in a variety of voices, as well as have a thing for the ideas that Lovecraft put forth? You need to check this book out.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical, dark, clever June 13, 2011

By Adriana Renescu

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Historical Lovecraft is a clever gathering of stories of good and evil, magic and reality from the dawn of time to present day. It is organized by era--antiquity, Middle Ages, etc. therefore the reader can, like me, pick first to read their era of interest. I did--antiquity. As it is with all collections of stories such as this, there are favorites, and the pick of a favorite is purely subjective. My favorite, because of its well formed character, the imaginative use of the historical setting and the uniqueness of the story, is The Good Bishop Pays the Price, by Martha Hubbard. I recommend to you the good bishop Probus and his scribe, Timos and their quirky doings in the backwaters of the Byzantine Empire. 'Amundsen's Last Run' by Nathalie Boisard-Beudin is a stand-out as well. The author's style of story telling is brilliant, taking what seems to be a normal object--as normal as an iceberg can be--and taking it to the ultimate level of speculation, making it an object of dark secrets and mystical(if not dastardly) happenings. Although William Meikle's story 'Inquisitor' contains the usual canards about the Inquisition, I ended up liking the story because of its unusual presentation.

This is a good and fun anthology, the variety of stories and styles making it a great read for a lazy summer day. Although I encountered a couple of stories of dubious understanding of the historical setting and insistence on the politically correct to the detriment of imagination, I gave the anthology five stars because it is overall wonderful and well written, containing a lot fo knowledge and research in history by the authors.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Tentacles Through Time June 19, 2011

By J. T. Glover

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was delighted to see the cornucopia of original, exciting, and creepy stories in this Lovecraftian anthology. The authors whose stories appear in Historical Lovecraft use many different settings, narrative techniques, styles, and types of characters. It's a pleasure to see the jumps they make and risks they take. I enjoyed reading this collection and look forward to more from Innsmouth Free Press.