Customer Reviews

The House of Cthulhu: Tales of the Primal Land Vol. 1

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In 1967 a treasure of ancient secret tomes were discovered that shed a light on the great primal island continent of Theem'hdra where sorcery wars were the norm. As the scribe of these incredible documents, the White Wizard Teh Atht described a time when sorcerers like Mylarkhrion the most terrible stole or protected magical knowledge from one's peers and other hired hands; a time when summoning of Cthulhu the Great One doomed all.

This compilation is predominantly a reprint of a 1984 book. The current book contains the introduction and nine of the eleven tales (lacks "Isles of the Suhm-Yi" and "Curse of the Golden Guardians" for ye purists) in the 1984 book plus one other addition ("To Kill a Wizard). The tales are all well written as they come across as fantastic horror yet feel as if they historically happened and that the age of The House of Cthulhu existed, perhaps because of the clever set up by Brian Lumley possessing the works of noted but vanished 1960s scholar Thelred Gustau. This early Lumley shows his Lovecraft roots in a terrific collection.

Harriet Klausner

Enter the world of Theem'hdra, an island continent where sorcerers make war against one another, warriors die in the most terrifying of circumstances, and wonders abound. Meet the mighty wizard Mylakhrion, a powerful and terrible sorcerer who must battle lesser wizards jealous of his powers, knowledge and wealth. Monsters roam this mysterious realm where even Mylakhrion's own apprentice seeks to unseat the great master, but when an assassin named Humbuss Ank, whose specialty is killing wizards, comes to unseat the mighty Mylakhrion, the assassin finds himself confronted with supernatural powers to match his mercenary brilliance. Mylakhrion's quest for power, however, is diluted by his lust for personal power, which drives him to summon the Great One, Cthulhu, the master of doom itself. Warriors, wizards, thieves and wonders abound in this weird, amazing and horrifying world that could only be envisioned by Brian Lumley. You must own the Grand Master's fable of the Primal Lands in this first general US printing. You will be entranced!

I managed not to be able to finish this book. I read through to the short story House of Cthulhu, were I shrugged my shoulders and set the book down. The only merit in this book, is the introduction which is the only thing that has any Lovecraft feeling. This is more like a Dungeons and Dragons collection of moral fables. Every story was predictable and one that has been written better many times by many different authors. If you have kids and they have an inkling towards fantasy then I highly recommened this book for bedtime story reading, as the morals will give them something to chew over, in a nice fantasy package. All in All this is a dull uninspired fantasy mess, that gets you no where fast... and leaves you wondering if the people that made comments on the book jacket have ever actually read any H.P. Lovecraft.

I really enjoyed Lumley previous collections Beneath the Moors, The Whisperer and Fruiting Bodies. As a result, the House of Cthulhu was a mild disappointment. I actually think Lumley usually out Lovecrafts Lovecraft but that's not the case here. He succeeds in creating a secret history filled with waring wizards, believable barbarians, giant gastropds and more. My favorite story was Cryptically Yours (waring wizards). I'd read the other three before mentioned books before seeking this one out.

In the past I have enjoyed Lumley's books, however, this one is a tired collection that is a mostly boring rework of Lovecraft's fiction. I finished the book hoping to find something interesting but, no luck.