Customer Reviews

The Nyarlathotep Cycle (Call of Cthulhu Fiction)

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As stories go, these 'cycles' collections are not so bad, but the ramblings of Robert M. Price need badly to be divided off from Lovecraft's beliefs. Were these tales presented in a manner utterly unconnected with Lovecraft, the danger would not be so great, but the danger is rearing its head again, of the pollution of Lovecraft's thought, first by Derleth and now by others, leading to readers who have conceptions of Lovecraft that are entirely false. Lovecraft's pseudo-mythology was intended as plot devices that helped evoke and serve as stand-ins for his philosophy of cosmicism. There is no good and evil, no Hindu connections, or anything of that sort. Read these stories for the stories themselves. If you want to know about Lovecraft and his pseudo-mythology, read S.T. Joshi's masterful biography of HPL.

Well, what shall I say. I've read many of the Cycle books and this wasn't one of the better ones. As often, Robert M. Prices introduction is rather far-fetched, dragging world religions kicking and screaming into the Lovecraftian world. What would you expect of an avid theologist? Fortunately his story introductions are more to the point and informative.

The set-up of the collection follows the well-known structure. First we get some stories that inspired Lovecraft, then we get Lovecraft's most important stories about the entity (in this case Nyarlathotep, Dreams in the Witch House and The Haunter of the Dark) followed by a series of stories by his followers, dealing with the same entity. I always find the inspirational stories interesting to read and re-reading Lovecraft's tales in the context of the cycle books helps to see what part of the Mythos was Lovecraft's and what were additions of others.

As always, the quality of the stories differs. There's a nice Dreamlands tale by Gary Myers and Block's Fane of the Black Pharaoh (although The Shadow from the Steeple might have been more appropriate, being the sequel to Haunter). A rather inconsistent side of the book is the fact that most of the stories deal with Nyarlathotep's links to Egypt and the Black Pharaoh Nephren-Ka. On one hand this makes the few stories that deal with Nyarlathotep's other forms feel rather out of place. Second, this approach does not do the Crawling Chaos justice since there's been loads of stories about his other forms. Third, after a while one gets a bit fed up with the repeated Egyptian theme.

70 pages in the book are claimed by Lin Carter's 'Curse of the Black Pharaoh'. It never mentions Nephren-Ka or Nyarlathotep, but according to Price this was what Carter has in mind. This is a rather questionable theory. After all, a disciple of the Mythos like Carter, why would he try to disguise a Mythos story like that? The novella itself is pure pulp and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not ... It left me feeling rather unfulfilled and it lacks in originality.
There's also a fair amount of poetry in the collection, liking these is probably also a matter of taste ...

All in all, a bit of a disappointing book. It's got it's good moments but a Cycle about a diverse and colorful entity like Nyarlathotep could have been much better.

The Call of Cthulhu series is published by Chaosium Books as a supplement for its Call of Cthulhu RPG game. Each book highlights single entities, concepts or authors significant to the Lovecraft Mythos.

This collection starts with three short prose pieces.

The first two are excerpts from Lord Dunsany, highlighting the possible origin of the name and concept from which Lovecraft created his Nyarlathotep. They are only tangentially related to the rest of the stories, however, and could have easily been left out (or explained in the introduction).

Then follows Lovecraft's short prose poem, featuring the first appearance of Nyarlathotep in the Mythos. This is a short, but atmospheric piece that sets the stage for the rest of the stories.

Unfortunately, it is followed by three more poems. They don't add too much to the concept and, again, could have been left out.

As usual, a couple of Lovecraft stories starts off the collection proper - The Dreams in the Witch House and The Haunter of the Dark. A follow-up story by August Derleth, The Dweller in Darkness, is next. Since most Mythos fans are familiar with these works I won't waste time commenting on them here.

Here's what I thought about the rest of the offerings...

The Titan in the Crypt, by J.G. Warner, is a cross between The Festival and Pickman's Model. It is set in New Orleans, and tells the story of a dark ceremony that takes place at the end of Mardi Gras each year, far below the surface of the French Quarter.

Fane of the Black Pharoah, by Robert Bloch, is about a British archaeologist who has an unhealthy interest in the secret lore of the Egyptians. I think Bloch's Mythos stories are some of the most creative. They carry just the right mix of dark humor and menace. This piece introduces the Black Pharoah, also known as Nephren-Ka, who often serves as Nylarathotep's physical embodiment or historical double.

The Curse of the Black Pharoah, by Lin Carter, is your pretty standard mummy story and coming in at 75 pages it is the longest one of the bunch. Much like The Dunwich Horror, it features a learned scholar (the occult detective, Anton Zarnak) facing off against an unspeakably evil entity. Some Mythos fans think Carter's stories are sub par, but I think he's okay in small doses.

The following two stories, The Curse of Nephren-Ka by John Cockcroft and The Temple of Nephren-Ka by Philip J. and Glenn A. Rahman use the same basic plot, telling of the discovery of Nephren-Ka's final resting place. I prefer the latter, just for the fact that it was slightly longer and more fleshed out. I'm not sure why the former story was included at all, since it is barely four pages long.

The Papyrus of Nephren-Ka by Robert C. Culp is essential a scientific treatise about the place of Nephren-Ka in the dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs and Nylarathotep's sinister role in his reign.

The last short story in the collection is The Snout in the Alcove by Gary Myers. This is a tale set in the Dreamlands of Lovecraft. Taken by itself it is a perfectly fine story, bu unfortunately it doesn't really fit in with the theme or style of the others. The only connection to Nylarathotep I can see is a passing reference about his second coming signaling the approaching apocalypse.

The book then ends with more poems about Nylarathotep - one by Richard L. Tierney and five by Ann K. Schwadder.

Looking back, this collection is hampered by two things. First, there are only seven "new" stories here that haven't been repeatedly reprinted in other collections. Secondly, there's only so many different ways to tell a mummy story.

Nyarlathotep enthralls me -- I have written many tales concerning "Him," and one of these days I am going to collect those tale, write three or five new lengthy ones, and publish an entire book of Nyarlathotep stories. Perhaps my enchantment with this Dark God gives me a higher opinion of this Chaosium book than is normal. So be it. Robert M. Price is so delightfully unique as an editor of Mythos fiction -- because of his wide and radical knowledge of the Christian Mythos. (There are numerous videos of him on the topic over at YouTube), and in this book he is especially fascinating and offbeat in his explanation of the nature of the Crawling Chaos. Listen:

"Likewise, for Nyarlathotep to be 'chaos' refers to the state of Pure Being, before the first moment of its illusory refraction into seeming differentiation. It is this state of TATHATA ('suchness') of SUNYATA ('emptiness', 'void') that the mystic seeks to penetrate -- some by simple meditation upon the Oneness; others by fantastic and, in the case of Saivite-Buddhist Tantra, grotesque techniques, such as sex-mysticism or the gustatory transgressions of the corpse-eating cult of Leng."

Bob's introductions drive some readers bug-debauched -- but I find them fun, wry, informed and very cool.

The contents of the book is:
"Alhireth-Hotep the Prophet" by Lord Dunsany
"The Sorrow of Search" by Lord Dunsany
"Nyarlathotep" by H. P. Lovecraft
"Three Poems" by William Butler Yeats, Robert E. Howard, and H. P. Lovecraft
"The Dreams in the Witch House" by H. P. Lovecraft
"The Haunter of the Dark" by H. P. Lovecraft
""The Dweller in Darkness" by August Derleth
"The Titan in the Crypt" by J. G. Warner
"Fane of the Black Pharaoh" by Robert Bloch
"Curse of the Black Pharaoh" by Lin Carter
"The Curse of Nephren-Ka" by John Cockroft
"The Temple of Nephren-Ka" by Philip J. and Glen A. Rahman
"The Papyrus of Nephren-Ka" by Robert C. Culp
"The Snout in the Alcove" by Gary Myers
"The Contemplative Sphinx" by Richard L. Tierney
"Ech-Pe-El's AEgypt: Lovecraftian Poems" by Ann K. Schwader

I was especially pleased to see the wonderful story by Gary Myers, which originally appeared in Lin Carter's YEAR'S BEST FANTASY STORIES: 3, but was substantially rewritten for its appearance in this Chaosium book. Myers is one of the most original and talented of modern Mythos writers, with a wonderful style, serious and yet with a subtle sense of play. This story is wonderful.

I was also happy to see all of the poetry in this volume, all of which is extremely fine. Schwader's poetry always thrills me, to the point where I cannot resist quoting the opening stanza of one of the poems herein, "The Elder Lords" (inspir'd by HPL's "The Festival," that fascinating if minor tale):

Alhazred dreamed them, at the last:
Their city old as Sarnath's doom,
Half-buried by an age of sand
Like bleached bones in a broken tomb;
Their walls so weirdly wrought & low,
Misshapen by geometry
Not of this world, nor any place
A mind less mad than his might see.

Nyarlathotep's appearance in "The Dreams in the Witch House" has always annoyed me -- as does that very odd yet fascinating tale. "The Haunter of the Dark" is my favourite tale by H. P. Lovecraft, for I love its spooky Gothic atmosphere and its evocation of haunted Providence. My favourite story in the book is "The Titan in the Crypt". It is a marvelous example of a tale that is authentically LOVECRAFTIAN without being Cthulhu Mythos; it moves at a lively pace, it excites one's imagination fully, the narrative flows, and I could sense that crypt and its titan representation of the Dark God. Excellent!

Derleth's story was one of my all-time favourite Mythos tales when I first began reading in the genre, and it still entertains me to this day. Derleth is often dismissed as an author of Lovecraftian horror, but at times he could be quite interesting, inventive and, in his own fashion, Lovecraftian. This is one of his best efforts. It is, of course, not without its stupidities. The suggestion that the Great Old Ones are somehow related to the elements of earth (fire, water, air, earth) is simply absurd -- these creatures have no relationship to earth whatsoever, they are completely alien, from cosmic realms or alternative dimensions. That Derleth felt the need to create a fire "god" is laughable, and yet there are some wonderful moments of horror. The story is heavily influenced by Lovecraft's "The Whisperer in Darkness." One of its very amusing moments is when one of the characters reads from the just-published book, THE OUTSIDER AND OTHERS, published by Arkham House and August Derleth!

S. T. Joshi has often dismissed the idea that Lovecraft's Great Old Ones are "gods," saying that they are "merely" aliens from cosmic space in most cases. This can in no way be used in such cases as Yog-Sothoth and Nyarlathotep. They are beings from beyond mundane time and dimensional space. They are AWESOME!

This is a great wee book -- but I cringe when I see the prices being asked here at Amazon. I find it utterly eldritch, the way some fiends like to rip people off.

This book will teach you all you need to know about Nyarlathotep, from his creation to his role as Messenger of the Outer Gods. Robert M Price's introduction is full of information relating Nyarlathotep with various dieties around the world. A must have for anyone interested in the God of a Thousand Forms.

I was an English Lit major at Brown when Providence's H.P. Lovecraft was rediscovered by the literary community. His elaborate fiction deals with cruel monsters inhabiting weird mental universes and who would soon reduce the world to chaos. Others, including Stephen King, have developed this myth. The present book of stories is about the antichrist (Nyarlathotep, "the crawling chaos") whose appearance will herald the end times. The book is most interesting for Price's essays. Price actually styles himself "Heirophant of the Crawling Chaos". He equates Nyarlathotep's return with the familiar postmodernist stuff. The white-Western-male paradigm of rational science is about to collapse and be replaced with something finer (doesn't say what, he likes to cite Thomas Kuhn's stuff), Nyarlathotep is the tantric Siva expanding your consciousness beyond rational categories, and so forth. Except for Price's ridicule of today's Wiccans (competitors?), it's the current Left Wing campus ideology. But in contrast to postmodernist make-believe, tales like "The Snout in the Alcove" hardly present a vision of a better world. Lovecraft created his "mythos" as an extended joke. After reading Price's essays, I cannot decide whether Price, too, is kidding.