Review
“Some of the best Lovecraftian short fiction of the past 30 years.”
―Washington Post
“If you like Lovecraft even a little bit, this collection is a must.”
―Book Riot
“Ellen Datlow's second editorial outing into the realm of Lovecraft proves even more fruitful than the first. Focusing on Lovecraftian monsters, Datlow offers readers sixteen stories and two poems of a variety that should please any fans of the genre.”
―The Arkham Digest
A Creature Feature Top Ten Book of 2014
“Fans of the HBO True Detective series (and those who are not) will love this new themed anthology from acclaimed genre editor, Ellen Datlow.”
―Creature Feature
“There’s no need to have previously read Lovecraft’s work to enjoy Lovecraft’s Monsters, but the collection will surely leave you with the desire to acquaint or reacquaint you with HPL canon.”
―Rue Morgue
“In the case of Lovecraft's Monsters, edited by the great Ellen Datlow, the quality of the stories is both a celebration of HPL's legacy and a reminder of the wealth of talent the genre has to offer.”
―Horror Talk
“[T]he queen of anthologies, Ellen Datlow, has brought together the usual outstanding group of writers. . . . This is a must-have anthology for fans of things that go squick in the night.”
―Lit/Rant
“Each story is a dark wonder and the volume itself is absolutely gorgeous, sumptuously illustrated throughout with steampunky-baroque original art by World Fantasy Award-winning artist John Coulthart. Lovecraft’s Monsters is a must-have for every fan of dark speculative fiction, so click on the cover graphic and grab it!”
―Count Gore
“Amazing and creative tales each with a striking illustration by John Coulthart. . . . I fully recommend adding this nice anthology for all fans of Lovecraft.”
―Dark Corner
“The result is a delightful array of little pieces that range in mood and subject. Unholy sacrifice, forbidden love, a private dick on the trail of a murderer―there’s something there for everyone.”
―The Jaded Consumer
“Editor Ellen Datlow has put together an anthology that will rock your liquid fantasies. Tachyon Publications has produced an excellent themed anthology. Lovecraft enthusiasts will plunge into the volume and be happily immersed in the content.”
―Diabolique Magazine
“Where else, in one anthology, can a reader jump from roman noir werewolves to steampunk tanks in the Amazon to tales of forbidden love on the Innsmouth shore to Pinkerton agents in the Wild West?... Fortunately, we have Ellen Datlow to lead the way.”
―Hellnotes
“Each story is a dark wonder and the volume itself is absolutely gorgeous, sumptuously illustrated throughout with steampunky-baroque original art by World Fantasy Award-winning artist John Coulthart. Lovecraft’s Monsters is a must-have for every fan of dark speculative fiction, so click on the cover graphic and grab it!”
―The Tomb of Dark Delights
“With Ellen Datlow at the helm, there was never really any doubt about the quality of the selections on hand . . . .Lovecraft’s Monsters is certainly a worthy addition to any horror library.”
―Innsmouth Free Press
“Lovecraft’s Monsters is a must-read for any fans of the Cthulhu Mythos.”
―Geek Smash
“[A] delightful array of little pieces that range in mood and subject.... Unholy sacrifice, forbidden love, a private dick on the trail of a murderer―there's something there for everyone.”
―The Jaded Consumer
"So I am telling you now, in the name of Yog-Sothoth, get this book, and prepare to lose some sleep."
―The Bookend Family
“Lovecraft's Monsters, edited by Ellen Datlow and published by Tachyon Publications, is a reprint anthology of some carefully chosen and mighty fine Lovecraftian short stories, novellas and poems.... All in all it is a terrific selection of works, and one that any fan of Lovecratian works should add to their collection.”
―Fear.net
“There’s a lot to love in Lovecraft’s Monsters, an anthology which is both faithful and inventive at the same time. Unafraid to take risks and snazzily illustrated, this collection is proof that the Cthulhu cult remains as strong as ever.”
―Starburst
“Datlow brings together some of the top SF/F and horror writers working today and has them play in Lovecraft’s bizarre world. And that’s a delight.”
―January Magazine
“Each writer had the same agenda: come up with a fresh take on one of the legendary author’s otherworldly creatures, like Cthulhu, the Shoggoths, the Elder Things and Yog-Sothoth. (Trust, they’re scarier than those tongue-twisting names suggest.”
―Complex
“Will appeal to fans of Lovecraft’s work, particularly his Mythos stories, and to readers of dark fiction everywhere. Datlow is an experienced and keen editor of dark fiction and has assembled a truly impressive list of stories.”
―LitReactor
“An amazing and diverse treasure trove of stories. As an avid fan of Lovecraft’s monstrous creations, THIS is the anthology I’ve been waiting for.”
―Shattered Ravings
“Lovecraft’s Monsters is a kick-ass anthology, and if you’re a Mythos devotee you’ll love it.”
―G. R. Wilson, author of Right Behind You
From the Author
Interest in H. P. Lovecraft's fiction never seems to wane. His influence on his contemporaries and on so many writers since he died is a testament to the power of
his imagination. Why might this be? Possibly it's the richness of the mythos he created. The monsters, the unseen world behind the screen of normality in our world.
My initial exposure to the mythos was during my early teens, when I was reading lots of science fiction, so my experience with Lovecraft strongly contrasted with the sense of wonder and embrace of the unknown in science fiction. H. P. Lovecraft's hidden worlds and the mythos he created seemed inspired by and in turn promoted a sense of fear and dread of the unknown.
Over time, I've read numerous pastiches of Lovecraft, but most --for me, at least--are too obvious, and bring little new to the table. I'm far more impressed and often surprised by writers who use the mythos in ways that its creator never dreamed of (and might indeed have him spinning in his grave).
This is the second time I've edited a Lovecraftian anthology. My first was Lovecraft Unbound, containing mostly new stories inspired by Lovecraft. As readers familiar with my theme anthologies, I always attempt to push thematic boundaries to the breaking point: that is, if I can justify to myself that a story I encounter (by commissioning originals, or by researching and listening to suggestions for reprints) fits within the theme of my book, and I love that story I'll acquire and publish it.
For Lovecraft's Monsters, I had three goals in choosing stories: the first, as usual, was to avoid pastiches; the second was to use stories that have not been overly reprinted in the many recent mythos anthologies; third, I wanted to showcase Lovecraftian influenced stories by at least some authors not known for that kind of story. So in this case there are stories by Gemma Files, Steve Rasnic Tem, Karl Edward Wagner, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Hodge, Nadia Bulkin, and a collaboration by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley.
I believe I've succeeded in all three goals and hope that you enjoy reading Lovecraft's Monsters as much as I did working on it.
About the Author
Ellen Datlow is one of horror’s most acclaimed editors. She was the fiction editor of OMNI for nearly twenty years, and edited the magazines Event Horizon and Sci Fiction. Her many anthologies include the Year's Best Fantasy and Horror series; Snow White, Blood Red; Lovecraft's Monsters; and Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror. Datlow has won multiple Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, and Shirley Jackson awards. She has received several lifetime achievement awards, including a World Fantasy Award―her tenth―in 2014. Datlow lives in New York City.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From "Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman
There was a note under the door from my landlady. It said that I owed her for two weeks’ rent. It said that all the answers were in the Book of Revelations. It said that I made a lot of noise coming home in the early hours of this morning, and she’d thank me to be quieter in future. It said that when the Elder Gods rose up from the ocean, all the scum of the Earth, all the non-believers, all the human garbage and the wastrels and deadbeats would be swept away, and the world would be cleansed by ice and deep water. It said that she felt she ought to remind me that she had assigned me a shelf in the refrigerator when I arrived and she’d thank me if in the future I’d keep to it.
I crumpled the note, dropped it on the floor, where it lay alongside the Big Mac cartons and the empty pizza cartons, and the long-dead dried slices of pizza.
It was time to go to work.
I’d been in Innsmouth for two weeks, and I disliked it. It smelled fishy. It was a claustrophobic little town: marshland to the east, cliffs to the west, and, in the centre, a harbour that held a few rotting fishing boats, and was not even scenic at sunset. The yuppies had come to Innsmouth in the 80s anyway, bought their picturesque fisherman’s cottages overlooking the harbour. The yuppies had been gone for some years, now, and the cottages by the bay were crumbling, abandoned.
The inhabitants of Innsmouth lived here and there in and around the town, and in the trailer parks that ringed it, filled with dank mobile homes that were never going anywhere.
I got dressed, pulled on my boots and put on my coat and left my room. My landlady was nowhere to be seen. She was a short, pop-eyed woman, who spoke little, although she left extensive notes for me pinned to doors and placed where I might see them; she kept the house filled with the smell of boiling seafood: huge pots were always simmering on the kitchen stove, filled with things with too many legs and other things with no legs at all.
There were other rooms in the house, but no-one else rented them. No-one in their right mind would come to Innsmouth in winter.
