Book Review: 'Cthulhu's Reign' edited by Darrell Schweitzer
3 / 5 Stars
'Cthulhu's Reign' (309 pp.) was published by DAW Books (No. 1507) in April, 2010. The cover artist is uncredited.
In his Introduction, editor Schweitzer establishes the premise for this anthology: Cthulhu and the Old Ones have emerged triumphant, in control not just of Earth, but perhaps the entire cosmos. Who will survive, and what will be left of them ?
My capsule summaries of the contents (all of which were written exclusively for this anthology):
The Walker in the Cemetery, by Ian Watson: a group of tourists wandering in the sprawling Staglieno cemetery in Genoa witness the coming of the Old Ones. Life quickly becomes very hazardous. A creepy tale from author Watson, who passed away on April 13 of this year.
Sanctuary, by Don Webb: in the little Texas town of Doublesign, people try to cope with the Reign by gathering and praying in the church. Maybe invoking eldritch, pagan rituals will appease the powers that be ?
Her Acres of Pastoral Playground, by Mike Allen: Delmar's command of Eldritch Knowledge means that his rural parcel is shielded from the horrors of Cthulhu's Reign. Until, that is, a tentacle sprouts from his wife's cheek......
Spherical Trigonometry, by Ken Asamatsu: when the Old Ones seize control of Japan, a wealthy genius makes for the Womb, a refuge that is impenetrable to cosmic horrors. Asamatsu, whose first language is Nihongo, offers one of the better stories in the anthology.
What Brings the Void, by Will Murray: pulp author Murray passed away on August 25. This story is about a federal agent who investigates an ominous 'processing center' set up amid the chaotic landscape of the return of the Old Ones. Murray's prose is deliberately (?) clumsy:
I tried to switch to the left to invoke the clairaudient function.
I heard a single clairaudient word. A mere whisper bubbling up from my unconscious mind: containers.
The New Pauline Corpus, by Matt Cardin: this is the second-worst story in the anthology. The author makes the case that the Reign of Cthulhu is the fulfillment of religious prophecy, in the manner of the Old Testament. The prose is clotted and at times, incoherent. I'm not sure why editor Schweitzer didn't just send this manuscript back with a polite note.......
Ghost Dancing, by Darrell Schweitzer: Robert Tillinghast has a plan to endure in a world overtaken by the Old Ones. It may involve some Abominable Acts. Are you willing to join him, if it saves your life ?!
This Is How the World Ends, by John R. Fultz: the first-person narrator is an Iraqi war veteran, and handy with a .45 Desert Eagle handgun. Will that be enough to survive in a world overrun with Eldritch Horrors ?!
The Shallows, by John Langan: a man named Ransom struggles to survive in the nightmarish landscape of a world under Cthulhu's Reign. He spends much of his time reminiscing about how his late wife, who was dying of cancer, adopted a stray dog named Bruce. This story is very, very dull.
Such Bright and Risen Madness in Our Names, by Jay Lake: survivors of the advent of the Old Ones plot to undermine the power of those humans serving as priests to such Abominations.
The Seals of New R'lyeh, by Gregory Frost: two thieves find that having a criminal mindset is a great asset to have, in the Reign of Cthulhu.........
The Holocaust of Ecstasy, by Brian Stableford: Richard Tremeloe, of Arkham, Massachusetts, finds himself converted into a kind of humanized fruit, in the aftermath of Cthulhu's Reign. He has lengthy conversations with a 'un-man' from Pnakotus. For no particular reason Stableford deploys the noun (?) 'fructicarnivore.' It's plain that he phoned in this contribution.
Vastation, by Laird Barron: an omnipotent entity, who may be the Devil, resists the advent of the Old Ones. This story is a self-conscious effort at a 'metafiction,' and badly overplays the rushed, hipster diction of an early Neal Stephenson ('Zodiac,' 1988). Barron uses the term 'conculated,' to show just how hip the story is. It's the worst story in the anthology..........
Nothing Personal, by Richard A. Lupoff: a groovy sci-fi sensibility permeates this tale of the advent of the Old Ones, and the response of the interplanetary Terran space force.
Remnants, by Fred Chappell: in the aftermath of Cthulhu's Reign, Vern, his mom, and his autistic sister Echo struggle to survive in their wilderness refuge. When Echo begins channeling some sort of ethereal signals, should Vern embark on a dangerous journey to a place of aid ? This novella takes an unexpected turn at its halfway point, and in so doing ends with an offbeat, entertaining quality.
The verdict ? There are enough good stories to give 'Reign' a Three Star Rating. Those other than Mythos aficionados, probably can pass on it.
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