The Children of Cthulhu: Chilling New Tales Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft

When John asked us to write for the book, he explained that he wanted an anthology that would help bring Lovecraft more into the modern age. There were no rules, except that we could not write stories that were sexually explicit because Del Rey wanted to market the book to young readers. I think that John envisioned the book as the Cthulhu Mythos equivalent of Harlan Ellison's DANGEROUS VISIONS. It is certainly one of the finest modern anthologies of tales inspired by H. P. Lovecraft and I am honored to be within its pages, however lacking and uninspired my own story may be. The book was a huge success and sold well both as hardcover edition and trade paperback. If you want innovative and superbly written tales that explore Lovecraftian ideas and yet are utterly original and decidedly modern, this book is for you.

It is about time that a superior Cthulhu anthology begins collecting stories from across the Pond. The stories and authors do Lovecraft proud and the fact most are set in contemporary times, is definately an added bonus. If you are a Lovecraftian as opposed to a Cthulhuian, this is the anthology for you and you are interest in updating the Mythos to near times, as opposed to the 1920s...GO BUY THIS BOOK, you will not be disappointed.This is a superior anthology of cosmic horror, unspoiled that had me turning every page. I can only hope that we will see more.

This new anthology is one of the best of recent Cthulhu Mythos literature, 21 exceptional stories that are fresh, imaginative and most of them quite witty. These are not run of the mill pastiches. The writers attempt to provide a different approach to the material, and for the most part are quite successful. Among the best ones are: "The Cabin in the Woods" by Richard Laymon, "Sour Places" by Mark Chadbourn, "The Firebrand Symphony" by Brian Hodge, "Princpals and Parameters" by Meredith L. Patterson and (if you like a good "joke" story) "Are you Loathsome Tonight?" by Poppy Z. Brite. The last one is an Elvis Presley Mythos tale. The recent, exceptionasl new book "The Complete H. P. Lovecraft Filmography" has a chapter on mythos tales that could be successfully adapted to the screen. Well some of the tales in this new anthology could also apply to this category as well. "Children of Cthulhu" clearly shows that the Cthulhu Mythos is not moribund, but is continuing to grow in new directions. Recommended!

The authors of this collection do an excellent job of using Lovecraft's themes (alienation, atavism, family secrets, the true horrific nature of the cosmos) and his influences (Dunsany, Machen, Poe) while for the most part avoiding cliched devices and plots. While there are stories set in Arkham or involving Shub-Niggurath (to cite two examples), the stories are interesting in their own right, rather than being excuses to add new lore. Horror is a constant element, with some stories sliding over into science-fiction or fantasy, and there's variation in how the narrative is structured, in the voice of the narrator and the prose styling.This is going to be the anthology to beat in the field of Mythos fiction.

THE CHILDREN OF CTHULHU is an engaging horror anthology written by many of the more popular genre authors of the last decade. The twenty-three contributors provide entertaining tales that would not turn HP Lovecraft over in his grave as many Cthulu "experts" do. However, though the stories engage the audience and are fun to read, they don't feel like a visit to that weird Lovecraft mythverse. As an aside to the editors: "if it ain't broke", cost it anyway because you still may find a bigger payback. This short story collection provides a big payback to horror fans, but Lovecraft fanatics will feel another let down as the original remains undisputedly the best even after seven decades of "fixing it".Harriet Klausner