New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird

I labor under a geas that compels me to buy pretty much every new Lovecraftian anthology or pastiche that comes down the Aylesbury pike. The upside is that sooner or later I read a lot of stories that have, or claim to have, that good old HPL-tinged cosmic horror and weirdness. The downside is that many new anthologies contain a fair number of stories I've already encountered, sometimes more than once. New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird is no exception. It's a very good array of tales, and I'm happy to have it in my library. It would be an even greater treat for a reader to whom more of the stories would be new. China Mieville's "Details," Neil Gaiman's "A Study in Emerald," and Charles Stross's "A Colder War" are among the stories likely to be familiar to most fans of Lovecraftian fiction. Deservedly so--they're great stories. I also especially liked Caitlin Kiernan's "Pickman's Other Model (1929)," Marc Laidlaw's "The Vicar of R'lyeh," Michael Marshall Smith's "Fair Exchange," and Norman Partridge's "Lesser Demons." New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird is a well-chosen and smartly edited anthology; one nice touch is the use of quotations from HPL as epigraphs. The anthology's main shortcoming is that it is but one entry in the increasingly crowded field of Cthulhu-themed or Lovecraftian anthos, and treads a somewhat well-trodden path. But better a little repetition than the unthinkable: a dearth of cosmic horror. That would be a real nightmare.

Recommend for any Lovecraft fan. Keeping true with the Cthulhu mythos. Many creepy tales to keep you up at night wondering just what the cosmos holds.

This was an interesting set of short stories all based off tales written by H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu mythos. There are 27 stories, 5 of which I felt were really amazing ('A Study in Emerald' by Neil Gaiman, 'Details' by China Meiville, 'Pickman's Other Model' by Caitlin Kiernan, 'Fair Exchange' by Michael Marshall Smith, and 'A Colder War', by Charles Stross), then there are about 7 other stories that are pretty good, while the rest are just ok. Anyone that is a Cthulhu fan will enjoy at least half these stories, so that probably warrants buying the book. I'm sure that most of these stories are available by the author's themselves or in other anthologies. I am not a huge collector of Cthulhu novels, so most of these stories were completely new to me, which was nice.

Awesome writing...don't let violence scare you off...treat your kids as people, as adults not as children and let them read what they want you prissy victorian americans!

I was looking forward to reading this collection, it proved to be mightier than I initially thought but overall I think it was deserving of 3.5 stars. It's good, but not great. As in every H.P.L. Collection, there are gems and there are duds, here is my quick description of all stories Pickman's other model: So-so. Kind of a boring start for a collection. Fair exchange: So-so. As a few other stories, seems out of place for me (not "Lovecraftian" enough?) Mr. Gaunt: Very good. One of my favorites The Vicar of R'Lyeh: Not good. Very silly concept IMHO The crevasse: So-so. Generic story Bad sushi: Good. Fun story (although it is also kind of silly) Old Virginia: Good. Different paced story that works well The dude who collected Lovecraft: Good. Straight to the point, short and silly. The Oram County whoosit: Good. Works very well with the mythos The fungal stain: Not good. Didn't work for me. Too weird, even for H.P.L. tandards A study in emerald: Very good. Although it seems out of place, the story is cool and well written. A personal favorite. Buried in the sky: Good. The author did a great work with the Lovecraftian mythos. Cool story Bringing Helena back: So-so. Another story that didn't really work for my taste Take me to the river: So-so. Hmm... I have mixed feelings for this one. Read it and comment The essayist in the wilderness: Good. Captured that "horror in realization" moment perfectly The disciple: Very good. Short and sweet. Perfect story Shoggoths in bloom: Very good. Again, this tale captures the craziness of H.P.L.'s universe perfectly. Loved the ending Cold water survival: Not good. Boring as hell The great white bed: Good. I liked it a lot. Another "horror in realization" moment of the book. Silly but scary Lesser demons: So-so. Liked the ending, but it was sort of lacking somewhat Grinding rock: Good. Another short and sweet tale Details: Good. An out of place scenario that works very well within the mythos. Liked it a lot Another fish story: So-so. Confusing and not very rewarding Head music. Very good. Stomach-churning fun! Another favorite Tsathoggua. Good. The premise and execution were really good. A glimpse of an alien mind typical of the mythos Mongoose. Excellent! My absolute favorite of the stories. The only one I really wish to know more of, to be realized on its own series (is it done?). If you like Science Fiction, you will really like this one A colder war. Very good. Well placed as is a great way to end the book: bleak as hell! And the format of the story is really cool too As you can see, the breakdown follows my initial 3.5 star opinion. If you LOVE H.P.L., you will most certainly disagree with my assessment and probably will think it is better. However, I honestly think that even if you don't know anything about the Cthullu mythos, you will certainly find something to enjoy here (Mongoose!)

My boyfriend loves Lovecraft and has his complete works, so this was the perfect addition to his collection! He liked the idea of works inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, and I loved that it was super inexpensive (especially compared to other bookstores) and it was huge! the book is over 500 pages and is three times bigger than I thought it would be! (Silly me read reviews of the lit but didn't check out how long it was). Overall I think it was a successful birthday present and my boyfriend seems to agree.

I admit I purchased this primarily for Gaiman and Newman...whose writing never fails to entertain me. And in the course of reading the collection I discovered other writers who were equally tantalizing - so now I have new "addictions" to obtain and savor. I love this genre, and am delighted that these writers chose to do work in it. I will be looking forward to future collections as well as scouring Amazon for the kindle version of the works of the rest of the authors! Awesome!

I really enjoyed most of these; oddly, the story that led me to this book left me rather cold. This was a good sample of weird fiction.

This massive tome was truly representative of the various ways by which present-day authors of speculative fiction have absorbed the mythos in all its glory or infamy. Like every other anthology, it contained hits and misses. The hits, in my opinion, were: 1. "Pickman's Other Model" by Caitlin R. Kiernan 2. "Bad Sushi" by Cherie Priest 3. "Old Virginia" by Laird Barron 4. "The Oram County Whoosit" by Steve Duffy 5. "A Study in Emarald" by Neil Gaiman 6. Sarah Monette's "Bringing Helena Back" 7. "Shoggoths in Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear 8. "Another Fish Story" by Kim Newman 9. "Mongoose" by Elizabeth Bear & Sarah Monette 10. "A Colder War" by Charles Stross There were several stories that didn't appeal to me at all. But out of a collection of twenty seven stories, finding ten memorable stories ought to be considered as a very good percentage, according to Stephen King's advice. So, a good collection in my opinion, with extra points for Gaiman, Kiernan, Bear, Monette, and Stross's works.

Prompt delivery and a gorgeous copy!

Some excellent pieces here. If Cthulhu is into you buy it and maybe you'll be eaten first...

If you like stuff which compliments, extends or parodies Lovecraft's style or vision you will like this. It is also perhaps a jumping off point for looking for other authors who you might find you like.

I am pleased to say that Modern Lovecraftian Horror is alive and well and living happily in this collection. So far I have only read 2/3 of the contents, but I haven't come across a duff story yet. The creepiest moment so far is in Mr Gaunt when his true form is revealed. This is a good read well worth the money.