Author Cheerleading: William Meikle

Was about to write a down in the dumps post, but lets try being more positive. Lets talk about an author pal of mine who I've been binge reading for the last few weeks.

If you like your fiction weird, full of references to Scotland and Newfoundland, often sweary, and generally just fun as heck, I recommend William Meikle. He's one of those authors who can write in bloody near any genre. From noiresque detectives, to giant monsters, to occult history, to emotionally charged 'haunted places' and more. He's even got a golf course mystery (I haven't read it yet, but if anyone could get me to read about golf, it's William.) My personal favorites are when he takes Hodgson's famed spookbuster, Thomas Carnacki out for a spin with new adventures of all colors and kinds. (followed shortly after by his Sherlock tales). In fact, to be a tad heretical, I prefer his voice to Hodgson or Doyle's.

So, are you curious ? Maybe a smidge? Sign up for his mailing list and you get three free ebooks. Or follow the link on his site to 99c ebooks and choose from a pretty darn huge selection. He also has dead tree editions and audiobooks if your tastes lean that way. Come on, give it a try.

https://www.williammeikle.com/

To the Devil a Daughter…and more rambles

Home from work, dinner eaten, books added to catalog and shelved. Am pretty pooped after the work day. Going to go to shower, bed and book soon.

Listening to 'To the Devil a Daughter', I knew that the movie was very different than the book, but the only thing they both have is the evil priest. The good guy, Verney is made up of 3 characters in the book. And if you're looking for habit wearing hotties, well this stories has nun ;) Pretty sure I can guess why Wheatley was so torqued off at the Hammer production. It's a slow start, lots of English people complaining about France, while in France. But we got to the crazy Satanist monologing about his plan to a hero, and boy is it bonkers. Also there's a call back to the novel 'The Devil Rides Out' which makes my little geek heart happy. Still have hours to go to listen, might switch over to reading the book the old fashioned way, see if the plot runs off like a crazed hare...like the movie does.

Night all.

Sick fox is recovering

Not been doing good healthwise. Thought I had a bad sinus infection, but I woke up yesterday in major pain centered around a tooth. So yay, dentist. I'm very phobic about dentists. They ended up extracting the tooth, which was a royal pain in the jaw because I'm a mutant, and I have extra roots that extend deep into the jaw. So it took forever to extract, I had to repeatedly remind myself that clenching up every muscle wasn't going to help things. Still I came out of it in more pain in my joints and neck than in my jaw. My hands were shaking and I felt light headed most of last night, and I barely slept. Took today off as comp time (working on President's day, a Carcosa Corp holiday). I'm mostly spending today eating soft food and watching 80's horror movies. I'm hoping I'm back to normal enough to spend some time with friends tomorrow.

Providence trip is a week from tomorrow. I'm kind of a basket case about it at the moment, the trip, the state of me, etc. To be honest, I've thought about canceling it...will decide later on. 'Try to avoid major decisions when depressed, in pain, or stressed'. So we'll see. *sigh*

On the bright side I've read a lot of good books in the last week. I highly recommend 'Widow's Point' by Richard and Billy Chizmar, a classic ghost story that grabs you and doesn't let go. If you like military sci-fiesque, 'The Void' by Greig Beck won't let you down. Super-soldiers vs space monsters. If you rather have movies, 'The Ritual', an adaptation of Adam Nevill's novel will convince you to never go hiking again. Or if you want horror comedy gore, see 'Victor Crowley', the 4th 'Hatchet' movie. So that's my random one line reviews.

That's about it. Hoping I can make til bedtime tonight, and get some real sleep. I'll also like it when my body stops being in full flake mode. Have a good night boys and ghouls.

Can someone help me find my lung?

It's April Fool's Day. Been caught at least twice, possibly I should just avoid the internets today. Oh well.

Was kind of a rough week, still feeling puny, work has ramped up my meeting queue, and I've been kind of flailing around trying to get stuff done. Glad it's the weekend though. Today is movie theater day, going to see 'Ghost in the Shell' then 'Life' this evening to celebrate Nymaz spawning day (early, since the poor viking is stuck on call on his actually spawning weekend). There will also be general hangout time, and dinner at a diner we all like by the movie theater. Omelet for days, and maybe even pie.

Still coughing up shoggoths, still feeling less than good. I'm hoping it's just my lungs clearing with a side of allergies redux. But there may be yet another doctor visit coming up, as this is utterly miserable.

Otherwise, things are ok. Double-checked vacation approval with my boss's boss. Wasn't 'worried' but I wanted to make sure it was cool up the chain. I also found a reason to adjust my pre-Providence travels. Kirk Hammett, along with being a guitarist, is a major horror collector. So a museum in Salem is doing a exhibit of some of his stuff. And since I'm flying into Boston, I may have to make a side trip up to Salem the day I fly in. (on top of visiting old Ironsides and the Boston Aquarium, maybe driving to the Atlantic shore...) Really, I need to make a separate trip to Boston in the future, lots of things I want/need to see with adult eyes. Oh well, that's what 2018 is for.

What's up in cultist ville? Books, including finishing the late John Glasby's 'Dark Armageddon' trilogy. The series is about humans trying to survive when the stars come right. It's very Brian Lumleyesque, but I've always liked Glasby's writing. He doesn't reinvent anything, or won't take home the gold in Cthulhu writing, but he does right solid, readable, enjoyable tales that scratch that tentacle itch.

Also, remember 'Winter Tide? Book freedom day is this Tuesday. It should be in your local brick+mortar stores, as well as findable at your online bookplace of choice, plus there's always I've got the Kindle edition preordered, and I'll be at the local B&N on Tuesday to get my hardback edition. April has a lot of preorders coming out, so it will be a good reading month.

Also, speaking of Lovecraft, next weekend is the release date for The Void. Lovecraftian film, that has people/shoggoths/mi-go all abuzz. (literally when you mention the later). It will be showing in DFW at one of the Alamo Drafthouses, and I'm looking to go see it on the big screen. (then of course, pick it up on bluray afterwards).

Ok, that's enough rambling for today. Wish me luck on good movie sign, and feeling better, and I'll ramble later.

From the Starry Wisdom Library: A Review of ‘Winter Tide’

One of the best bits of Lovecraftian lore I've read in the last 5 years was Ruthanna Emrys' 'The Legacy of Earth'. A novella about a Innsmouth Marsh who is living in San Francisco after World War II. Now anyone who's read or talked to me any great degree knows I'm rather pro Deep One. Those last few paragraphs where Robert Olmsted talks of the wonder and glory of those living under the sea...it's always had a special place in my swim bladder. So a story from the point of view of an Innsmouth native, I'm sold. I've sung the praises of this story before, so when I heard the author had a novel of the future adventures of Aphra Marsh, well I may have happy danced a bit.

Skip ahead to last Cthulhumas, and said author said 'Hey I have ARCs, tell me about your Winter Solstice Traditions, and you may win one'. So I posted, and guess what, I won one. Yay for pre-reading preordered books. So, in thanks here is my quick review of 'Winter Tide'.

After the events of 'The Legacy of Earth', Aphra is asked to return to Massachusetts to look into possible use of Aeonist magic by foreign powers. Shockingly, it's at Miskatonic U, which is where most of the contents of the libraries of Innsmouth ended up. There is wild library usage, visited to relatives under the sea, flashbacks to life behind the wire, accidental magic usage by stupid college kids, Yithians being pissy, and the wild world of early Cold War spycraft. Yes, it sounds like it's confusing and muddled from the above, but seriously it works together.

Now, if you think the Canon of Grandpa Theobald is the measure to all other tales, you'll have issues. This isn't Zadok Allen's Innsmouth. To give you a non-spoiler, people in Innsmouth call the rocky island offshore 'Union Reef' not 'Devil Reef'. The lead character is female and Innsmouthian, and spunky. The other characters in her investigation party are not classic Lovecraft W.A.S.P.s either. There's no flinching at how sexism and racism was in 40's New England, especially in universities. The worship of the Great Old Ones is basically no different than any other religion. Including that some people are just like everyone else, except their god has tentacles, and that others are complete maniacs and kill people. Pretty much like any religion I can mention... Belief isn't evil, knowledge isn't evil. Evil is what you choose to do with both.

Long paragraph short, if you want your deep ones evil, pass on this book. If you want to see things from a different point of view, give it a read. 4 out of 5 tentacles up. Winter Tide is due out on April 4th, 2017, for Kindle and Hardcover.

P.S. I preordered both the hardback and the kindle edition before I was sent the ARC. I still have them preordered, yes I enjoyed it enough to buy it when I got it for free.

From the Starry Wisdom Library: Return of the Old Ones

Adding a new feature of my blog, 'From the Starry Wisdom Library' aka where I talk about my favorite things in the world, books. So get your reading glasses and get into your favorite chair, and lets look at a book.

Cthulhu rises, the Deep Ones come ashore, the Whatleys finally let the Old Ones back into our world. So what happens next? This has been a question for the Mythos fandom for years, and a number of authors have taken a stab at it. Latest, from Dark Regions Press, is 'Return of the Old Ones'. 19 stories in 3 sections, pre-apocalypse, as the tentacles hit, and life after the world as we know it ends.

First though, some disclaimers. One, Brian M. Sammons, the editor of the collection sent me an eARC in exchange for a fair review. Second, I'm not the biggest fan of post-apocalypse fiction, Cthulhu or no Cthulhu. I find the afterward of the end of the world to be kind of depressing, and I read Mythos as escapist fiction. (and yes, I know what kind of nut I sound like saying that).

But when I read the ToC, I knew I'd enjoy this collection. Favorites like Jeffrey Thomas, Tim Curran, and William Meikle, among many others. Honestly, even the authors that aren't my 'favorites' are still ones I cheerfully will read in any collection. And you get all kinds of stories, from apartments full of cultists, and why conspiracy theorists might lead us to the apocalypse, to zombies from beyond space-time and DARPA vs Deep ones, to finally we go true post Cthulhu Singularity, with colonies hiding underground, or in the swamps, or even a truly bizarre story that is equal bits 'Star Trek', trans-humanistic, and bizarro. No matter how you view the Mythos, there will be stories you love, and others you enjoy. I did find this to be a collection I read in sections, as some of the stories were dark in a way that Mythos doesn't generally hit for me.

Currently Dark Regions Press is doing an Indiegogo for this as well as two other collections, 'You, Human' which is dark scifi, and 'The Children of Gla'aki', a tribute to Ramsey Campbell. They will be released in retail format after the Indiegogo is complete, and the backers have gotten their goodies. I've backed a number of their crowdfundings in the past, and I've always enjoyed what I received. So if you like your Mythos dark, and your human meat-snacks on the run, I'd recommend 'Return of the Old Ones'.

Oh, and while I don't recommend judging a book by it's cover, but check out the cover... RotOO Cover