One of my favorite anthologies of 2015 was Cthulhu Fhtagn!, edited by Ross E. Lockhart and published by Word Horde. The one requires a disclaimer, as my story “Delirium Sings at the Maelstrom Window” appears, but I’m talking about the rest of the book. Let’s pretend my own story isn’t involved.
Many different styles and moods are in the mix here, in a great cross-section of weird, horrific, funny and dark. My own personal favorites were the last two stories in the book: the aggressively strange and sublime insanity of Cody Goodfellow’s “Green Revolution,” a story of ecology and science gone wrong, and Laird Barron’s “Don’t Make Me Assume My Ultimate Form,” in which the incredible Jessica Mace makes another appearance, and we meet a most interesting cast of characters, including Mrs. Shrike.
If you’re interested in a free sample of one of the stories included, Scott R. Jones made an audio reading of his story “Assemblage Point,” available HERE.
And if you’d like another taste, I’m almost finished editing an audio reading of my own story, which should be available soon. When it’s ready, I’ll post a link here, of course, and you might also find it via Word Horde.
Overall, Cthulhu Fhtagn! is an enjoyable and varied book, and really deserved more attention than it’s received so far. In my opinion, it’s one of the overlooked anthologies of last year (though it did win “Anthology of the Year” in the latest This is Horror Awards). I hope more people will check it out.
GriffinWords 