Haggopian And Other Stories – Brian Lumley
Haggopian And Other Stories – Brian Lumley (Solaris)
How many writers owe their careers to HP Lovecaft and August Derleth? How many were driven to write by, or found inspiration in, the Cthulhu Mythos, created by Lovecraft and expanded and built upon by Derleth? The mythology that grew to encompass all the dark, loathsome creatures, gods and demons from the stars whose very existence challenges the imagination and sanity of all those unfortunate enough to cross their multi-dimensional paths. Many writers have tried to recreate the tales of Lovecraft, tried and failed miserably, and those who succeeded were and are few in number, Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith spring immediately to mind, both were however, contemporaries of Lovecraft, and even though some have succeeded with the odd short story, there are only three writers I would credit with having successfully built upon Lovecrafts mythology and thus succeeded were so many others have failed. The first and foremost is the previously mentioned August Derleth, a man closely followed by writers he directly inspired (and coincidentally, who work he was the first to publish via Arkham House), Ramsey Campbell and Brian Lumley. Which brings us rather neatly to ‘Haggopian And Other Stories’, a collection of Lumley’s short stories that revolve around the Cthulhu Mythos. Owing more to Derleth than Lovecraft, these tales are never less than enjoyable, and are often (as is the case with ‘Haggopian’) both unnerving and chilling, and a perfect way to spend a cold, winter evening. Whether you’re new to the world beyond worlds in which these dread monsters crawl, or a die hard seeker of sunken R’yleh, ‘Haggopian’ contains fantastical pleasures that’ll feed your imagination and disturb your dreams for many a night….Enjoy, but don’t say I didn’t warn you… Tim Mass Movement
