In 2011, Ross E. Lockhart, former editor at Night Shade Books, put together an amazing anthology of Lovecraft inspired stories titled The Book of Cthulhu. Weighing in at five hundred pages, this tome managed to collect some of the best Lovecraftian stories to be found, and even included a couple original tales. I’ll most likely be doing a review at some point, but if I may cut to the chase now it’s safe to say that it’s a brilliant anthology that should have a place in every Lovecraft fan’s libr...

Somewhere early in the reading of this book, I became convinced I was going to end it with maybe a generous 2-star rating, but at no point could I point to the specific germ that grew into this conviction. There are, as is true of any mythos-centric anthology, stories that sat poorly with me. I wasn't particularly thrilled with "This Is How the World ends". "Hour of the Tortoise" felt like a good story that went too long while "The Hands that Reek and Smoke" read like abridged version of an exce...

Disclaimer: I have a story in The Book of Cthulhu 2.My rating isn't based on that fact, however, but on the rich diversity of this new box of Arkham chocolates. There's something here for every Lovecraftian, & some of the items are rather difficult to find elsewhere. Michael Chabon's story, for example, first appeared in The New Yorker back in 2001. I don't recall seeing Karl Edward Wagner's chilling "Sticks" anywhere else lately, either.The variety of this anthology can't be overstated. Fans of...

Not many stories stood out in this one.

This is going to be a long one so hang on for a bit and I'll let you know all about this book. I've been looking forward to this book for a long time. It's amazing that this book is nearly as good as the first one. This is a fun read, especially for the Halloween season. Fans of horror will wet themselves (for joy, not fear...well...maybe a little from fear) reading this collection.One of the few problems I have (not with the book, per se) is that I've read so much Lovecraftian fiction, that a l...

Usually anthologies have one or two good offerings and the rest are poor. This was just the opposite with a lot of quality work. I particularly liked the work by Jonathan Wood and I'm definitely reading more of him.

This is a collection of a LOT of short stories based on the Cthulhu mythos. It's good reading for those times when you want something a bit eerie but don't have a lot of time to read a long tale.Trust me you will NOT read this entire thing in one sitting, it's enormous - much like dread Cthulhu.The stories are set in varied eras, have different approaches but all are consistently true to the mythos and the feel created by Lovecraft. There are a lot of different authors so there is no one consist...

Ross Lockheart has proven with this second collection that he has an eye for the best modern Lovecraftian horror, although a few of the pieces like Fritz Lieber are classics. Cody Goodfellow's rapture from the deep which I read when it was first in Dark Discoveries and The Michael Chabon stories were my favorites. Must read for Lovecratian mythos fans.

Even better than the first collection, I think. Not all winners, but a good portion are an excellent mix of Weird/Horror/Lovecraftian.

I'm only one of a pile of stories in this anthology, and most of the rest of them are classics, so I don't feel bad giving it five stars.This, especially when combined with its predecessor, is an indispensable collection of some of the best fiction ever inspired by Lovecraft. This volume seems to have a slightly higher preponderance of tongue-in-cheek stories than the last, but both are sharp and exhaustive and full of great stories new and old. My story in this volume is sandwiched between tale...

This is a stunning collection of Lovecraft inspired tales all centered around the infamous Cthulhu myth. The stories in this collection vary greatly in theme, tone, and atmosphere, but all pay homage to the great master of storytelling and world-building.Some, like Neil Gaiman's addition "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar," make direct reference to Lovecraft and his mythos. Others, such as "Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea" by Caitlin R. Kiernan allude to the mysteries of the master with just as much ski...

While there were a few stories in The Book of Cthulhu II that didn't appeal to me (Molly Tanzer's The Hour of the Tortoise and Laird Barron's Hand of Glory in particular), it also had some delights (Christopher Reynaga's I Only Am Escaped Alone to Tell Thee, Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette's Boojum, etc.). I definitely look forward to checking out The Book of Cthulhu next.Full review to come at Amara's Eden. A copy of this book was provided free via Netgalley for the purpose of review.

A rare 5 star anthology! BravFuckingVo. Looking forward to the 3rd installment, but keep it original, please, editor. No reprints, all interesting, and we'll be cool.

Ross E. Lockhart has dove through the depths of R'lyeh and collected some of the best treasures the ocean of Lovecraftian fiction has to offer.The collection takes off with the lighter, more whimsical Shoggoth's Old Peculiar by Neil Gaiman and you'll feel whiplash at the end with jaw-dropping, tough-as-nails, Hand of Glory by Laird Barron. The middle of this anthology is packed with most--or maybe, arguably, all the best names from past to present currently dominating the Lovecraftian literary l...

Book Info: Genre: Lovecraftian Anthology/Dark Fantasy short storiesReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Fans of Lovecraft Trigger Warnings: Murder, violence, death, black magic, etc.My Thoughts: I have, below my disclosure, listed the names of the stories and given a hint as to what each is about. I have done my best to avoid major spoilers. It is very difficult to review an anthology, because each story is separate and requires a separate analysis if one wishes to do things properly, yet with s...

Another great colletion, sadly not as strong as Book I as the lows are lower while the highs aren't quite as high. Still recommended without hesitation to anyone who enjoys horror, Lovecraft or short stories.Shoggoth's Old Peculiar, by Neil Gaiman - Classic, completely non-scary story of an American tourist meeting two English chaps whilst on a tour of blighty and realising he isn't in the best company. You can almost hear Pratchett's voice so I assume this was written around or during the peak

Interesting book of Lovecraftian based stories.None really captured the chilling madness and horror of HPL, but Neil Gaiman turned in a beautifully funny story that delighted me no end. That and Kim Newman's offering are what raise this book from 3 stars to 4.There are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon than reading this.

Ok...So 24 stories in the Anthology...some big names, but big only of their background because like it happens, usually, I didn`t like their stories. Gaiman, Kiernan, Chabon, Laird Barron, etc. had weak stories, too long, or very uninteresting tings happen in them.From all the stories I enjoyed only a number of seven of them :JOHN R. FULTZ : This Is How the World End -A Chtulhu Apocalypse happens very fast.LIVIA LLEWELLYN : Take Your Daughters to Work - Very short story with a interesting ideea

Another home run from editor Ross E. Lockhart and his phenomenal line-up of authors. Nary a dud in the bunch, and some real eye-openers for me. I read Orrin Grey and Michael Chabon for the first time, as well as certain stories by familiar authors that were new to me (Neil Gaiman's "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" and Fritz Leiber's "The Terror from the Depths"). Hard to pick my favorite, but I'd go with (unsurprisingly for me) Laird Barron's "Hand of Glory," the amazing noirish tale that closes out th...

Very varied (but generally good) stories. Especial mention should go to Neil Gaiman's Shoggoth's Old Peculiar!