Event Horizon, with Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. A cult nineties classic Sci-Fi horror that was supposed to be far more graphic and disturbing than the film we got. Still, its a great watch with some disturbing visuals and unique story choices.

 

Event Horizon, a review.

    Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and starring Laurence Fishburne, and Sam Neill, this film follows a rescue crew investigating the return of a missing Space Vessel, the Event Horizon. The Event Horizon was believed to have been lost with the entire crew, making it the worst space disaster in history. Unfortunately, those that investigate its reappearance are dragged into madness and horror. This film is heavily influenced by Cosmic horror elements, with hints of something existing beyond the understanding of those onboard the vessel. This film was reportedly supposed to be far more graphic, with a more twisted story, but the studios reined in the director, and this is the version we got. It has some fantastic elements, but it feels like it was supposed to be something more. A shame that the footage was lost, so we can't at least learn what that story was meant to be.

    The film begins with Sam Neill's Dr Weir waking up from a nightmare, living on board a space station. The film moves then to the crew of the Lewis and Clarke, their captain running them through initial preparation for their rescue mission. Miller's people are going through the motions with practised ease. They are used to this work but are reluctant to go on this mission when they should be on leave. They were quickly set up for travelling by gravity tank, as they could not survive outside of them when the hyperdrive was active. Weir has another strange dream, his deceased wife speaking to him, though, in this dream/vision, her eyes are gone from their sockets. Waking terrified, Weir finds himself with the crew of the Clarke closing in on Neptune. He briefs them on their mission, what they believe to be out there, and what the Event Horizon was supposed to be capable of. This is about interstellar travel through bending space/time to make travel across great distances instantaneous. The team find the Event Horizon and begins investigating the seemingly abandoned vessel.

    Things go wrong from the moment they set foot on the Event Horizon, Justin is sucked into a black abyss, and Lewis and Clarke are damaged. They are forced to move to the Event Horizon, with Justin injured and unresponsive, and figure out what happened and how to get home safely. Miller orders the Clarke repaired and has his people look into the Event Horizon, searching for answers. Things inevitably get worse for the group as they begin to experience hallucinations. They all start to feel that the ship is reacting to them, but Miller won't accept it. Justin ends up in the airlock, and as if possessed, he sets the airlock to open to the vacuum beyond. He snaps out of it, but it is too late. Severely injured, he is put into the gravity tank, and the rest are left shaken by this. These events build in intensity, with Miller seeing a crew member who died years ago and Weir seeing his wife calling to him. Only it isn't his wife. D.J. explains that the initial translation of the message was wrong, telling Miller it actually meant 'Save yourself from Hell'. When pushed by Miller, Weir admits that when the gateway is opened, he doesn't know where the ship goes. D.J. postulates that it might have gone to a realm we would consider Hell. It was as if the ship passing through that realm had brought something back with it. This life force had infested the vessel, and it wanted Weir to stay with it, to take him back to that dimension it had come from. Possessed or corrupted by the ship, Weir turns on the rest and blows up the ship, Lewis and Clarke.

    Weir kills D.J. and sets the gateway to open. He intends to take those left alive through with him. Miller and Stark face him on the bridge, his eyes now missing, and only by the timely arrival of Cooper do they survive, with Weir being sucked out into space. Thinking themselves safe, they are ready to separate the foredecks from the engine, with Miller going to set the explosives. Weir is not dead, however. The ship has brought him back, the man now crazed and possessing inhuman strength. Miller fits but is unable to defeat the returned Weir. In a last-ditch attempt to save those left, Miller detonates the explosives, allowing them to escape as he and Weir are taken through the gateway. Stark and Cooper survive and are rescued, but both are left traumatised.

    This film has many graphic scenes in it and warrants the rating it got. The scene showing what happened to the previous crew is not pleasant. And it was supposed to be worse than what we got. Sam Neill is great at being creepy once he turns, and Fishburne delivers a solid performance. The rest of the actors are solid in their roles, though we don't see a great deal of Sean Pertwee or Jack Noseworthy. The horror elements are done well, the tension remains high throughout, and I wish they had explored the other place more. There is a theory that this film is heavily inspired by the warp in Warhammer 40k. It is supposedly the first encounter with the warp before the defence of the gellar fields was invented. As a fan of Warhammer 40k lore, I like the theory, but highly doubtful of its likelihood. While it is showing its age in places, Event Horizon remains a great horror sci-fi. I give it an 8 out of 10 and recommend it to any horror fan.

The Fisherman, by John Langan. A haunting tale of loss, fishing, and places that we are never meant to wander in. Cosmic horror and grief play a large role in this tragic tale.

 

The Fisherman, by John Langan. A review.

    This is a strange tale of loss, realms beyond our own, and the price some people are willing to pay to see their loved ones again. Abraham, Abe, tells his story reluctantly, wandering somewhat in his retelling at first. Abe starts by saying how fishing saved his life and how he met and lost his wife. He tells of their life together and how grief took over his life once she passed. And this is what this tale is primarily about, loss and love and how some people never move past it. And, in this case, one man is willing to go to inhuman lengths to bring back those they have lost. Abe had found himself adrift until one day awoke with an urge to go fishing, something he had not experienced before. This urge, this strange desire, leads to a degree of normality coming back into his life. He hasn't moved past his grief, but he begins to care for himself again, and the routine helps ground him. His tale continues as he meets Dan at work, and they have little in common at first, and then something terrible happens. Dan's family are killed in a horrific traffic collision, Dan is thrown from the vehicle, but his wife and two children are taken from him. He is in shock from the loss, adrift in everyday life, and then one day, Abe asks him to join him in fishing. Dan isn't sure if he is being serious, but Abe convinces him that he is, and the two begin to go fishing together. And for a while, it helps Dan, and they don't talk much, but the fishing season allows them to think about things other than their losses. Heading into the second year of his family's passing, Dan falls apart, making it through the holidays and turning up on Abe's door one cold February day. Dan tells him of spending time by the junction where he lost his family before he falls asleep in Abe's house. That night Abe has a dream about fishing, and Marie is in his dreams. She tells him of the Fisherman and that what is lost is lost, and he wakes up shaken.

    This is the first hint that something is out of the normal in this tale. That grows as Dan convinces Abe to go fishing in an area called Dutchman's Creek, but something about how he suggests the place doesn't sit well with Abe. The two men go to a diner called Herman's and learn of the Der Fischer. This is a tale within a tale of events that occurred within this area over a hundred years ago. This tale was told to Herman by another, and that tale was told to Reverend Maple by an old woman named Lottie Schmidt. We learn of the area where the reservoir resides and the people that had lived there before. Long before Lottie's family had arrived in America, another had lived there, Cornelius Dort. Cornelius had married a younger woman Beatrice, and she had nearly died in a tragic accident, losing their child as well. Beatrice survived but fell into a wasting sickness, and Cornelius sought out every doctor he could to help her. It is to no avail until a stranger comes looking for Cornelius, and this man just appears one day and goes to the house where Cornelius stays with his sick wife. And the villagers think that Beatrice might recover, but unfortunately, she is gone within two days of his arrival. But the Guest doesn't leave and stays with Dort after Beatrice's death. The two men remain there for decades, and though the Guest is barely seen, Cornelius does not vanish from view.

    Lottie and her family arrive there as the government decides to build the reservoir in the Esopus Valley. This is years before the first world war and decades since the Guest arrived at Dort's estate. Her father, Rainer, and her mother, Clara, bring their family over from Europe, and he takes work as a stonemason. Rainer had been a professor in Heidelberg, but in this country, he takes what work he can. After arriving in New York, Rainer worked in a bakery before hearing of this opportunity. He takes his family to the valley to begin working. It's 1907, and Cornelius finally passes on, the Guest remaining in his house after everything is passed to him. For the first time in twenty years, he is seen about the area, measuring points in a nearby stream, though that seems strange given that this whole area will be flooded once the reservoir is completed. At first, things are well until a woman named Helen is tragically trampled. Helen is their neighbour, and her husband, George, falls to pieces after her death. After a week, the man goes missing, leaving his children scared by his vanishing. He returns that night, to everyone's surprise, and insists that his children return home with him. Something in his smile makes Rainer deeply uncomfortable. This is the smile of a man that knows he has done something wrong. Worse, he says that there has been a miracle. Though he doesn't want to give up the children, Rainer has no choice. The children's screams wake a dozing Rainer, and he rushes to the house. To his horror, he finds Helen sitting there. This woman has been in the dirt for a week and should not be there. She doesn't move but looks at Rainer with eyes now golden, her body broken. Seeing this sight, Rainer is shaken to his core. He manages to pull himself together and gets the children out of there. Thus begins a series of horrible events, this thing that looks like Helen seeking to get the children back however it can. This leads to Rainer and others in their community dealing with Helen directly, seeking out the one that has summoned her. She calls him the Der Fischer, and it seems he is here to hook something beyond their comprehension. Strangely, it turns out that Rainer has knowledge of these things, that he has delved into this world beyond our own and the things that exist there. Events continue to unfold as Rainer and a few others go to Dort's house to face the Guest to stop what he is attempting to achieve.

    After passing into another world, they face a terrible confrontation, but they stop the Fisherman. Freeing what is attempting to bind, something that is so terrible that they struggle to register what it is. This marks each of them, Rainer possibly the worst of them all. Somehow most survive the encounter. Rainer knows that they haven't stopped the Fisherman, but they have pushed his plans back decades, if not more. In time the reservoir is complete, and the family all move from the area, though Rainer and Jacob have one more encounter years later. Again, the veil between worlds thins, forcing Rainer to come back to put a bandage on it in the hopes of stopping the spread. He believes that they achieved this, but there are stories about that place that have reached people in the years since.

    Dan and Abe hear this story, Dan looking uncomfortable throughout the telling, but both men claim not to believe it. That is until they reach Dutchman's Creek and have their encounters with those that are lost to them and the Fisherman. Abe barely manages to escape after Dan turns on him to give Abe's strength to the Fisherman so he can have his family back. Dan is turned on by his 'family', and Abe flees, injuring himself and falling into the Creek. He is found by some hikers and recovers in the hospital. Years have passed, with Abe having retired, and he finds himself returning to fishing. It has taken him a long time to reach this comfort again, and the introduction of a new family moving in next door helped him with that. Abe gets one last encounter following a flood, with Dan appearing at his door. Dan has been dead for years, and this thing is here for some form of vengeance. Thankfully, Abe fights it off but gets one horrible vision before the water recedes. Hundreds of shapes in the water watching him, and in those bodies, he sees Marie with two children, children that he comments have his mother's nose.

    This is a haunting tale, made more so by the horror of the things within it. We learn of this Fisherman, what he wants to achieve, and how he believes he can achieve it. As I said, the core of this tale is loss. People will do crazy things to get back those they have lost. They will put others in danger to get them back, consumed by a sort of madness. And Abe is nearly lost to it, and his grief allows something to happen that takes advantage of that, and he has to live with it for the rest of his life. Worse, he is left with the knowledge of what exists beyond this world, that the Fisherman is still there, trying to catch the Leviathan. 

    I enjoyed this book. It got its hooks into me and never let go, pun intended. It is a sad book in many ways, with the otherworldly presence adding a supernatural element. I have always enjoyed Cosmic horror, and this book does those elements well. This book is an easy 8 out of 10. I recommend this book to fans of Horror and Cosmic Horror.

Classic Tales of Horror from Canterbury Classics. A short review of a great collection of tales in a high quality leather hardback form.

 

Classic Tales of Horror, from Canterbury Classics.

    This isn't my usual review. There is simply too much within this book to break down each short story or novella that makes up its entirety. I bought this book purely out of the desire to possess many of the stories within its pages that I had never gotten around to reading. It was worth the price simply for the excellent quality of the book. At over 900 pages, this is a massive selection of stories, and many of them are well known, but others are less so. Some are only a couple of pages long, while others run for several chapters, each of them possesses its own style, but each fits the overall theme. I have my favorites, such as The Pit and the Pendulum, but there were many that I read for the first time. I enjoyed The Turn of the Screw, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, and The Willows by Algernon Blackwood. Many of these stories are from the late 19th century and the early 20th century, and the language used can be a little jarring for those who have not read books from those time periods before.

    As I said earlier, this isn't the typical review. It is hard to give the contents a review, and with such a great variety of works, it becomes hard to provide an overall grading. So I'll do my best and rate this book on the quality of the product, the overall quality of the range of contents, and the selection of stories. The leather seems of good quality with a simple but well-designed cover. There were no signs of damage, and the material appears hardy and well maintained.  It is a chunky book with fifty-five stories within. That is more than I had expected, and they are well-written and great examples of the genre. There are some of my favorite stories within, which makes me a little biased, but even without those, I found this product to be a great read. I would recommend this to any horror fan, and it would be a greater recommendation to those that prefer works reflecting an earlier period in history. 

    This is an easy eight out of ten for me. The contents alone are worth the price and will satisfy any horror fan. Give this book a go if you are looking to add a collection of short stories to your book collection or if you are just looking to find some elusive tales that you might not have come across yet. If you can recommend any other classic collections of stories, let me know. Always looking for new books to add to my personal collection. 

The House of Night and Chain by David Annandale, a review. A great Haunted House novel in the Warhammer 40k universe, takes some of the great tropes and twists them to their own brand of horror.

 

The House of Night and Chain by David Annandale. A review.

    
    After reading several Warhammer Horror novels, I have come to expect solid writing from each of their authors. David Annandale does not fail to meet that expectation. This book proved to be better than I had expected, using the familiar tropes of Haunted House stories and yet managing to incorporate them to fit into the Warhammer universe setting. I was so impressed that I immediately dived into another of his works, The Deacon of Wounds, which I am part way through. Being familiar with the Warhammer 40k universe and horror in general I went into the story with certain expectations. The story took turns that I did not see coming and followed a narrative that ensured you are never sure how it will play out. 

    A great Haunted House story works well as a mystery. You are drawn into the mystery of the house along with the protagonist, spiralling down with them and unable to pull yourself away. This book does that brilliantly, at least in my opinion. I couldn't put the book down, and considering I read it whilst off sick with the flu, that is quite an impressive feat. The story follows Colonel Maeson Strock as he returns to the planet Solus and takes his position as Planetary Governor. This is a man that has been broken by events of war and personal loss, he is holding himself together, but it is a tentative hold. He has been given the duty of seeking out corruption within the council, informed that the tithes from the planet have fallen below what they should be. Upon returning to Solus, and the city of Valgaast, Maeson is to take up residence in the ancestral mansion of Malveil. It is Malveil that his uncle ruled from, and Malveil where his wife resided once she took up a council seat in his stead. The place where she died whilst he continued to serve off-world. Maeson is a man wracked with guilt, both for the death of his troops and the part, he believes, he played in his wife's suicide. In many ways, he is a man on the edge, but he holds tightly to his duty, firm in his belief that he can root out this corruption. He is also attempting to reunite with his estranged children, children he hasn't seen in close to thirty years. This inner turmoil and his desire to reconnect to his family make him a compelling character, though it makes him open to the manipulations of the dark forces of Malveil.

    From the outset, the mansion begins to work on him. It attacks his certainty in his reality, showing him things that threaten to disassociate him from the present and those around him. It begins subtly at first, infiltrating his dreams as the horrors of the war work on him, digging deeper into his psyche over time. It is difficult to tell what is real and what is imagined. Maeson's ability to tell the two apart falters over time as the essence of the mansion works on his fractured mind. He often believes that his children are in the mansion seeking his protection, seeing them as young children rather than the adults they have become. Over time, Maeson sees his dead wife, following her throughout the house. She leads him to her journal in the Librarium, and he finds himself compelled to read it, convinced she is trying to communicate with him. This belief becomes his dominant thought. So consumed by it that it fractures his hold on reality. 

    Maeson's mission to seek out corruption brings him into direct opposition with the head of the council and the descendent of his family's ancient rivals, Veth Montfor. She is at the root of the corruption. She controls the other council members but is far too insulated for Maeson to make a move directly. He needs to find a way to weaken her position, and he has only a few allies to call upon. One of those is Adrianna Veiss, a friend of old, and without her, he would flounder in his attempts to bring the other council members to heel. The political situation and his duty to bring the tithes back to where they had been during his uncle's tenure, added more pressure to the new Governor. A pressure that pushes at his already fragile mind. It often seems that he is being assaulted from many different angles, and it isn't until further into the story that we discover how they are all interconnected. Nothing in this story is as simple as it first appears.

    This book is simply brilliant. It kept me hooked from the get-go, and the mystery behind the house and the family connected to it was enough to keep me reeled into it throughout.  I highly recommend this book to any fan of horror, and that goes double for those that enjoy Haunted House stories specifically. The slow decay of Maeson's grip on reality is done fantastically, the depth of his madness is only revealed to him in the closing pages. This is a story where no one comes out unscathed, where the House wins, and only a sort of stalemate is reached. It is a dark tale where the light is unable to push back the night for long.

    This book is an easy 9 out of 10 stars. It is a great read and will keep you hooked right until the end. Give this book a go, you won't be disappointed.

Mark of Faith by Rachel Harrison. A look at the Adeptus Sororitas as the Great Rift tears across the galaxy. We see the sisters of Battle looking to retrieve the Shield of Saint Katherine and take back some of what has been lost in the wake of Chaos resurgence.

 

Mark of Faith by Rachel Harrison, a Review.

    I enjoyed Honourbound immensely and looked forward to reading this outing by Harrison. I have read various stories concerning the Sisters of Battle over the years, they are the militant arm of the Ecclesiarchy and a formidable force. I had never really gotten a grip on them beyond their faith in the Emperor and their battle prowess from what I had read. These women are utterly devout, they believe in the Emperor above all else, and they seek death in battle in his name. In most stories, they have featured as secondary characters, but in this book, they are out front and center. The story revolves around Sister Evangeline and her squad, following them after their survival in the world of Ophelia VII as the Great Rift opened and the forces of Chaos surged across the galaxy. In that apocalyptic battle, Evangeline and her sisters fought a greater daemon of Tzeentch, and nearly all of her sisters were slain. Evangeline miraculously survives the encounter, changed and marked by her battle. It is believed, by those around her, that she has been blessed by the Emperor, marked by him for some great deed yet to be done. A deed that will take her to the other side of the Galaxy, through the Great Rift itself.

 

    This is a story of Faith in the universe of 40k. And that is no simple thing when there are literal Gods that attempt to conquer the material realm, when not trying to kill one another. It has long been held that the Emperor of Mankind is a living god, bound to the Golden Throne where he shapes the destiny of mankind. This is what the Sisters of Battle believe. He is their guiding light, the rock that holds them against all darkness, and they will give all in his name. It was interesting to see just how that faith manifests, how deeply it is ingrained into them, and how far that faith will push them to go. It impressed me how Harrison fleshed out these characters, how she made them more than stereotypes when it came to their faith, and their sisterhood. Harrison has a knack for making them feel real and fully realized in just a matter of pages. Like the Adeptus Astartes, these are characters that seem like they should be one-note, but they are more than just their religion and the militant role that they fulfill. 

    Coming into this story is the Inquisitor Ahri Ravara and her retinue. The Inquisitor is on a mission of her own, one that she believes is tied to Evangeline and the Sisters of Battle. It is a mission that has become all-consuming for the Inquisitor, a mission that is tied closely to a loved one. Ravara is driven, stubborn, and ruthless when she needs to be. She has a goal in mind and she will see it done regardless of the cost, even if it those around her that pay that cost. As an Inquisitor she has access to a great deal of knowledge hidden from the everyday citizens of the Imperium and an immense of amount of authority behind her. Ravara is driven by her most recent failures and it is those failures that haunt her throughout the story. I will say, that as a reader I saw one aspect of her story coming, the supposed twist about her visions seemed expected but it was managed well enough that it never detracted from the book overall. 

    Evangeline is pushed to the fore as the number Mother Superior of her squad, given new squad mates and hailed as blessed by the Emperor. In a vision she has seen the Shield of Saint Katherine, whom her order is named after, and believes that she must seek it out. This belief is shared by many, and so a crusade of sorts is called together in search of the shield. An item that has not been seen in millennia. Throughout this story Evangeline calls into question her own abilities, her worth, and if she has been marked by the Emperor himself. All of these aspects are tested as she leads her sisters into battle, both in the crossing of the great rift and upon the planet the other side of it. Harrison did a great job in describing that reckless journey, of the turbulent and dangerous tides of the warp that have been stirred up by the creation of the rift.  That journey nearly proves the death of them all, the great ship that takes them across it battered by the entities that call that realm home. Harrison does a goob job of dealing with memory and how it impacts future events, how the past shapes people and how it can help guide them at their lowest moments. 

 

    The story, overall, is interesting enough to keep the attention of the reader, though the twist at the climactic moment was a little predictable. The action is well written, which is common place for the authors for the Warhammer universe, but Harrison's true strength lies in her character work. She gets inside the minds of her creations, brings out their doubts and fears and shows how they find the strength to overcome them. Of all the writers working for Games Workshop, there aren't many that are on par with Harrison when it comes to this aspect of her work. Having read this book, and her previous one, I am looking forward to what she does next for them. 

    This is an easy 8 out of 10. It would be higher if the story had been a little stronger, that twist so obvious that any reader would see it coming. I would recommed this to any Warhammer fan and any sci-fi fan in general. So give it a look and let me know what you think, or if you've read it already, let me know what you thought of it. 

The Reverie, by Peter Fehervari. A review. A Warhammer Horror Novel that centres on the Angels Resplendent Chapter and the rot at the core of their world.

 

The Reverie, by Peter Fehervari. A review.

    I have read several of the recent Warhammer Horror novels, and I have been mildly impressed so far. It helps that this universe lends itself so well to horror stories, in my opinion. The book features the Angel's Resplendent Chapter, a Space Marines chapter that I had first seen in Requiem Infernal, another novel written by Fehervari. In that novel, something had felt off about this chapter. Their ethos and manners reminded me more of the followers of Slaanesh than loyalist chapters. I have no idea if this was Fehervari's intent, but I read that book waiting for the reveal to come. In this novel, we learn that the chapter is a successor chapter of the Blood Angels, who have found a way to manage the curse in their blood. Nothing comes without a price, though.

    The story begins with a band of survivors hiding from some great horror that has been unleashed upon their town. The story follows the pov of the Ghost boy, an outcast that can feel the presence of the creature in his mind along with the thoughts of those around him. Though he has led them to temporary safety, he is not one of them, and they give him nothing but disdain for his efforts. Events play out and lead them to the temple at the center of the town, where the scene plays out, and we leave just as they push into the interior. This opening plays into the greater overall arc of the story, so it is worth keeping note of the players here. The mystery within the story is one of the highlights of the book, and so I'll do my best not to spoil too much. 

    The next part of the story begins with the Traveller. The man pushes into the wilderness as he attempts to find something, the story flashing back to his past as we learn that he is seeking the Reverie and the Angels Resplendent. This journey has brought him far from his own world, the journey one as much of the spiritual as the physical. Often he flashes back to the events that brought him to this world, striding through a place that presents more danger than he is first aware of. It is in this place that he comes across the massive form of Satori, saved by the Angel Resplendent. Satori has his own reasons for venturing into this dangerous place, but we do not discover that until later in the book. The unusual aspect of this realm is an intriguing device, as we're never entirely sure how much of it is real and how much belongs outside the world of the material. Something of this place follows them both, no matter how far they roam from it.

    We are introduced to more characters as we move from the Reverie, more of the Angels' Resplendent and those that serve with, and under them. I liked the use of the names given to them after they become fully-fledged Astartes, names such as Caravaggio and Borges. It gave them a very distinctive feel, a uniqueness to the chapter, that made them stand out well against the majority of other loyalist chapters. That is not an easy thing to do, given the variety of Space Marine chapters that exist in the 40k universe. The history of this chapter is somewhat murky, and the story alludes to some great change within their hierarchy as they sought to deal with the twin curses of the Red Thirst and the Black Rage. This event left a mark upon the chapter and created the Mirrored Path, but there is more to it than many know. It left a wound that some have sought a way to heal before it can cause damage to the chapter that cannot be undone. With Knight Exemplar Czervantes returning to the world of Malperitus, we get someone that is dealing with his doubts regarding his position of leadership, forced to take that place after the fall of his predecessor. Again there is more here than just the surface level of the story implies, layers that feed into the overall mystery at the heart of this book.

    The story's key elements center around the Reverie, hence the name, and what had been born there. Each of the protagonists plays a role in how the story unfolds and how it will impact the Angel's Resplendent as a whole. I liked the use of corruption, of taking decadence too far and becoming something darker. It all hinted that the very core of the world and those upon it had begun a fall of some kind whilst never being too overt with it. Fehervari kept the pace and tension well throughout the book, never giving too much away. The story's conclusion works well enough that I am hoping to see more by Fehervari in the future, along with the Angel's Resplendent.

    In all, The Reverie is a great book, a solid read that works well right up until the end, and it leaves enough mystery to keep a healthy interest in what may come next. The inclusion of Warhammer Horror means that the Games workshop company continues to branch out in the literary world, and this is a great addition to what has already been released. I am always keeping an eye out for what is to come, and there are several new releases that I am looking forward to reading.

    The Reverie is a great read for fans of horror and Warhammer. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Warhammer Horror and a great representation of Fehervari's work. A great read for Sci-fi and horror fans in general. 

A review of Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows by James Lovegrove. A mix of the detective and Lovecraft's Mythos done in style and keeping the core of the characters front and center.

 

The Cthulhu Casebooks: Sherlock Holmes and the Shadwell Shadows, a review.

    I did not know what to expect from this book. I had never read anything by the author before, and I haven't read any Holmes beyond Doyle himself. The mix of the consulting detective and H.P. Lovecraft's Mythos piqued my curiosity, and I picked up the book on the off chance. Boy, that was a good move. Lovegrove is an engaging and talented author who writes Watson and Sherlock so well that I forgot that this is not a piece of fiction by Doyle himself. This is a rewrite in many ways taking what is well known and turning it on its head. The author presents us with a more youthful detective, presented through the eyes of his companion, Watson. I enjoyed the preface by Lovegrove, mixing reality and fiction together well to get the reader's interest straight away. This then leads into the foreword by an older DR. John Watson explaining the truth of this story before we dive into this new twist on the classic beginning of the partnership of Holmes and Watson. I enjoyed the premise that Watson had been hiding the truth of their adventures his entire life. That these books were, in fact, the true tales of their partnership. 

    The story begins with Watson relaying the events of the Afghan war, the injury that he sustained, and the fallout that had he had carried back to England. This is a far more harrowed Watson than I am used to, a man haunted by something that he has yet to put a name to. Lovegrove does a good job at keeping the core of the character but adding new elements and experiences to flesh out his own version of the good doctor. The changes from the established lore begin with his meeting with Stamford, his student friend from Barts. This marks a change from everything known and makes everything that unfolds that much more interesting, in my opinion. This meeting leads to the introduction of the renowned detective, though far from the height of his power as he is so often portrayed. Their introduction leads to a pursuit of Stamford, and from there, the adventure begins. Unfortunately, for them, this adventure proves to be one full of darkness, unseen masterminds, and the fell influence of the Great Old Ones. The partnership works well, the core remains unchanged in the face of this investigation, and the horrors they are exposed to as they come to face those behind disappearances and worse. The familiar characters are present throughout the first novel, it wouldn't have worked as well without them, and there are several nods to creatures and entities from the Cthulhu Mythos. There is so much I could say about this book, so much that could potentially spoil the book for those that have not yet read it. In an attempt not to ruin the experience for anyone looking to give this a look, I will keep the details sparse and just note what worked for me.

    The mix of the Great Old Ones, the typical shenanigans of the consulting detective, and an older London work well together. The atmosphere is dark and weighs heavily over the entire story. Those working behind the scenes are left out until the right moment, even if I saw the reveals coming. Lovegrove has a clear understanding of both Holmes and Lovecraft's work. He merges them so well and keeps the tight narrative flowing well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I immediately set out to purchase the next in the trilogy. Unfortunately, I had to wait a year for the final entry to be published. At some later point, I will review the other two, for now, though I recommend that you give this one a look. 

    I give this one a solid 4 out of 5 and recommend it to any fan of Holmes and/or the Cthulhu Mythos. It does something that I thought impossible, took the characters I thought I knew so well, and threw them into an adventure unlike any I had read before. It is well worth a read. Let me know what you think.

Necroscope, by Brian Lumley. A whirling story of Vampires, psychics and Thatcher's Britain. One of the most brilliant and bizarre books to come across my path.

 

Necroscope, by Brian Lumley. A quick review.

    I love horror stories, which is something of a given, as this is a blog about horror and such. More than anything, I love stories that gross out, marvel, and surprise the reader in equal measure. Necroscope is one of those books that caught me utterly by surprise. I went into it expecting a certain kind of horror story and got something else entirely. The book follows Harry Keogh, a unique individual, with a talent, unlike any other. It is pretty obvious, from the outset, that this is a book about vampires, but the setting and characters are not the usual ones. The story is set during the time of the cold war, and we are introduced to the Soviet Union's Necromancer as he digs through a corpse to gather details from his 'interrogation'. It is a vivid encounter that paints a detailed picture of what lengths this man will go to. This is the world of psychics and espionage, of men and women with abilities that their countries use to give them an advantage over their enemies. This is where we are introduced to E-branch. A place in London where their leader speaks with a spectral figure, the aforementioned Harry Keogh, who relays the events that play out in this story. It is made clear that Keogh is unlike anyone else, he possesses a singular ability to speak to the dead. The dead do not pass on to another world in this book but exist in a space where they continue on. The dead do the things they did in life but are now free from the constraints that life put on them. Until Harry's arrival, they have dwelt alone, lost to their own thoughts. His coming rekindles something in them, awakens them to the rest of the dead around them. The dead are Harry's dearest friends, they will do all they can to protect him, even going so far as to scramble free of their burial places to save him. Harry is a unique character shaped, as much by the dead, as by the living. The book is filled with interesting characters, the living, with their goals and desires, the dead who exist only through Harry's interaction with them, and the undead.

    Ah, the undead. The version contained within these pages is unlike any I had come across up until this point.  Here the undead is a hybrid species, a parasite that infects the host and twists them into something akin to a living disease. Forget the night dwellers of old, these creatures are foul perversions that live off the desires of their hosts and heighten them beyond anything in life. Even those long dead still cling to a sort of unlife, forever looking for a way to infect others, and gain some semblance of a life back for themselves. This plays into how the story unfolds, how the main antagonist pursues his own goals, and the events that will lead E-branch to clash with their soviet counterparts. Lumley does the horror and mystery well, a tension kept throughout the novel, as Harry builds to his confrontation with Boris Dragosani. The manipulation of Boris by, the Wamphyri, Thibor Ferenczy, is one of the highlights of the book and hints at just what the Wamphyri are capable of. I hate to give too much away, it spoils the read, in my opinion, but the unusual nature of the Wamphryi hints at them being something other than a supernatural entity, despite how highly they think of themselves. 

    The book is worth a look for any fan of cosmic horror, espionage thrillers, and vampire novels. It is set during the cold war and takes an alternative look at those events. I enjoyed the unique spin on the Wamphyri, how they came to be, and the look at the creatures that inspired the vampire myths of old. Harry Keogh is a strange, almost sad, character and isn't your typical protagonist. The whole story unfolds well, there is little unnecessary filler, and the tension remains throughout. I would recommend this to any horror fan, but with a caveat. Like others in the genre, Lumley does not hide from the explicit, in many forms, and is thoroughly meant for adults only. If such things don't put you off, then it is worth delving into the realm of the Necroscope. 

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden review

 

Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden review.

    Chris Perkins loves the Thing. That has been said by the man himself but even if he hadn't this book gives it away. A clear influence in this Adventure's design and story, it runs through the heart of this wintery horror story that puts the adventuring party in the center of the snowy domain of Icewind Dale. Icewind Dale is a familiar setting, it has featured in many of the Drizzt novels and has been utilised in the past by video games and other adventures alike. This wintry northland sits north of the Spine of the World mountains and houses the famous Ten towns. As an avid reader of the books by R.A. Salvatore, this is a familiar and comforting place to be in but it seems things have changed with the arrival of the Goddess Auril. The Frostmaiden has cast a spell over these lands and hidden the sun from view, a supernatural state that means that winter never leaves and the snow never melts, a pall of darkness stretching out for miles in all directions. Auril has come to this place to hide from the world and she is intent on ensuring that Icewind Dale remains hidden regardless of the needs of those that call this place home. Like all of their releases, this one has the adventure laid out in summary form at the beginning with details of what is occurring within the Dale. It is clear that something needs to be done if the people of the Dale and the Ten Towns are to survive, fell forces are beginning to take advantage of this endless gloom and this opens up avenues for any party of adventurers to take.

    Here we move on and look through the dangers of this icy environment and some character ideas and options. I liked the idea of the secrets section but this is hardly an extensive part of the book. We continue on to the first part of the adventure as we begin to explore the Ten Towns and adventure hooks that each of these towns can open up to our adventurers. This is an extensive section with notable NPCs noted for use and how the townsfolk are reacting to the Everlasting Rime. This entire chapter gives a variety of adventure hooks that the DM can utilise or adapt to their own version of the adventure, the ideas here are plentiful. The book continued onwards, expanding into Icewind Dale itself, and continues to add a number of possible directions for the party to take and options for the DM on how to reach the next part of the book. The adventure within can lead to interactions with the Duergar and the fell plans their leader has for the folk of Ten Towns. The adventure builds as the party are tasked with defeating this threat and then moving on to dealing Auril herself and the spell she has cast upon the Dale. More interestingly, at least in my mind, is the continuation leading to the ancient Netherese flying city that has remained hidden beneath the ice of the tale for centuries. Here is the most obvious nod to the Thing and it works well as the adventurers are placed within an environment that has been shaped by utter isolation, along with the threats inherent to the city itself. It would spoil the adventure to go into too much detail but I found the overriding story interesting with plenty of space to customise it to the DM's liking. 

    Like any adventure, we have the monster section, some interesting additions for winter environments being a fairly obvious choice here. I have to admit being something of a fan of the new Squidling variant that the adventure brings into play. Further, on from this, we have the mandatory magic items, none too wild or unique this time but fairly standard to the story. Some integral to the story as is often the case with these tomes. All in all, it is more of what we have come to expect from Wizards of the Coast.

    I enjoyed the setup of this adventure. I liked the isolation and harsh environment that will punish the adventuring party if they aren't careful. I'm always a fan of greater exploration of one of my favourite areas of the Forgotten Realms, and this region has been of import since Drizzt's earliest adventures. I would recommend that any fan of the 'Forgotten Realms' give this book a look, especially if you're a fan of horror as this game has some great elements peppered throughout. 

    I'd give this tome a 4 out 5 and recommend any DM give this one a look. Hopefully, you can utilise it to add new and interesting elements to your own campaign. Let me know in the comments what you think of this book, if you've used it in your campaign and if disagree with my little summary.

Dark Imperium: Godblight review

 

Godblight by Guy Haley

    The Avenging Son walks the material realm once more and seeks to restore the might of the Imperium back amongst the great expanse of space. He has faced his brother Mortarion once already and pushed him back to the rotting garden of Iax as the forces of the Lord of Death seek to drag the realm of Ultramar into the warp itself. He has faced much, the forces of chaos lined against him and his sons, the new force of the Primaris marines dispersed through the galaxy to reinforce the beleaguered ranks of the firstborn marines. And now he must question the very nature of faith as the events of the previous book in the series weigh heavily on the returned Guilliman. He is destined to face his brother once more and this time the very fate of Ultramar rests on the outcome

    I enjoyed the previous books immensely. Seeing Guilliman return to the Imperium after his miraculous resurrection has been a highlight in the recent works from Games Workshop. To see this mighty being struggle with his return and this age where all his 'father's hopes for the Imperium of mankind have fallen to ruin. As so much knowledge has been lost and chaos has inflicted so much destruction upon the galaxy, it has been a great character study of the Primarch. He should be broken by the immensity of his task, of the weight of responsibility that he bears, and yet he marches on, a being of implacable will and utter conviction. It is at this time that he begins to question the nature of faith and if his Father could indeed be a God. He has to face the possibility, though he is reluctant to assign any validity to this possibility as it is merely theoretical, no proving factors have occurred to shape the Primarch's thought process at the time of the conversation. It is interesting to see Guilliman clash with Mathieu as the militant-apostolic is convinced that the Emperor is with them, that Guilliman's Father is directing all of this. This trans-human figure comes from a time when the Emperor sought to crush the very idea of Gods and religion, a time when the Emperor walked the Galaxy and interacted with his sons. Guilliman remembers a being that always insisted it was not a God and he now has to wrestle against an organization that recognizes the Emperor as such. All this whilst leading his crusade to push the forces of chaos and his fallen brother from his realm. 

    The writing is, as always with Guy Haley, especially good at times of combat. It remains tight and focused throughout with great attention to some of the more grotesque details of the fallen world and the effects of Nurgle upon those around its followers. I have enjoyed his portrayal of Guilliman, very much a man out of time, though man is not the correct word to describe the weapon that the Emperor had forged to fight his wars. We get a good hint at the events playing out beyond the Plague Wars, Nurgle moving his forces from this front as the other Chaos Gods begin to move against one another, Mortarion refusing to shift focus from his brother and his plans surrounding Ultramar. As the events of this battlefield play out we get hints and more about what is to come next in the lore surrounding Warhammer 40k, though one particular play by the forces of Nurgle I saw staggering over the hill, it was not the most subtle of nods to that which has been but it will be interesting to see how they implement it. I look forward to more after the conclusion to this book and I have confidence that it will be told well. Guy Haley is a talented author and has handled this trilogy wonderfully.

    So all in all I would rate this a 4 out of 5. There are a few niggly issues around pacing, for me at least, but for the most part, the story unfolds well. I would recommend any fan of Sci-fi to give this a look and any Warhammer 40k fan should most definitely seek this book out. Until next time, folks.

A Review of John Carpenter's The Thing

 John Carpenter's The Thing, a review.

    The Thing has to be one of the best films John Carpenter has ever put out. Now, I know some might like The Fog or In the Mouth of Madness more, and I am a massive fan of the latter, but The Thing remains one that took the alien premise and ran in a direction I did not expect upon first viewing. Set in the Antarctic, the film opens up with a husky being chased through the snow by a helicopter, men within firing shots at the fleeing animal. This sets up the premise that the men have gone mad, a form of cabin fever that has led to crazed violence, or at least that is the initial assumption that the American researchers reach after this strange and violent encounter. From the outset, the husky moves about in a fashion that seems unusual, and stares at the men in silence, with no dog-like friendliness or curiosity in its manner. Here the doctor wants to go to the camp of these men and discover if any others remain, see if there remain others in need, and Mac(Kurt Russell's MacReady) is volunteered to take him. He has reservations about Cooper's eagerness to push the pilot to take the journey. 

    The two arrive at the camp to find things in disarray with signs of violence about the site. A body sits in the frigid cold with its wrists slit, the blood frozen as it drains from the wounds, and the pair continue their search with the vain hope that they'll find anyone alive. MacReady finds the massive block of ice, looking like its contents had been carved or thawed out. We are beginning to get a taste of what is to come, the pair going outside to find the burned remains of what appears to partially be a man or once what might have been men. Cooper decides they should take the anomaly back along with everything else he has collected from the site. Upon arrival, they conduct an autopsy on the remains, and Blair finds that the internal organs appear normal despite the strange appearance of the remains. It isn't until they return that the 'dog' is taken from wandering freely about the camp and put with their sledge dogs. 

    This is the first time we get to see the 'creature' as the dog begins to transform and the dogs go wild. It lashes out with sprouted tentacles and douses some with some kind of liquid, as it works to absorb these dogs and seemingly take their shapes. It is a gruesome sight to behold, one that gets worse as the humans arrive to watch this creature attacking the dogs. Quickly they set about burning the creature, the Thing developing thick arms that reach up into the wooden ceiling before Giles can arrive and douse the creature with flame. From here on out, our protagonists wonder how much danger they are in. Again an autopsy is enacted, and Blair finds the remains of the creature to be amid imitation, changing its form to match the sledge dogs and replace them. From here on out we begin to see the first hints of growing paranoia and distrust growing amid the group, Blair showing signs first as he delves into the chances of this entity infecting those around him. They watch through the videotapes taken from the Norwegian camp and discover that they had blown something free of the ice, something massive. Mac decides to see just what that is. Together, the trio land and find what they had been excavating, a crashed spaceship of some kind, estimated to have been there for a least one hundred thousand years. Returning to their camp, they inform the rest, and they react with disbelief, questioning Mac as if he has all the answers. It is worth noting that we get the first hint here that someone has already been replaced. 

    From this moment onwards, the film builds towards developing the tension, the subtle growing distrust, and placing Mac at the centre of this whole thing. Mac is warned that Blair is showing signs of becoming unbalanced, sure now that they are in imminent danger of infection. His notebook denotes that the remains are not yet dead. This leads to Benning's being taken by the remains from the Norwegian camp. Mac rushes to see the partially imitated Bennings attempting to flee into the night and burning it before it can escape. Again the tension is upped as they burn the rest of the remains, and we see Blair destroying vehicles on-site before running back inside. Events follow on to where Blair has become convinced that some are already infected/replaced and is in the middle of destroying the radio equipment, doing his best to cut them off. He is quickly subdued, but he succeeds in his mission. They lock him up in the tool shed, and before Mac leaves, Blair warns him to watch Clark,  believing him to already have been replaced. The film does a great job of keeping the tension and distrust high throughout, the viewer unsure of who is to be trusted. 

    With a test suggested, a blood serum test to see some kind of reaction, they head back inside, and it is soon discovered that the blood is gone and only two individuals possess access to the blood via key. Again this is a moment of growing tension amid the group, things escalating as Windows runs for a gun, his fear overriding his caution. At this Mac begins to take charge, as Norris declines. Outside in the snow, Mac separates the group into two, giving a speech to them about what the creature is doing. Again we get that sense of us against them, as one group is believed to be untrustworthy, possibly infected, or replaced. The trio is sedated by Norris as Mac records a message, showing that two days have passed since the speech outside. We get more information on the possible imitation of one of them as long john's had been found shredded and Mac's growing distrust. Again Mac is warned of the risk of infection by Fuchs, the man last seen in his room, and then chasing someone out into the snow. Things begin to rapidly escalate as they search for Fuchs, the group splitting up with distrust voiced about their company, Fuchs, is found in the snow, burned up by someone or something. After Mac takes them to his shack, Nauls returns convinced that Mac has been turned, finding torn clothing in his shack. Somehow Mac returns, and the group descends on him, determined to kill him, believing he is a threat to them. Unfortunately for them, Mac manages to grab some dynamite and holds the others at bay, Norris collapsing from what appears to be a heart attack. 

    Here we get one of the most famous scenes as they gather together and Cooper attempts CPR on the unconscious Norris. As he goes to defibrillate Norris, his chest opens up, and massive fangs bite through Cooper's arms. Norris's body quickly changes, the creature coming up from his chest before Mac sets it ablaze. I will forever remember the following scenes as Norris' head separates from its body, coming to rest on the floor before pulling itself away by its tongue and quickly sprouting legs from the head and attempting to scurry away. Palmer soon spots it, and the 'head' is set afire. It is a killer scene highlighting that the creature is not one thing, but a gestalt entity. Mac, registering this, devises a new test, binding the rest after he is forced to shoot Clark. Again we get blood and gore as it is revealed that Palmer is one of them, and he quickly dispatches Windows before Mac can kill them both. 

    Discovering that Blair has escaped, and is one himself, they conclude that they need to destroy the camp, stop it from escaping, and prevent it from going back to sleep within the ice. They are separated from Giles as they go about this work, following Blair's trail back to their camp. The camp is set ablaze, with the trio setting dynamite up to blow the rest of the camp. At this moment in the film Gary and Nauls are taken by Blair before he attempts to kill Mac. Thankfully he manages to escape, tossing a lit stick of dynamite at the creature before running up from the frigid basement area. All of this is done well with effects that stand the test of time, with the merging of Gary's face and Blair's hand still disturbing to see as he drags him away. In the end, we see that only Mac and Giles are left, the camp burning around them, and both men are aware that they don't have long left. It is left open whether either man is the Thing, watching the other in distrust as the weather and extreme cold begin to take their toll on both of them. I always liked this ending, both men sat there as the screen fades to dark, and we, as the viewer, are left uncertain whether they defeated the creature or if it lays in wait somewhere. That remaining paranoia is meant to stay with you, to linger after the film's ending. 

    From beginning to end, the film is well-acted, the tension remains high throughout, and you can feel the oppressive isolation that the surroundings impress upon all proceedings. It is strange to think that the film wasn't well-received upon its release, but in the following years, it gathered a cult following. It has spawned a game, a prequel, and several comic books and still remains in the public consciousness nearly forty years later. I will always think of it as one of the best sci-fi films I have ever watched, with an interesting alien and brilliantly tense atmosphere. 

Let me know what you think, whether you love it or hate it, and your views on why it works or doesn't.

A look at Warhammer 40k and its influence on my love of gaming and Science Fiction

 Warhammer 40,000

    I grew up with a voracious appetite for science fiction and read everything that I could get my hands on. Growing up I watched shows like Star Trek, Quantum Leap, and, of course, being British, Red Dwarf. I developed a love of horror through authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and James Herbert. In that time I discovered tabletops games such as Hero Quest and others through the friendships I had. Through them, I found my way to Warhammer and Space Hulk. In these war games, I found lore steeped in science fiction and its own version of cosmic horror. A world without mercy, without hope, without the aspirations of many science fiction worlds. A galaxy where there was only war, it was unlike anything I had ever seen or read at that point in my life. 

    Warhammer 40,000 remains one of the grimmest worlds out there, where to be one of those living in it is to expect a short a brutal life, either fighting in the ranks of one army or another or toiling behind the scenes of that great war machine. My foray into the lore began with the Ragnar Blackmane Omnibus, a trio of books that trace the Wolf Lords' life from his time on the ice islands of Fenris to his time on the homeworld of Terra. This story written by William King introduced me to the ranks of the Space Wolves, to the fiercest of mankind's defenders, and the curse that lurked within their bloodline. For me, it was the presence of the thousand sons, of the history of the two legions that brought home just how expansive the lore could be of this universe I found myself thoroughly enjoying. The next book to catch my interest was Xenos by Dan Abnett and my love of these books was solidified. 

    Inquisitor Gideon Eisenhorn proved to be a hardline individual that believed in the Emperor and the sanctity of the Imperium above all else, or that's how he began. Through this character and his adventures, we delved into a new region of the galaxy and worlds that I had never heard of before. A whole subsector that was full of danger and mystery. Abnett's best work, in my opinion, is always his character work. And here we find a host of individuals circling the Inquisitor, some that work with and for him, whilst others stand in his path or aid him in his investigations and pursuit of the heretic or alien. This was a dark galaxy, with man and women of vile interest, willing to serve dark powers in the hopes of being gifted dark power of their own, of being elevated to new heights in the eyes of these fell masters. I loved it all and in time I would come to read the trilogy of books and then discover the adventures of Inquisitor Ravenor and his band of misfits. Abnett for me remains at the foremost of the authors that work for Games Workshop. 

    Over the years the lore has expanded massively, with their series of the Horus Heresy and the books detailing the new age of the Dark Millennium with Guilliman's return and the events of the Indomitus Crusade. This is a galaxy beset on all sides with Dark Gods looking to devour all and there remain but the faint motes of hope in the dimming light. I would encourage any fan of science fiction and fantasy to give this world a look, to take a risk, and dive into either the books alone or the tabletop game itself. It is well worth taking a look just out of curiosity. But remember, do not look to hope, for in the grim Dark of the future there is only War!

A Review of the Cthulhu Mythos for 5E

 Sandy Petersen's Cthulhu Mythos for 5E review

    As something of an RPG fan and a massive fan of cosmic horror I found myself purchasing this book out of curiosity alone. It was a great investment, at least in my humble opinion. Sitting at 426 pages, this is a hefty tome that adds new elements to the realms of 5E. Within you will find all you need to bring the elements of cosmic horror to your D&D game, with their own rule systems to add with those new elements. The book adds four new races for you to play with and whilst all of them are interesting with a number of sub-races available to play with, I found myself most interested in the Dreamlands Cat. The idea behind the feline character is awesome, with the ability to change from an everyday kitty to the intelligent aspect of the Dreamlands cat. There are a number of subclasses that allow you to tweak the cat to your own liking but even the basic premise is interesting and unusual enough that I think many would thoroughly enjoy the option to roleplay in such an unusual fashion. The Gnorri, Ghoul, and Zoog are all interesting in their own right with a variety of ways they could be roleplayed in your games, bringing new dynamics to the typical parties. There are a number of new spells provided specifically to the influence of the Elder horrors that this book contains and alludes to. The book of course introduces new magic items and Artifacts that are tied directly to the realm of cosmic horror, adding yet another layer to how to proceed and develop your own adventures.

The book contains much more with rules describing how to handle insanity and dread in your games, giving you that real feel of the true horror of dealing with entities beyond the remit of fantasy alone. These entities are meant to instill fear, loathing, and disgust in equal measure. There are details on how to include cults directly linked to the Elder horrors featured in the book and hints on how that could impact your games. The details on the 26 Elder Gods and Outer gods are expansive, detailing the ways in which they impact the world as they come into contact with it. The artwork and details here are quite something, I would recommend the book on these alone. The likes of the Great Cthulhu and Azathoth are in here amongst several others that I had not heard of previously. Beyond this there the rules and details of the great races and Mythos monsters that any DM would be bringing to their games.  It would be a crime not to state how brilliant the artwork proves throughout the book, those featured within both awe-inspiring and disturbing in equal measure. Unlike some other rule books, the PDF came free with this edition which highlighted how much the creators cared about the content and not the profit line. 

For me, this book is a brilliant tool for any that are looking to add eldritch horror to their fantasy games, giving you countless options and a great deal of inspiration. I would highly recommend this to any DM just for the ideas alone.

Rating is 5 out of 5 for me.

Hope you enjoy it.

For fans of 5E and RPGs in general let me know your take on this expansive rulebook and how you would integrate it into your own games. Always happy to hear about any other rulebooks to look out for and enjoy.

A Cosmology of Monsters Review

 A Cosmology of Monsters by Shaun Hamill Review

   

    I was pleasantly surprised by both the style and feel of this story. I had gone in with certain ideas based on the description on the back of the jacket. It proved a far more complex and nuanced story than I had expected. The story is told by the youngest child of the Turner family, baby Noah, relaying the events told to him from before his birth and then his own experiences until the story's conclusion. This is not your typical monster story, it veers away from many of the typical tropes and reveals something fresh and new. It is a horror story that unwinds slowly and with a softness to it that seemed unusual for the genre, or at least in my experience of it. This is cosmic horror and has some of the strange and unusual creatures that populate the genre but in a fashion, I did not see coming. Noah is a sympathetic character who often makes poor choices but in the end, makes the only one that can bring about a conclusion that is not completely without hope. Shaun Hamill is definitely an author I will be keeping a lookout for in the future. I am deeply looking forward to seeing what else they are capable of bringing to the genre, or any other that they may choose to delve into. I would recommend this to any fan of horror, and more so to those that enjoy the cosmic horror elements of the genre. I would say however that this is more a story that lingers, than startles, it has more of a haunting quality to it than outright terror. 

I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5 and can't wait to see what Shaun Hamill does next. 

Hope you all enjoy it and give it a go.

If any of you have recommendations for other good horror books let me know, and feel free to let me know what you thought of this book if you've read it.