The reviews for Cthulhu’s Dark Cults have been coming in thick and fast! All have been positive, too, which is great because I think CDC is one of the great horror anthologies of 2010.

First up, Matthew Carpenter posted a detailed review of CDC on Amazon that was more than complimentary, although he was somewhat ambivalent about my novella “Requiem for the Burning God”:

… Some mercenaries are hired to provide security at a mine in Peru. One finds out more than is good for his health. This was an action story more than suspense or mystery; as such I liked it but I think the canvas was too broad. First the main character, Max Calder, leads his small band expertly in infantry operations and then he pilots a small plane to attack a ship. After that he is able to use an antiaircraft weapon. OK, this is too much scrutiny for what is actually a fun bit of pulp fiction.

Then, Jeff Ritchie at ScaryMinds has plenty of positives to point out about the anthology, citing “Requiem” as one of his favourites. Of the anthology, Jeff says:

The writers in the collection have really captured the true nature of the Cthulhu Mythos and have managed to twist that nature in a new direction. It’s quite the achievement and the collection really does become a must have for lovers of the horror genre. I’m calling this the best Mythos collection since Brian Lumley’s seminal Titus Crow works.

And “Requiem for the Burning God” gets a mention:

… the stories I would highlight as being the pick of the collection (please note chronological order here). John Sunseri’s “The Eternal Chinaman” gets things out of the harbour in style with perhaps a ‘Dagon’ inspired tale of magic versus true evil. Bringing the nasty into things David Witteveen hits us with “Perfect Skin”. Not to be outdone, Shane Jiraiya Cummings tells a cautionary tale of not diving in without first looking as the protagonists learn in the sensational “Requiem for the Burning God“. A touch of the ‘Boys Own Adventure’ was appreciated there.

Also over at ScaryMinds is a praiseworthy review of the recently released Eclecticism #13, which contains my story “A Picture of Death”.

ScaryMinds is the most exciting and comprehensive addition to the Australian horror criticism landscape since HorrorScope, and it’s a site that’s well worth your time. Check it out!

Cthulhu’s Dark Cults can be purchased from Chaosium, and Eclecticism #13 may be downloaded (for free!) from Dark Prints Press.

Brian M. Sammons over at HorrorWorld has had nothing but nice things to say about Cthulhu’s Dark Cults. While my novella “Requiem for the Burning God” wasn’t specifically mentioned, he was feeling the Cthulhu love and particularly liked stories by fellow Aussies David Conyers (also the editor), Penelope Love, and David Witteveen. As Brian said:

“I will have to thank [Conyers] for opening my American eyes to some truly great terror talents from the land down under.”

The review is here (you’ll have to scroll down about three quarters of the page).

The first review for Cthulhu’s Dark Cults has been published by Innsmouth Free Press.

The reviewer has mixed feelings about the collection – or more accurately, criticism about the level of depth the stories possess in exploring the nature of the Mythos cults. My novella “Requiem for the Burning God” wasn’t singled out one way or another, although the only mention of my story was a positive one:

Many stories left open-ended conditions easily adapted into scenarios for those playing Call of Cthulhu games, although there are few that would leave most readers with a sense of “Wow, I’ve absolutely GOT to play this out….” Top candidates would include the aftermath of Peter A. Worthy’s “Old Ghost”, Shane Jiraiya Cummings’ South American mining thriller “Requiem For the Burning God” and William Jones’ “Covenant of Darkness”.

It’s a good analytical review. I’m now looking forward to the next reviews when they come out.

My contributor copies for the long-awaited Cthulhu’s Dark Cults have finally arrived, and the book looks awesome! Chaosium appeared to have been up in the air about it for the longest time, but I’m very pleased to see the book (which features my novella “Requiem for the Burning God”) is, in fact, a reality!

Having flicked through a number of the stories already, I can heartily recommend this antho for lovers of Lovecraftian Mythos fiction, fans of the Call of Cthulhu game (from which the fiction is inspired), and aficionados of Australian horror (as four of the ten contributors are Aussies). You can order it from Amazon – and undoubtedly, other places online or in good US bookstores.

Cthulhu's Dark Cults

David Conyers, editor of the awesome and soon-to-be-released anthology of Lovecraftian cultist terror Cthulhu’s Dark Cults, has been posting previews of the anthology on his blog.

A preview of my novella “Requiem for the Burning God” has been posted today.

Check it out for your first dose of Peruvian pre-Nazi German industrialists unearthing something ancient and decidedly evil from beneath the Andes.

While you’re there, you’ll also find excerpts from stories by David Witteveen and John Goodrich (and more to come).

David Conyers gave me the good news the other day that Chaosium has plans to release his anthology Cthulhu’s Dark Cults late this month or next.

It’s been a long wait, but that’s cool, as I’ve been on both sides of the publishing machine and I understand how delays creep in.

The awesomeness about this is that the anthology is packed with excellent stories involving the cults and secret societies that serve the nefarious ends of the Great Old Ones. There’s plenty of Aussies in this antho, but my real interest is that my novella “Requiem for the Burning God” is in there, too.

If you’re keen on a story that features mercenaries biting off more than they can chew in the caves beneath the Peruvian Andes – with ample helpings of zeppelins, biplane dogfights, insanity, horrific deaths, and the corpse of a not-quite-dead god – then this story is for you.