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Book Review: Twice Upon An Apocalypse: Lovecraftian Fairy Tales edited by Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward

Twice Upon an Apocalypse edited by Rachel Kenley and Scott T. Goudsward

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2017

ISBN: 9781640074750

Available: ebook

Kenley and Goudsward hit an untapped vein with this collection of fairy tales with Lovecraftian themes. Between the pages of this book are twenty-one stories of morality mixed with the twisted gods and entities we have come to know through Lovecraftian fiction. Each story has its own flavor and maddening end. Revamped tales are culled from Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Perrault, Joseph Jacobs, Robert Browning, L. Frank Baum, and Washington Irving. While all of these stories have merit, a few stood out more than others.

The cats start disappearing from the sleepy town of Providence in “The Pied Piper of Providence” by William Meikle. The rural dwellers talk about strange creatures roaming the outskirts, but of course the city folk pay no heed; certain it is simply superstition that makes them talk. Then the rats come and all hell breaks loose. An old man, dressed in almost ridiculous attire and armed with two wooden flutes, appears in the town. He introduces himself as Rattenfänger von Hameln and he is their only salvation. What happens when the councilmen bilk the old man of his payment, and who does he take for compensation instead? David Bernard’s “Little Maiden of the Sea” tells the story of the little Deep One who wants so badly to dwell among the air-breathers. When she meets old man Whateley, she agrees to his strange terms and accepts his offer. He calls her Lavinia, and she bears him two sons that will change the fate of humanity. In “The King on the Golden Mountain” by Morgan Sylvia, a man who lost his wealth makes a pact with a strange man that he would be restored to his former glory, provided that in twelve years he sacrifice the first living thing he sees upon his return to his home. Unfortunately for the man, it is his own son who greets him as he arrives back to his humble abode. The twelve years elapse, and the son is taken back to the obelisk where the strange man is waiting. In a strange turn of events, the son, due to his only half human blood, is teleported to a new world and makes a family for himself with his new fork tongued bride. What transpires for the father and son leads to total destruction, new life, and a tragic return home. “Once Upon a Dream” by Matthew Baugh twists the tale of the unfortunate Sleeping Beauty from the form of a girl to that of the newly birthed Cthulhu. Hastur, taking umbrage at not being invited to the great Cthulhu’s feast, curses little Cthulhu and it comes to pass. Millennia pass as little Cthulhu slumbers until the day the one man in the entire world can wake her.

My favourite story in this collection is based on Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. At the center of “The Legend of Creepy Hollow” by Don D’Ammassa, are Arthur Abrams, assistant professor of physics at Miskatonic University, and Martin Ichabod, of the Ichabod Crane Company and wealthy man about town. They meet at a social gathering meant to raise funds to expand the university’s library (a noble venture if I do say so myself). Arthur relies on empirical evidence rather than the unknown while Martin is very much a student of the occult and supernatural. Katrina Bergen, a mathematics graduate student, enters the story, and Arthur falls in love with her immediately. Externally, she carries reference and subject related materials, but she secretly reads romance novels and watches romantic comedies in the privacy of her apartment. Alas, he finds her talking to the dashing Martin at an event celebrating the library’s newly acquired funding for the expansion. The rivalry between the two men grows with every meeting, the verbal spats about the known world versus the unknown world increase. Martin eventually invites Arthur to dinner and a demonstration that leaves the world changed forever.

Other stories include “The Three Billy Goats Sothoth” by Peter N. Dudar; “In the Shade of the Juniper Tree” by J.P. Hutsell; “The Horror at Hatchet Point” by Zach Shephard; “Follow the Yellow Glyph Road” by Scott S. Goudsward; “Gumdrop Apocalypse” by Pete Rawlik; “The Ice Queen” by Mae Empson; “Cinderella and Her Outer Godfather” by C.T Phipps; “Curiosity” by Winifred Burniston; and “Sweet Dreams in the Witch-house” by Sean Logan.

Every story in this collection is a gem. If you like dark reimaginings of fairy tales, you should check this one out. I was apprehensive about pairing Lovecraftian themes with fairy stories, but it worked rather well. Highly recommended.

Contains: some blood and gore, racial epithets in “In the Shade of the Juniper Tree”

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel by Melissa de la Cruz

Disney-Hyperion, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-1484720974

Available: Hardcover, Audible, Audio CD, Kindle edition

The premise of Isle of the Lost is that all the Disney villains, along with their children, have been imprisoned on an island without any magic or access to technology, by King Beast (of Beauty and the Beast). King Beast rules over Auradon, where all the “good” characters from Disney movies live with their children. That works out well for the princes and princesses, but not so much for the sidekick characters, who are working hard and not seeing much in the way of reward.

In Auradon, Prince Ben, the son of King Beast, is about to turn sixteen and take over as king, with very little past experience or guidance in governing. On the Isle of the Lost, Mal, daughter of the fearsome Maleficent, is ready to take down Evie, daughter of the Evil Queen from Snow White. Her allies include the clever, amoral, thieving Jay (son of Jafar) and the nerdy, easily bullied, mad scientist-in-training, Carlos de Vil. While Mal plans evil schemes against Evie, Carlos invites her to see his new invention, which he hopes will poke a hole in the force field that separates the Isle of the Lost from access to magic, a wireless connection, and better television reception… and it works. The magic of Maleficent’s fortress begins to wake, and she sends Mal to retrieve her wand, accompanied by Jay, Carlos, and Evie.

What’s interesting about Isle of the Lost is that every kid in the book really cares about living up to parental expectations, even though the parents are frequently neglectful, superficial, or abusive. Evie’s mother, Evil Queen, is hyper-focused on appearance, and Evie is always perfectly made up. Mal is determined to be as evil as possible to impress her mother. Jay steals to provide stock for Jafar’s junk shop. Carlos keeps Cruella’s furs in perfect condition. Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos are not especially sympathetic characters. They lie, steal, vandalize, and put each other in physical danger, and they really don’t care that they might have done damage, but somehow, de la Cruz manages to make them relatable. She does a great job at developing their characters as they try, fail, and begin to reinvent themselves and the way they see the world. The part of the book that takes place on the Isle of the Lost has a dark, gritty feel to it, and the part that takes place in Auradon suggests that not everything is as perfect as it seems.

Isle of the Lost is a media tie-in to a Disney XD made-for-television movie titled Descendants, which was shown on July 31, but it doesn’t have much in common with it outside of the initial premise of the children of Disney villains imprisoned without magic and Internet. The director of the movie, Kenny Ortega, described it as a Disney fairytale-based version of High School Musical, in which Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Jay are chosen to attend high school with the princes and princesses in Auradon. I only saw the trailer, but I can tell you that the tone of the movie is completely different than that of the book. In fact, I would say that the Ever After High books by Shannon Hale are a much better match, even without the Disney aspect.

Disney marketing claimed that they aren’t expecting this to become a franchise, but I have difficulty believing that. I frankly am surprised they went the route of making a made-for-television movie instead of a series. The book is being marketed as a prequel to the story in the movie, but I’m really hoping it is the first in a series. Typically I am not a fan of books where the story ends without the plot being resolved, but I’m really intrigued by this one and would be interested in seeing where de la Cruz takes it. The book has sold really well, and I can’t say I am surprised. However, readers of the book may be surprised at the differences between book and movie (and vice versa). Isle of the Lost isn’t deep, but if you like your Disney villainous, this is a great dark and twisted fairytale read.

Posted on August 1, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply

Giant Princesses, Part 2

I wrote before about little girls and the princess thing, but little girls aren’t the only ones who go for princesses. I always like finding a princess who rocks. Generally, that ends up being Cinderella, because she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty (and I am pleased as punch to have discovered a kick-butt Cinderella in Jim Hines’ Princess books), but I’m gaining more respect for Rapunzel all the time. And, okay, it’s a commercial for a hair straightener, but this Rapunzel literally rocks.