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Book Review: Garden of Eldritch Delights by Lucy Snyder

Garden of Eldritch Delights by Lucy A. Snyder

Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2018

ISBN:  9781947879089
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition
Once again Lucy Snyder offers up a delightfully dark, fantastic collection of fiction morsels. Garden of Eldritch Delights has a Lovecraftian slant, pitting a number of interpretations of human against nameless, Otherland invaders. However, readers don’t need to be Lovecraft fans to find much to enjoy here. Snyder takes the themes through many interpretations, from classic horror, to science fiction and historical magical fantasy. There’s a lot to enjoy. If anything, the biggest downside is the fact that the tales within this collection are interesting and engaging enough to have spawned longer stories.
Standouts include “Fraeternal”, “Blossoms Blackened Like Dead Stars”, “A Hero of Grunjord”, and “The Warlady’s Daughter”. It’s not surprising that this collection is up for a Stoker. It engages the imagination, and language, in fascinating ways. Highly recommended, particularly for readers looking for stories outside of well-loved tropes, that will hold their fascination.
Contains: Language, violence, gore, sexual talk and situations
Reviewed by Michele Lee
Editor’s note: Garden of Eldritch Delights is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. 
Posted on May 13, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Jenny Finn by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey, art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple

Jenny Finn by Mike Mignola and Troy Nixey, art by Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN: 9781427606754

Available: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology edition

A mysterious girl, Jenny Finn, arrives in Victorian England and leaves death, destruction, and a strange curse in her wake. There is a plague causing gruesome lesions in the crooked streets of London. Joe, a slaughterhouse worker, aims to find out what’s going on in his city. When the pursuit of his investigation leads him to Jenny, Joe is attacked by a religious zealot named Hornsbee who attempts to kill her, and has a number of strange and disturbing encounters: a serial murderer bent on wiping out the “ladies of the night” is loose, the ghosts of the murdered women roam the streets, and mutated half-human, half-fish people devote themselves to Jenny Finn. Pippa Platt, who clearly loves the oblivious Joe, takes him to a séance to see if a group of spiritualists can help him track down Jenny and what is happening in the town.

I liked this story for several reasons. The Lovecraftian tone and the Victorian setting were essential elements for this kind of tale. The griminess of old London and themes of punishment, forgiveness, and doom are exactly what I like in my horror. The art for this volume fits with the story well. Sequential art that includes body horror has always been a draw for me. The hybrid humans in particular are interesting in these pages.

While Jenny Finn does not compare to the Hellboy mythos, it is an interesting tale with great artwork. If you enjoy Lovecraftian tones, Victorian settings, and body horror, this would make a nice addition to your collection.

Recommended

Contains: body horror, nudity, implied rape, sex

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on April 10, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, art by Rafael Albuquerque

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman, art by Rafael Albuquerque

Dark Horse, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-50670-393-0

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, comiXology edition

A Study in Emerald is a Lovecraftian/Doyle mystery featuring a brilliant detective and his partner as they try to solve a murder. The investigation follows the investigators, named only as the Detective and the Major, from the Whitechapel slums to Queen Victoria’s palace as they attempt to find the killer of a member of the blood royal. The story follows almost all of the same plot points as the original Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet. There are numerous twists and turns in Gaiman’s story from the moment the Major approaches the front door of the Baker Street residence. It also becomes clear that this world is one where the Great Old Ones have prevailed. Cultists are in power, as are the entities themselves. The royals, after all, bleed green. This graphic novel was adapted from Gaiman’s short story of the same title: http://www.neilgaiman.com/mediafiles/exclusive/shortstories/emerald.pdf.

Readers who enjoy Holmes crossovers with a dash of Lovecraftian horror should pick this up, as well as read the original source material. The story is unique in several respects, especially regarding a few of the big reveals that happen through the investigation. I think the only disappointment I have in this volume is that it ended so quickly. I would have loved to have read more. Albuquerque’s beautiful, rich illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to Gaiman’s tale of a great detective and his companion searching for a killer in an alternate Victorian setting.

Recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on March 13, 2019 by , Reply
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