The Bookwyrm's Review of Tales of Nyarlathotep by Various Authors

 

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Rating: 9/10 Stars

Synopsis

TALES OF NYARLATHOTEP is the fourth book of the Books of Cthulhu series by Crossroad Press (Tales of the Al-Azif, Tales of Yog-Sothoth, The Book of Yig). It is an anthology featuring pulpy tales of horror starring Outer God and his myriad plots as well as games. Nyarlathotep is functionally omnipotent and treats humanity like ants underneath a magnifying glass. He is impossible to kill but perhaps capable of being thwarted. Or maybe that's just what he wants you to think.

Experience such stories as a redneck family dealing with their insane body-snatching ancestor, a resurrected pharaoh trapped in a museum, a depraved family of British nobles out to harness ancient forces, and a post-apocalypse town under siege by a an immortal gun-slinging god's avatar. Whether a hero or an ordinary human, none can triumph but maybe they can survive for another day.

Review

The fourth book in the Books of Cthulhu series, Tales of Nyarlathotep focuses on one of the more interesting members of the Cthulhu Mythos. Nyarlathotep is a completely different kind of elder being than Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth or Yig, beings that don’t even think about humans, because they are so many fleas in comparison. Nyarlathotep is a little different. He too has power over time and space, but will deign to contact humans, mostly for his own amusement. These stories all focus on various aspects of that interaction, with cultists who try and bargain for power with him, ancient artifacts that could potentially open the world to his avatars, and adventurers fighting these forces of chaos. We even get a peek at an ancient ruler meeting the being in person (if that word applies to this kind of being) and showing just how one sided any deal you make with something like this can be.

These authors are all used to writing in this mythos, so take their established characters like Harry Stubbs, John Booth, Captain Cross, and many more, in a wide range of times and places. The world building is excellent, and the stories take place with the richest of upper crust nobility to poor farmers to mutant humans in a post apocalyptic world on the brink of annihilation. It leads to a great collection of stories that mix horror, adventure and even some comedy that should appeal to fans of the rest of the series, as well as fans of fantasy and sci-fi in general. I give it my highest recommendation.