The Engines of Sacrifice

Chambers (Resurrection House) draws readers deep into H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos with chillingly evocative writing and the clever integration of real-world events. Four interlocking stories take place at least in part in the Long Island town of Knicksport, where portals open into the uncanny dimensions inhabited by the elder gods. Could the emergence into our world of Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, and Nyarlathotep be tied to the Wiccan enthusiasm of the 1970s, the strong presence of horror themes in 1980s indie comics, or the “accident” at Chernobyl? Can Cthulhu be reached through the transformative powers of fiction? Chambers’s damaged characters cling to hope even as the world comes apart at the seams, making the insanity and despair of their circumstances poignant as well as deliciously creepy. (Nov.)