A Lonely and Curious Country: Tales from the Lands of Lovecraft

Carpenter's ambition%E2%80%94to present new Lovecraftian stories that are not "derivative pastiches"%E2%80%94is admirable, but not all of the 17 selections in this anthology break new ground. Steven Prizeman's "The Dreamer of Nothingness" is the best, nicely riffing on a classic Lovecraft tale. In 1968 Paris during the political unrest that led to an occupation of the Sorbonne by radical protestors, Yves, a philosopher and writer, has issues with his downstairs neighbors, who appear to be smoking some dope that causes a strange odor to penetrate his apartment. Robert M. Price, perhaps the most well-known contributor, entertainingly explores the perils of multiculturalism in "The Third Oath of Dagon," in which Miskatonic University is forced to not only admit students from the notorious town of Innsmouth but also hire a chaplain for their religion, the Order of Dagon. Rebecca J. Allred's "Project Handbasket" effectively uses medical documents and transcriptions of therapy sessions to dramatize the case of a doctor who went mad and killed members of his own family. Other entries are less memorable. (Aug.)