The Rage of Cthulhu is published by Horrific Tales Publishing and was released on March 23rd 2017.
The story begins well. In the first chapter, not only do we learn that George has an inoperable brain tumour, he also visits a place that offers hints of a mystery likely to unfold over the next 130 pages. And it's set in Yorkshire, a part of the world I know well.
We follow an upper-middle class couple as they take a world tour in their twilight years. George, ex university professor, takes an interest in an abandoned building just outside Whitby. “And what better way to start than trawling the Internet, a great leviathan with tentacles sunk in every port around the world?” It's nice touches like this in the writing that remind you that this is a Cthulhu mythos story.
<spoilers> Patched together from conversations with locals, George learns that the broken foghorn building was attacked by a giant creature that rose from the sea. He sees polaroid photos and a manuscript in Norwegian which go further to convince him of the authenticity of the event. The mystery follows George and his wife on their world tour, with George finding people and places that remind him of the monster. In a freak storm a plane goes down in the Pacific near an Island. George, whether because of his dreams, his investigations or his brain tumour is convinced this is the home of Cthulhu. He dies confronting the beast and protecting his wife. </spoilers>
The question of whether the documented events are hallucination or reality cloaks the narrative in ways reminiscent of Lovecraft's original body of work. It is only the contemporary style of language and setting that distinguishes itself from the source material, making it more accessible to the modern audience. For those who enjoy Cthulhu inspired stories this novella is a must read. Enjoy.
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