We Lovecraft nerds are easily ensnared. In fact, any title that contains his name – or “Arkham” or “Cthulhu” or any other blatantly Lovecraftian name or place – is usually enough to lure us in.
Considering Howard Phillips Lovecraft has been dead for over 80 years now, it’s up to his literary successors to satisfy our cravings for more dread Elder Gods and eldritch abominations. Our antennae automatically go up whenever anything new in the cosmic horror genre comes along.
These days it seems there’s a lot of Lovecraftian fiction out there. The universe he created certainly offers fertile ground for a writer’s imagination. In the 21st century, a number of writers have taken a shot at their own weird tales inspired by good old HPL, whose body of work has rabid fans and equally rabid detractors. Some of these new literary creations are, in fact, arguably better than the originals.
What these new stories have in common is their basis in the Lovecraft universe and the insignificance of human beings in the face of cosmic forces beyond our control – or even our understanding – that are lurking just out of sight. Needless to say, they don’t wish us well.
One modern writer with his own unique spin on the Lovecraft mythos is Jonathan L. Howard, author of the popular Johannes Cabal/Necromancer series, and the creative mind behind Carter & Lovecraft.
Carter & Lovecraft is an intriguing blend of genres… think noir-ish detective novel meets paranormal investigation meets the Cult of Cthulhu in a contemporary urban fantasy.
The story begins with Daniel Carter, a New York City police detective pursuing a child-murdering serial killer. After the strange death of his partner and its impact on his mental health, Carter gives up police work and becomes a private investigator.
Though his intention is to live a quiet life of spying on cheating husbands and workers comp frauds, it becomes obvious that someone – master manipulators with their own horrific designs – has a different agenda in mind for him. And instead of the safe, mundane life he was seeking, Carter finds himself deep into a case like nothing he’s ever seen before… one that, in fact, may be the death of him.
*****
Carter’s plans are first disrupted when a weird lawyer informs him that a total stranger has died and left him an antiquarian book store in his will. He doesn’t know what to make of this, especially since the bookstore is in Providence, Rhode Island (hello, Lovecraft fans!), and he’s never even heard of the guy. Dan heads up to Providence to inspect his inheritance, where he meets the man’s niece, Emily Lovecraft.
Emily who??? That’s right! She is the last living member of the Lovecraft family – yes, THAT Lovecraft family – the great-grandniece of HPL, the one who created those fantastic worlds of cosmic horror. But Emily is no ordinary bookstore clerk. She’s a trained librarian, well versed in the antiquarian book trade, who has been operating the bookstore for the seven years since her uncle’s disappearance.
And then when it looks like Carter is content to settle into the role of absentee owner and silent partner in Carter & Lovecraft Books, unexplainable occurrences begin to intrude upon what we perceive as reality. Carter later finds out that he too has a genealogical connection to Lovecraft’s world, which makes him the heir to another unexpected – and unwanted – legacy. When people start dying in impossible ways, it looks like someone (or something) out there wants Dan and Emily to be involved.
There are multiple villains in the book, human and… otherwise. There’s a mysterious lawyer with an odd demeanor and an unsettling smile that’s bordering on Uncanny Valley. There’s a math genius whose talents have enabled him to access a mysterious portal to an alternative reality. And because this is inspired by Lovecraft, there’s also a creepy reclusive family (who fit firmly into the category of “not-quite-right”) living in an isolated settlement on the outskirts of town.
Lovecraft illustration, Astounding Stories (1936)
For me, however, the star of this book is Emily Lovecraft – the world’s most badass librarian and rare book expert. She’s super smart, sarcasm is her native tongue, and she’s equally at home with a shotgun or the Dewey Decimal System. Better still, in an obvious poke at Lovecraft’s reputation for misogyny and racism, Emily is also a woman of color. (Emily enjoys imagining HPL’s reaction to his last living relative – “A mulatto!? Oh, my precious genes!” – while no doubt spinning in his grave.)
Dan and Emily have great chemistry together. It’s interesting to observe how their friendship develops, and as I’m a great fan of and practitioner of bickering, I find their verbal sparring to be one of my favorite parts of the narrative.
The book does lag a bit after the first couple chapters. But as Carter and Lovecraft are drawn into the otherworldly happenings, the narrative picks up steam. They must open their minds to all the possibilities of the Lovecraftian universe to solve this mystery… and indeed, to save the world.
*****
Carter & Lovecraft combines elements of a pulpy detective story with some cool reality-bending twists, mutant fish men, and bizarre deaths. I found the mash-up very entertaining, beginning as a typical crime/detective novel but then veering off into weird fiction, introducing elements that are clearly not part of the “real world” as we know it.
In fact, the premise reminds me a bit of an old TV show I loved as a kid, Kolchak: The Night Stalker – a hard-boiled seen-it-all detective caught up in a supernatural realm he is unprepared for. In other words, a thoroughly modern murder mystery where the occult stuff creeps in around the edges until you become a believer.
HPL and Friends
Even if you’re brand new to the Lovecraft mythos, the outlines of that world and its concepts are introduced gradually and in a straightforward way. By the time you’ve reached the end of Carter & Lovecraft, you’ll realize how very small human beings are in the cosmos and that there are ancient eldritch abominations out there to whom we are about as important as insects… or even less.
But if you’re not yet familiar with his work, not to worry! Carter & Lovecraft is a good way to introduce yourself to the world of cosmic horror fiction.
Lovecraft nerds, of course, will love this book and relish its many, many inside jokes (even the chapter headings are Lovecraft references) delivered with a subtle wink and a nod.
*****
I won’t spoil the story for you, but as you might expect, there are some unexpected narrative twists, and the ending is a real jaw-dropper.
Howard recently published a second book in the Carter & Lovecraft series, entitled After the End of the World (but you’ll have to finish Carter & Lovecraft to figure out what that means!) that picks up the story where the first book leaves off.
So whether you’re a fan of Lovecraft or of cosmic horror fiction in general… whether you’re new to the genre… or if you might enjoy a good detective noir thriller with a bizarre supernatural twist, I heartily recommend you add Carter & Lovecraft to your reading list.
Note: Carter & Lovecraft has been optioned for TV by Warner Bros!