The Prisoner of Carcosa & More Tales of the Bizarre
Mark McLaughlin & Michael Sheehan, Jr.
Independently published (January 11, 2020)
Reviewed by Carson Buckingham
The six short stories in this collection are a masterful tribute to H. P. Lovecraft, and I urge any fans of his out there to pick up a copy of this marvelous book. You won’t be disappointed.
Here is the rundown:
“Horrors of the Trash Island” is a commentary on Earthly pollution and its retaliatory consequences as seen through the eyes of the star and crew of the Weird Ports of Call travel program. It’s well done without being preachy. I loved it. (Written by McLaughlin and Sheehan)
“You Shall Have This Delicacy” is set at a dinner party which, as it turns out, will be the hostess’s last. The purpose of bringing her guests and her staff together is to decide who shall inherit her most cherished possession. You won’t see this one coming, with twists regarding the heir to the possession itself. First rate. (Written by Mark McLaughlin)
“Yuletide Mementos” is a story of two friends who break into a couple of forbidden trunks stored in the attic. The sealed trunks were purported to contain paperwork diaries and who knew what else found during a many-decades-gone expedition to Antarctica. A little “Pandora’s Box,” a little Indiana Jones, and a dash of any Drive-In horror movie you’ve ever seen, and you have “Yuletide Mementos.” You also have a ghastly example of Hammurabi’s Code. H. P. would be proud. (Written by McLaughlin and Sheehan)
“Tell Your Secrets to the Slime” is a little slice of terror that returns us to an Earth that pollution finally claimed. It is a dead planet…or is it? Seaweed is everywhere, with slime-filled pustules of various sizes growing all over it. “Look, don’t touch” is advice that has never been more worth heeding. This story gave me the shudders. (written by Mak McLaughlin)
“Diabolical Entities and How to Deal with Them” is a perfectly timed break from all the previous heaviness. Horror can be funny, and this deftly written story is proof. Your tour guide is Artemis Theodore LaGungo, proprietor of Professor LaGungo’s Exotic Artifacts & Assorted Mystic Collectibles. The man must be doing well, just to have purchased a sign that long. He specializes in Demonology and has written an overview of various diabolical entities. The descriptions are hilarious, and I laughed out loud at many of them, though my absolute favorite was Frucissiere, Master of Necromancy—all about a demon and a sandwich. Bravo. (Written by Mark McLaughlin)
And finally, “The Prisoner of Carcosa.” This is a refreshing take on The King in Yellow, and I can’t say much about it without spoiling it. What I will say, though, is the story is superb. Brilliant concept and superlative writing. (Written by McLaughlin and Sheehan)
This is one book you’ll want on your shelf. It stays with you. I read so much that if the book is not top-notch and memorable, I tend to forget it after reading it. Not so here. I’m still mulling it over two days later.
H. P. Lovecraft is dead. Long live Mark McLaughlin and Michael Sheehan, Jr!
