Okay -- I cheated a little bit and started at the back with Laird Barron's "Don't Make Me Assume My Ultimate Form", but there are plenty of other excellent stories in this one. Orrin Grey's subtly weird "The Insectivore" stands out, as do Ann K. Schwader's "Dead Canyons" and Wendy N. Wagner's "The Long Dark", which both bring in science-fictional elements to great effect. Gord Sellar's "The Return of Sarnath" is a memorable and original take on Lovecraft's Dreamlands, and Molly Tanzer & Jesse Bu...

Cthulhu Fhtagn may be my favorite Lovecraftian anthology since Ellen Datlow’s Lovecraft Unbound was released in 2009, and I think exceeds that work in consistency and overall quality. I didn’t find a single story that I didn’t like or, as often is the case in anthologies, skimmed over. The first half of the book is excellent and then the stories just get better. Starting with Christine Morgan’s viking/deep ones tale, the quality level grew absurdly good. I was lucky enough to hear several of the...

I saw that this Anthology has won the 2015 Anthology of the Year Award from http://www.thisishorror.co.uk... And it`s a totally deserved Award...Surprisingly even the longer stories have what it takes to give you a hell of a ride...I say this because usually the longer the text the more boring is the story ...I feared that the stories will be all alike and I will be bored to death, but it really wasn`t like this...Really great effort...A high quality Anthology...a must read for all the horror fa...

These days, if I hear the word ‘Cthulhu’, my ears perk up and my salivary glands kick into overdrive. It seems I simply cannot get enough of the tentacled Old One, in any shape or form. As such, I’m a huge sucker for Cthulhu fiction. I never tire of seeing where authors can take this beloved (if such a word is applicable here) Lovecraft creation. Today, I am honored to present CTHULHU FHTAGN!, a collection of dark stories that Lovecraft himself would be thrilled to read. If you are a fan of terr...

Like most anthologies (and most lotteries, for that matter), not every entry can be a winner. That being said, this one definitely has more "hits" than "misses." The vast majority of stories in here are engaging, thrilling, and -- yes -- a little bit scary, too, which seems tough to do these days. Not all of the tales take place in Lovecraft's universe, but, then again, they weren't supposed to; the subtitle of the book tells us that these are "weird tales inspired by" his work, after all. Yes,

Review: CTHULHU FHTAGN! Edited by Ross LockhartAntholigist/editor/publisher Ross Lockhart distinctly possesses an eye for the best, and lengthy experience toiling in the fields of Lovecraftian Mythos have finely attuned that discernment [and likely his nightmares as well]. In CTHULHU FHTAGN! he presents an extraordinary collection, one which I plan to frequently reread, of exceptional authors delivering implacable horror. I read through these stories with the perception of weightiness [truly the...

What a great collection. Ross's collections never let me down. This one will retain its place on my shelf next to my set of weird and wonderful collections.

Very mixed bag. There was a lot of trash, and even some of those stories that were worth reading weren't very Lovecraftian. I particularly enjoyed:The Insectivore by Orrin GreyThe Curious Death of Sir Arthur Turnbridge by G. D. FalksenAerkheims Horror by Christine MorganGreen Revolution by Cody Goodfellow

Anthologies are great things. Readers get a selection of different voices and ideas, and aspiring writers get at least one piece that makes them think, "THIS got published? Then I can, too."CF is no exception. There are some very good stories, some okay ones, and some that ... well, someone wrote this on purpose. A few of the stories have no connection to the Mythos advertised by the title; not a comment on their quality, as one in particular was one of my favorites.Gamer value: Decent. Plenty o...

It's pretty darn rare that I'll rate an anthology as a 5-star read. Usually, somewhere in the midst of shining stars and wonderous pearls, there is a lump of dry dirt, or a rock of crap. Thankfully, gratefully, there is none of that detritus here. This anthology of Lovecraft-inspired stories are gems of quality short fiction, and although I do have my favorites, if I called them all out it would sound like, "...and that one, and that one, and that one...!" Very recommended!Introduction: In H...

3.5/5Favorite stories:4 The Curious Death of Sir Arthur Turnbridge - G. D. Falksen3.5 Aerkheim's Horror - Christine Morgan3.5 The Curse of the Old Ones - Molly Tanzer & Jesse Bullington3.5 Assemblage Point - Scott R. Jones4 The Return of Sarnath - Gord Sellar4 The Green Revolution - Cody Goodfellow4 Don't Make Me Assume My Ultimate Form - Laird Barron

Some great stories in here. Some more than others, but quite a few struck that great balance in making something new while resembling enough the canonical type tales I wanted to be reminded of. Regardless, a really nice anthology.

Some good, and then there's the restA lot of the stories in this book are quite good. They have the statistics of some of the best Mythos tales. Then again, some of the authors included are writers of better stories in the Mythos, which helps with the quality. The weaker stories is the big reason why this isn't a 5-star book. That said, the actual rating is more like 3.5.

I picked this anthology up at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival last year. I’ve come to take it on faith that if Ross has a booth set up any given year at the festival, my bank account is going to be sad. Word Horde is a consistently amazing small press, and have put out many of my favorite anthologies and novels of the past few years (Review of John Langan’s The Fisherman coming soon because holy shit.). Cthulhu Fhtagn! is no different.Cthulhu Fhtagn! Continues the tradition that Word Horde’s Th...

Full disclosure: I've got a story in this book, which is out from the same publisher as my latest collection.The long-awaited follow-up to Ross Lockhart's Book of Cthulhu 1 & 2, Cthulhu Fhtagn! deviates from those previous volumes in that it is composed of all-original fiction inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, rather than a mix of new fiction and (mostly) reprints, as in the Books of Cthulhu. What it shares with its predecessors, however, is Lockhart's aptitude for picking excellent st...

Great anthology with awesome tales. My personal favourites were "Don't Make Me Assume My Ultimate Form", by Laird Barron; "The Insectivore", by Orrin Grey; "The Curious Death of Sir Arthur Turnbridge", by G. D. Falken; "Aerkheim's Horror", by Christine Morgan; "The Return of Sarnath", by Gord Sellar; and "The Green Revolution", by Cody Goodfellow.

So okay, how does my review not ape all the other reviews here – this is an anthology, and while some of the stories are pretty darn amazing, some are outright amateurish, leading to an average score of about 3 stars, which is unfair to those who excelled and overly generous to the others. One big mystery for me is why the editor chose the worst ones to go first, as this may trip up the reader on the way to (as far as I can tell from the other reviews) consensus best stories that appear later on...