This long-awaited sequel to the bestselling anthology Lovecraft’s Monsters is once again presided over by expert horror editor Ellen Datlow (FEARS, Body Shocks). Lovecraft’s Brood is a must-add to any horror fan’s library… or else. ‘Superstar editor Datlow makes no missteps.’ – Publishers Weekly. A prison guard and a convict have an affair fuelled by the hallucinations of fungal spores. Squatters arrive in a weird train station, where they unearth a strange idol. Researchers discover skin thieves instead of normal turtles. A mezcal-tasting tour turns utterly terrifying. An old woman stitches a portal that is disrupted by a nameless cat. Discover the Mythos as you’ve never experienced it before. These dizzying new spins on classic Lovecraftian themes will leave you disoriented, but sane (we hope we make no promises).
Dark bleatings, my lovely tribe! I’m talking about a brand new anthology today, brought to us by the genius that is Ellen Datlow. It’s illustrated by John Coulthart, and the pictures are not only beautiful and interesting but they add a little something extra to the stories they precede. Now let’s dive into the stories!
ONCE SEEN by Conrad Williams
The book opens with something eerie that gets more uncomfortable through its build up. An atmospheric opener to kick things off.
MISTER AINSLEY by Steve Rasnic Tem
Mr Ainsley seems like a perfectly nice chap, though his eating habits seem a little concerning, and where is his wife, actually? Very creepy.
SIDEWAYS by Ray Cluley
Brilliant story that reminded me of Stephen King and his talent for perfectly weaving plots that feel much bigger than the short form should allow. A test pilot called Tom recants how his friends Sam, the very best pilot, died. He tested something new that seemed to take him somewhere that no one should go…
Absolutely loved this one, it’s one of the stand outs in the anthology for me. Also, it’s lovely to see this author on Ellen’s radar because for how great a writer he is, he’s severely under-read, in my opinion.
EMPTY SHELLS ON A COLD SHORE by Jacob Steven Mohr
The only story written in the second person (and it works so well for the story being told), and one of only two, I think, that involve water, which was refreshing in a Lovecraft-themed book.
What are you, exactly, and where are you going?
THE KEEP QUIET by Aaron Dries
What a story! This is about a woman with cancer who wants to be with “The Keep Quiet” which seems to be a mysterious entity. I don’t know about you but I never quite trust a mysterious entity. Another favourite for me.
AGENT OF CHAOS by T. Kingfisher
This is such a cute and memorable story that takes the lightest approach to the theme. A woman takes in a kitten and gives it an old ball of yarn to play with, only she is unaware of where the yarn came from and the power it holds, as the kitten inadvertently opens something up with it.
THE BEHOLDER’S SHARE by Caitlin R. Kiernan
A woman brings some old books to our protagonist and things get weird. T They (the books) tell him stories even when he isnt reading them…
Such an interesting and well executed idea.
BACKBITE by Norman Partridge
Two brothers. Demons? Monsters? It is uncertain to me, and maybe that’s for the best because I don’t think I want to know!
EAT THE WYRM by Elizabeth Hand
Very short and feels like it would make a great episode of a creepy old anthology show. In Greenland, two people travel somewhere specific to “eat the wrym”. Ever had the worm in a bottle of tequila? Yeah, well, this is way more unsettling!
THE NOTE by Paul Tremblay
I’ve read this before and love it just as much the second time around. A couple go for a walk and pass a house with a note on the door. The wife reads it and then gets a little quiet afterwards, refusing to divulge its contents. This is odd, heartbreaking, and weirdly otherworldly without taking us, the reader, out of the regular world.
A STRANGE FORM OF LIFE by Laird Barron
A guard and a prisoner are in a relationship in prison. The prisoner starts talking about demons…people who aren’t really people. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending because to me, it felt kind of wholesome, which probably means I’m disturbed.
CALL OF THE VOID–L’APPEL DU VIDE by Carol Gyzander
Ellen is hiking along an ascending trail photographing named rock formations and heading tot he final one, Medusa, which calls her to do something terrible, just like her mother before her. Loved the use of location in this one.
HYPNOPOMPIA by L. Marie Wood
Short and seriously chilling. A tired person wakes up and the clock makes no sense. In fact, nothing does. Reality is warped, somehow. This is the kind of story that sends me into an existential nightmare if I think about it too much before I fall asleep.
VOLCANO by Livia Llewellyn
A woman takes a job sewing and fixing things at her universtiry and starts during the off time. The buildings have sub basements and off-limits areas that seem to draw her out of her usual self. Reminded me of a really creepy pub I worked in that had an underground area that I got lost in several times.
HALOGEN SKY by Wendy N. Wagner
After being diverted and delayed whilst driving, a couple settle for the first motel they see but theres something off about it. All I can tell you is that I wouldn’t want to check into this place, given what happens to this couple, and neither would you.
WIND COME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN by A.C. Wise
Carter is camping and this initially feels like it could go into ghost story territory, but its more unnerving and unsettling and horrifying that that. I really enjoyed this one.
INFANTUM by Ian Rogers
My favourite and, to me, most interesting concept so far. A fertility specialist is called to a confidential project, Sleeping Beauties. Almost 1000 women got pregnant without sex and then fell into comas at the same time. And not just that great mystery but in pregnancy, they glow. And there’s the small matter of the fates of the people who spend too much time around them. It felt like a cross between Stephen King’s and Owen’s King’s ‘Sleeping Beauties’ and ‘Village of the Damned’.
DIVING DEEP by Gary McMahon
The second water-based story in the anthology but here’s the question….how deep does it go? How far? And I’m not just talking about the water! This is another author I’m a fan of, like Ray Cluley, who makes so much more than you’d think possible out of the short form.
ONE POSSIBLE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME by Brian Hodge
This is my favourite story in the whole book and really takes us out of the anthology on a high. A kid is freaked out by being made to stand in the corner as a punishment and then one day, in the corner, something inexplicably terrible happens. And then it starts happening to other kids all over the place. This has one of the more original concepts I’ve ever read and I was absolutely hooked, so intrigued was I to find out where this could possibly go. Well, I won’t spoil it for you, but it goes somewhere pretty horrifying. I absolutely loved it!
So, overall thoughts. I found this really enjoyable and generally, I liked or loved the majority of the stories and am absolutely obsessed with 4 of them. A problem that we can run into with themed anthologies is that sometimes, the stories can feel a bit samey, though this is never an issue with something Ellen Datlow has put together, and it’s not an issue here either. No author wrote anything remotely similar to any other, and each story explored the theme in a much less stereotypical or expected way than you might think.
Perfect for Lovecraft fans, and those who aren’t even familiar with Lovecraft’s work, honestly. One of my favourite anthologies of the year so far and an easy one to recommend.
If you’d like to check out the book or the editor, I’ve popped some links below for you:
Bleeeeat!
Happy Goat Horror 
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