Highlights for me included Gord Sellar's 'Heiros Gamos,' in which a self-taught acolyte experiences the ancient, cthonic Eleusinian Mysteries firsthand 'We Three Kings,' Don Raymond's eerie revision of the Nativity story and Rhoads Brazos' urban noir, 'Feeding the Abyss,' in which we meet the contractors who specialize in keeping the gods fed. What a fascinating way to break fresh ground! As Jones says in his preface,'When all is madness, there is no madness.' A Tao of Cosmic Horror. But here's a twist: the motif of Cthulhusattva is pushing through that soul-shattering chaos to enlightenment on the other side. We all know the Old Ones bring madness to mankind. But after some thought, I'm bumping it up to five because, thematically, it's something new (at least to me) in Mythos literature. Initially, I gave it four stars, as I often do for an anthology - every story doesn't work for everyone, you know.

That Most Foreign of Veils - Luke R J Maynardĥ.58.5″ trade paperback and electronic book formatsĬthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis is quite a trip. The Wicked Shall Come Upon Him - Kristi DeMeester Mr Johnson and the Old Ones - Jamie MasonĪt the Left Hand of Nothing - Jayaprakash Satyamurthy The Pearl in the Shadows - Bryan Thao Worra Take the Cthulhusattva Vow! Enter the Black Gnosis! With cover art by Alix Branwyn, interior illustrations by Michael Lee Macdonald, and an introduction by editor Scott R Jones (author of When The Stars Are Right: Towards An Authentic R'lyehian Spirituality), Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis will plunge readers into a seriously entertaining contemplation of the mysticism and magic inherent to Lovecraft's fantastical world of cosmic horror and dread. Cthulhusattva: Tales of the Black Gnosis features poetry from Bryan Thao Worra, stories by Gord Sellar, Kristi DeMeester, Jayaprakash Satyamurthy, and the groundbreaking Mythos novella from Ruthanna Emrys, The Litany of Earth. Martian Migraine Press presents fifteen diverse tales of enlightenment and horror from some of the best new voices working in Weird Fiction today. Thos who would risk the Deadly Light for one reason: it is still light. Those who would dive into primeval consciousness in search of dark treasures. Is there wisdom in insanity? Enlightenment in blackest despair? Higher consciousness in the depths of chaos? These are the stories of the men and women who choose to cast off from the shores of our placid island of ignorance and sail the black seas of infinity beyond.

Cthulhusattva by Scott R. Jones