''That is Not Dead: Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos Through the Centuries'' is an
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of original
horror
Horror may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Genres
*Horror fiction, a genre of fiction
** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction
**Korean horror, Korean horror fiction
* Horror film, a film genre
*Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...
short stories edited by
Darrell Schweitzer. It was first published in hardcover by
PS Publishing in February 2015.
It shares a title with ''That is Not Dead: The Black Magic & Occult Stories'', a short story collection by
August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, and for his own contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the ...
published in 2009.
In both instances, the title is derived from a couplet by
H. P. Lovecraft attributed to his fictional "mad poet"
Abdul Alhazred
The ', also referred to as the ''Book of the Dead'', or under a purported original Arabic title of ', is a fictional grimoire (textbook of magic) appearing in stories by the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft and his followers. It was first menti ...
: "That is not dead which can eternal lie, / And with strange aeons even death may die."
Summary
The book collects fourteen short stories by various authors, with an introduction by the editor. All share the
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth
August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...
setting originated by H. P. Lovecraft, but unlike his stories, which generally take place in modern times, they are set in previous historical eras. The effect is to take the Mythos from the realm of contemporary horror into that of
historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
. The stories are presented in chronological order from the 2nd millennium BC to the late 19th century, with the last set in the present but looking back to medieval events.
Contents
*"Introduction: Horror of the Carnivàle" (
Darrell Schweitzer)
*"Egypt, 1200 BC: Herald of Chaos" (
Keith Taylor)
*"Mesopotamia, second millennium BC: What a Girl Needs" (
Esther Friesner)
*"Judaea, second century AD: The Horn of the World’s Ending" (
John Langan
John Langan (born July 6, 1969) is an American author and writer of contemporary horror. Langan has been a finalist for International Horror Guild Award. In 2008, he was a Bram Stoker Award nominee for Best Collection, and in 2016, a Bram Stoke ...
)
*"Central Asia, second century AD: Monsters in the Mountains at the Edge of the World" (
Jay Lake)
*"Palestine, Asia Minor, and Central Asia; late eleventh and mid twelfth centuries AD: Come, Follow Me" (
Darrell Schweitzer)
*"England, 1605: Ophiuchus" (
Don Webb)
*"Russia, late seventeenth century: Of Queens and Pawns" (
Lois H. Gresh)
*"Mexico, 1753: Smoking Mirror" (
Will Murray
William Murray (born 1953) is an American novelist, journalist, short story, and comic book writer. Much of his fiction has been published under pseudonyms. With artist Steve Ditko, he co-created the superhero Squirrel Girl.
Biography
Early ...
)
*"France, 1762: Incident at Ferney" (
S. T. Joshi
Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers.
Career
His literary criticis ...
)
*"Arizona Territory, 1781: Anno Domini Azathoth" (
John R. Fultz
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second ...
)
*"Massachusetts, USA, early twentieth century. Italy, early nineteenth century: Slowness" (
Don Webb)
*"Massachusetts, USA, and Spain, late nineteenth century: The Salamanca Encounter" (
Richard A. Lupoff
Richard Allen Lupoff (February 21, 1935 – October 22, 2020) was an American science-fiction and mystery author, who also wrote humor, satire, nonfiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he a ...
)
*"Seattle, Washington, USA, 1889: Old Time Entombed" (
W. H. Pugmire)
*"England, twenty-first century and the Middle Ages: Nine Drowned Churches" (
Harry Turtledove)
Reception
The anthology was reviewed by Peter Tennant in ''Black Static'', May-June 2015.
Notes
{{Darrell Schweitzer
2015 anthologies
Cthulhu Mythos anthologies
Darrell Schweitzer anthologies
PS Publishing books