Haggopian and Other Stories

Book excerpt: Prior to the first American publication of Brian Lumley's ground-breaking, dead-waking, best-selling Necroscope in 1988—the first novel in a long-lived, much-loved series—this British author had for twenty years been earning himself something of a reputation writing short stories, novellas, and a series of novels set against H. P. Lovecraft's cosmic Cthulhu Mythos backdrop. A soldier in 1967, serving in Berlin with the Royal Military Police, Lumley jumpstarted his literary career by writing to August Derleth, the then-dean of macabre publishers at his home in Sauk City, Wisconsin, telling of his fascination with the Mythos, and purchasing books by the "Old Gentleman of Providence, RI." In addition, he sent a page or two of written work allegedly culled from the various forbidden or "black books" of the Mythos. Suitably impressed, the master of Arkham House invited Lumley to write something solid in the Mythos as a possible contribution to a new volume he was currently contemplating, to be titled—what else but?—Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. And as might well be imagined, that set everything in motion. Years have passed since then and a good many words of Mythos fiction written, including critically acclaimed and award-nominated work, stories that have appeared in prestigious magazines such as Fantasy & Science Fiction, and hardcover volumes from publishers all over the world from the USA to China and the United Kingdom to Russia. Stories included in this collection: THE CALLER OF THE BLACK HAGGOPIAN CEMENT SURROUNDINGS THE HOUSE OF CTHULHU THE NIGHT SEA-MAID WENT DOWN NAME AND NUMBER RECOGNITION CURSE OF THE GOLDEN GUARDIANS AUNT HESTER THE KISS OF BUGG-SHASH DE MARIGNY’S CLOCK MYLAKHRION THE IMMORTAL THE SISTER CITY WHAT DARK GOD? THE STATEMENT OF HENRY WORTHY DAGON’S BELL THE THING FROM THE BLASTED HEATH DYLATH-LEEN THE MIRROR OF NITOCRIS THE SECOND WISH THE HYMN SYNCHRONICITY OR SOMETHING THE BLACK RECALLED THE SORCERER’S DREAM