Last year a dozen faux-Lovecraft anthologies were published. But it all started in 1990 with Lovecraft’s Legacy edited by Robert E. Weinberg and Martin H. Greenberg. Robert Block’s informative Introduction puts Lovecraft into perspective. Each of the writers in this collection includes a short note at the end of their stories where they tell how they first encountered Lovecraft’s work and which story most affected them. My favorite story in Lovecraft’s Legacy is F. Paul Wilson’s “The Barrens.” If you’re a fan of Lovecraft, you’ll really enjoy these stories.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: An Open Letter to H. P. Lovecraft By Robert Bloch
A Secret of the Heart By Mort Castle 1
The Other Man By Ray Carton 33
Will By Graham Masterton 53
Big C By Brian Lumley 71
Ugly By Gary Brandner 97
The Blade and the Claw By Hugh B Cave 109
Soul Keeper By Joseph A Citro 142
From the Papers of Helmut Hecker By Chet Williamson 159
Meryphillia By Brian McNaughton 173
Lord of the Land By Gene Wolfe 190
H P L By Gahan Wilson 211
The Order of Things Unknown By Ed Gorman 251
The Barrens By F Paul Wilson 269

If you put 24 and The Di Vinci Code in a blender, you’d get something like Dig. I watched the first episode last week and like most critics I wondered, “What the hell is going on?” Several plots are swirling around. FBI agent Peter Connelly, played by a wooden Jason Isaacs (he played Lucius Malfoy in the HARRY POTTER movies with more energy) , is sleeping with his boss (Ann Heche–what does she see in him?), and almost has sex with a redheaded college student who is subsequently murdered (what did she see in him?). There seems to be a plot by a Jewish cult that involves a young boy who must be “pure” in order to bring about…something. I’m guessing the Apocalypse. Dig was created by Homeland executive producer Gideon Raff and Heroes creator Tim Kring. Hopefully the confusion clears up or Dig will lose a lot of its audience fast.

John Casey has plenty to say about the “Art of Fiction.” In the essays included in Beyond the First Draft Casey writes about how he became a writer, what he found useful, what he found useless, and who helped him succeed. And, succeed Casey did. In 1989, John Casey won a National Book Award for Spartina, a story about a struggling fisherman in Rhode Island who’s trying to build a boat. I had Spartina on my shelf for 25 years so I finally read it. There’s plenty of nautical information in this book, nearly as much as in a Patrick O’Brian novel. The struggles of the fisherman are compelling. Much of what John Casey talks about in Beyond the First Draft can be found practiced in Spartina. If you’re interested in the writing process, both books are worth a look. GRADE: B+ (for both)
Table of Contents:
Preamble
Dogma and anti-dogma
If I were a flower, what kind of flower would I be?
Justice
What’s funny
Aristotle
Things
Sex and violence
Me me gab
Meanwhile back at the ranch
So alert a language
In other words
Neighborhoods
Childhood reading
Mentors in general, Peter Taylor in particular

This sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel adds Richard Gere to the mix. A group of British retirees reside in a run-down hotel in India to make their meager retirement savings last longer. There’s crusty Maggie Smith, confused Judi Dench, love-sick Bill Nighy, and Dev Patel who “operates” the hotel. My main quibble with this movie is the multiplicity of plots. There’s a wedding, a series of romantic involvements, and a panoramic tour of glorious India. Yes, it’s a geezer-fest, but I enjoyed it. GRADE: B+

“Tastes like Heaven but burns like Hell” is the advertising slogan for Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. It’s the most popular brand of “fire” alcoholic beverages. But I’ve found something better. Remember those Atomic Fireball candies you enjoyed as a kid? Well, Jim Beam has turned their world-famous bourbon into a liquid equivalent. Jim Beam Kentucky Fire gives you that Atomic Fireball candy sensation but also goes down smoothly. Jack Daniels has entered the “fire” competition, too. Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire was in limited release in 2014 but sales must have been good because now it’s available in all 50 states. Obviously, a “fire” drink isn’t for everyone. But, if you like hot stuff, you’ll get a kick out of all three of these beverages. My ranking:
1. Jim Beam Kentucky Fire
2. Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire
3. Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey

I watched the new CBS cop show, Battle Creek, and it was good enough for me to recommend it mildly. It’s basically The Odd Couple with cops. Dean Winters (the “Mayhem guy” in those All-State commercials} is a scruffy home-town Battle Creek cop. He’s partnered with a slick FBI agent played by Josh Buhamel who seems to know all the answers. Patti Abbott says Battle Creek is “not half bad.” That’s about the size of it.

Charles Stross’ Equoid won the 2014 HUGO Award for “Best Novella.” Equoid is one of Stross’ Laundrey stories. The Laundry is a British super-secret intelligence agency whose mission is to deal with supernatural and extra-dimensional threats (think H.P. Lovecraft monster-type menaces). In this adventure, agent Bob Howard uses the unpublished letters of H. P. Lovecraft to help deal with a threat of a unique, scary presence (the cover of Equoid gives you a good idea of what’s in store for humanity. I’ve read all the Laundry novels and stories. Equoid is one of the best. GRADE: A

Over My Dead Body is illustrated with eye-popping color cover reproductions on practically every page, Server argues that this period of rapid growth of paperback sales was due to the taste of its target audience: ex-GIs. The blockbuster sales of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels fueled the growth of paperbacks, too. The dying of the pulps and the sudden availability of writers and cover artists gave paperbacks momentum. Server discusses the rise of paperback writers like Peter Rabe, David Goodis, Jim Thompson, John D. MacDonald, Chester Himes, and Philip K. Dick. If you’re a fan of early American paperbacks and want to enjoy some dazzling paperback cover artwork, pick up a copy of Over My Dead Body. Inexpensive copies are available online for a pittance.

I’m very fond of Matthew Hughes faux-Jack Vance stories starring master thief and forger Luff Imbry. Imbry leaves Old Earth to the obscure planet New Gargano. Here, Imbry trades some counterfeit erotic art objects for seven noubles. Noubles are prized more than diamonds, emeralds, or pearls. No one knows where these spectacular gems come from, but noubles are worth vast sums of money. But, after the transaction, Imbry is arrested and sent to a prison planet. Here, mysteries compound. Imbry needs to find a way to escape the prison planet and solve the mystery of the noubles and whimsies. As with all of Matthew Hughes Vancian stories, I was delighted by the cleverness and wit of the storytelling. GRADE: A

David Tennant returns as a damaged homicide detective. Olivia Colman, Tennant’s traumatized partner, will have to deal with the aftermath of a child’s murder that was the basis of the investigation in Broadchurch Season One. BBC America starts this 8-episode series off tonight at 10 P.M (E.S.T). I really liked Broadchurch and the Americanized version, Grace Point. I’m curious to see the further unwinding of this tale.