Straight to Darkness (Lairs of the Hidden Gods)

Plot

This well-received collection of original stories and articles, inspired by the ‘Cthulhu Mythos’ created by H.P. Lovecraft, was published in Japan in 2002 as a two-volume set under the name Hishinkai. The list of contributing authors is a who’s-who of Japanese horror fiction, featuring some of the finest writers in Japan today, and reviews demonstrate that the Japanese taste for horror can send shivers up English-speaking spines as well!The third volume of the Lairs of the Hidden Godsseries presents a new selection of eerie masterpieces to delight and chill you. Each story is accompanied by a fascinating introduction by Robert M. Price, the recognized master of the Mythos.Contents ASAMATSU Ken Foreword—“Quivering Brainstems” Robert M. PRICE “Cthulhu versus Godzilla—Was Toho Filming the Lovecraft Mythos?” TANAKA Hirofumi “The Secret Memoir of the Missionary (Prologue)” KIDA Jun’ichirō “A Keepsake of the Grandfather” SANO Shirō “Horror Special” ARAMATA Hiroshi “The Road” TAKEUCHI Yoshikazu “She Flows” KOBAYASHI Yasumi “C-City” TOMONO Shō “Straight to Darkness” SHIMOTSUKI Aoi “Sounds Out of Space, or, Cthulhu Metal” Reviews "...science fiction squared: it can introduce a reader—even one accustomed to being shown worlds he never realized were possible—to new ways of thinking about the unknown."—Dave Itzkoff, New York Times Sunday Book Review "...a first rate collection with excellent translations. The overall fascination is in experiencing the H.P. Lovecraft-created mythos through Japanese sensibilities, which [...] are harmonious in some respects yet quite distinct in many others."—Adam Groves, fright.com I cannot say enough good things about this book. All of the stories are good with some being fantastic.—Brian M. Sammons, Book of Dark Wisdom These stories are very original, very well-realized, and damn scary! Highly recommended!—James Ambuehl