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Carter & Lovecraft #2
After the End of the World
The second installment in a thrilling supernatural series that brings the H.P. Lovecraft mythos into the twenty-first century, optioned by Warner Bros TV.
The Unfolded World is a bitter and unfriendly place for Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft. In this world, the Cold War never happened because the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1941. In this world the Nazi Großdeutschland is the premier superpower, and is not merely tolerated but indulged because, in this world, the Holocaust happened behind the ruins of the Iron Curtain and consumed only Bolsheviks, Communists, and others the West was glad to see gone. In this world, there are monsters, and not all of them are human.
But even in the Unfolded World, there are still bills to pay and jobs to do. Carter finds himself working for the German secret security service to uncover the truth behind a major scientific joint project that is going suspiciously well. The trail takes Lovecraft and him to a distant, abandoned island, and a conspiracy that threatens everything. To fight it, Lovecraft must walk a perilously narrow path between forbidden knowledge and soul-destroying insanity.
Fortunately, she also has a shotgun.
The Unfolded World is a bitter and unfriendly place for Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft. In this world, the Cold War never happened because the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1941. In this world the Nazi Großdeutschland is the premier superpower, and is not merely tolerated but indulged because, in this world, the Holocaust happened behind the ruins of the Iron Curtain and consumed only Bolsheviks, Communists, and others the West was glad to see gone. In this world, there are monsters, and not all of them are human.
But even in the Unfolded World, there are still bills to pay and jobs to do. Carter finds himself working for the German secret security service to uncover the truth behind a major scientific joint project that is going suspiciously well. The trail takes Lovecraft and him to a distant, abandoned island, and a conspiracy that threatens everything. To fight it, Lovecraft must walk a perilously narrow path between forbidden knowledge and soul-destroying insanity.
Fortunately, she also has a shotgun.
358 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2017
About the author
Jonathan L. Howard
62 books2,020 followersJonathan L Howard is a game designer, scriptwriter, and a veteran of the computer games industry since the early 1990s, with titles such as the 'Broken Sword' series to his credit.
After publishing two short stories featuring Johannes Cabal (Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day and Exeunt Demon King) in H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was published in 2009 as his first novel.
Since then there have been three sequels, with a fourth due in 2016. He has also written two novels in the YA SF "Russalka Chronicles" series, and the ongoing "Goon Squad" serial of superhero stories. October 2015 will see the publication of "Carter & Lovecraft," the first in a new series of novels.
He lives with his wife and daughter near Bristol.
http://www.jonathanlhoward.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/JonathanLHoward
http://jonathanlhoward.livejournal.com/
After publishing two short stories featuring Johannes Cabal (Johannes Cabal and the Blustery Day and Exeunt Demon King) in H. P. Lovecraft's Magazine of Horror, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer was published in 2009 as his first novel.
Since then there have been three sequels, with a fourth due in 2016. He has also written two novels in the YA SF "Russalka Chronicles" series, and the ongoing "Goon Squad" serial of superhero stories. October 2015 will see the publication of "Carter & Lovecraft," the first in a new series of novels.
He lives with his wife and daughter near Bristol.
http://www.jonathanlhoward.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/JonathanLHoward
http://jonathanlhoward.livejournal.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 290 reviews
September 15, 2017
In the aftermath of the previous book, Dan Carter and Emily Lovecraft are struggling to fit into their new world when Dan gets an intriguing case that sees him going undercover as a security guard at Miskatonic University to investigate a joint German-American zero point energy experiment. But what does the mysterious Mr. Weston have to do with everything?
Carter & Lovecraft was one of my favorite books of 2015 so I've been dying to get my squamous tentacles on this ever since. Thank you, Netgalley!
Anyway, After the End of the World picks up where Carter and Lovecraft left off. Dan and Emily find themselves in a world where HPL's creatures are real and WWII didn't happen and the US and Germany are allies. Americans are a little too chummy with Nazis but that winds up being the least of Dan and Emily's problems.
Carter and Lovecraft have their hands full in this one, with Mr. Weston, Nazis, German cultists, the Necronomicon, and the prospect of figuring out how to undo the events of Carter and Lovecraft. The zero point energy project eventually sees them wind up on a remote island and that's where things really get cracking.
In the gulf not unlike the void between stars between the first book and this one, I'd forgotten how much I like these two characters. The banter between them is the star of the show for me. It's interesting that they're coping with the new status quo in different ways. I'd also forgotten just how slick Jonathan Howard's prose is at times.
I don't want to give away too much. Suffice to say, After the End of the World was just as good as Carter and Lovecraft and now I medically need to read the third installment. Four out of five stars.
Carter & Lovecraft was one of my favorite books of 2015 so I've been dying to get my squamous tentacles on this ever since. Thank you, Netgalley!
Anyway, After the End of the World picks up where Carter and Lovecraft left off. Dan and Emily find themselves in a world where HPL's creatures are real and WWII didn't happen and the US and Germany are allies. Americans are a little too chummy with Nazis but that winds up being the least of Dan and Emily's problems.
Carter and Lovecraft have their hands full in this one, with Mr. Weston, Nazis, German cultists, the Necronomicon, and the prospect of figuring out how to undo the events of Carter and Lovecraft. The zero point energy project eventually sees them wind up on a remote island and that's where things really get cracking.
In the gulf not unlike the void between stars between the first book and this one, I'd forgotten how much I like these two characters. The banter between them is the star of the show for me. It's interesting that they're coping with the new status quo in different ways. I'd also forgotten just how slick Jonathan Howard's prose is at times.
I don't want to give away too much. Suffice to say, After the End of the World was just as good as Carter and Lovecraft and now I medically need to read the third installment. Four out of five stars.
Want to read
November 8, 2017Carter & Lovecraft may become a TV show, the rights have been sold to Warner Brothers.
"Carter & Lovecraft": Jonathan Howard interview on YouTube -->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_20c...
"Carter & Lovecraft": Jonathan Howard interview on YouTube -->
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_20c...
January 11, 2018
At the end of the excellent CARTER & LOVECRAFT there was a major cliffhanger and I felt compelled to request an ARC of the next book. I have to admit I was disappointed with AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD.
The things I loved most in the universe that Jonathan Howard has created was the weirdness of it-the mysterious Mr. Weston who started everything off by showing up and awarding Dan Carter ownership of a bookshop, run by Emily Lovecraft. (Emily is black and you can almost hear Lovecraft turning over in his grave.) I also enjoyed an area called Waite's Bill, an isolated place on the shore where creepy, mysterious people live. (Not to mention the large amphibian-like creatures emerging from the water!) Unfortunately, other than Dan Carter and Emily, most of the mysterious fun things I liked from the first book were not here.
The world has unfolded, (the major event which ended CARTER & LOVECRAFT), and we're now in a universe where we are great friends with Germany and the Holocaust never happened. A group of Germans working at Miskatonic University are trying to build a machine that will provide unlimited power without draining any natural resources. Mr. Weston makes a brief appearance and Carter gets involved as a security guard at MU.
From there, I feel like the tale crept away from the components that I enjoyed and veered into the area of weird science-fiction, with the entire group of scientists, (as well as Carter and Lovecraft), traveling to the Aleutian Islands to continue their work on the power machine. The pacing slowed way down and I really couldn't have cared less about the machine, the Germans, or anything else for that matter. Events degenerated until the story was more like an action movie than the dark fiction horror story I was expecting. I don't care for action movies.
I still love Dan and Emily and am fascinated by Mr. Weston and the weird creatures, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series if there is another book. This case is one of those "It's me, not you" situations, I think, because everyone else seemed to love this book. While I admired the world building and the banter between my favorite characters, the meat of the story just didn't appeal to me.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it. I'm sorry it's a little late.*
The things I loved most in the universe that Jonathan Howard has created was the weirdness of it-the mysterious Mr. Weston who started everything off by showing up and awarding Dan Carter ownership of a bookshop, run by Emily Lovecraft. (Emily is black and you can almost hear Lovecraft turning over in his grave.) I also enjoyed an area called Waite's Bill, an isolated place on the shore where creepy, mysterious people live. (Not to mention the large amphibian-like creatures emerging from the water!) Unfortunately, other than Dan Carter and Emily, most of the mysterious fun things I liked from the first book were not here.
The world has unfolded, (the major event which ended CARTER & LOVECRAFT), and we're now in a universe where we are great friends with Germany and the Holocaust never happened. A group of Germans working at Miskatonic University are trying to build a machine that will provide unlimited power without draining any natural resources. Mr. Weston makes a brief appearance and Carter gets involved as a security guard at MU.
From there, I feel like the tale crept away from the components that I enjoyed and veered into the area of weird science-fiction, with the entire group of scientists, (as well as Carter and Lovecraft), traveling to the Aleutian Islands to continue their work on the power machine. The pacing slowed way down and I really couldn't have cared less about the machine, the Germans, or anything else for that matter. Events degenerated until the story was more like an action movie than the dark fiction horror story I was expecting. I don't care for action movies.
I still love Dan and Emily and am fascinated by Mr. Weston and the weird creatures, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series if there is another book. This case is one of those "It's me, not you" situations, I think, because everyone else seemed to love this book. While I admired the world building and the banter between my favorite characters, the meat of the story just didn't appeal to me.
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it. I'm sorry it's a little late.*
October 24, 2017
Sometimes it seems that this world doesn't have enough Cthulhu adventures. It's a real fault.
Fortunately, JLH has a cure in mind.
Granted, he may have helped unfold the world we all knew and loved to send us right into an alternate timeline where Nazis got the atomic bomb and wiped out Stalingrad, leaving poor Carter and Lovecraft stranded with memories of both timelines but stuck in the new one. My heart goes out to them!
Really, this book should appeal to anyone who loves Strange Tales, Private Investigators, rampant Lovecraftian universe references, and monster romps in remote locations. This novel has it all, including some rather good explorations of what such a timeline would include, not limiting itself to some of the obvious oddities, but getting subtle on us, too.
It's really delightful and tickles most of my funny bones.
My only complaint is a personal one. A lot of people might enjoy the traditional mystery feel and the buildup by way of sidequests before we get to the bottom of the Zero Energy experiment, but I personally wanted things to move along to the goodies a bit quicker. Not a big complaint, just a preference. :)
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this! And just in time for October, too! :)
Fortunately, JLH has a cure in mind.
Granted, he may have helped unfold the world we all knew and loved to send us right into an alternate timeline where Nazis got the atomic bomb and wiped out Stalingrad, leaving poor Carter and Lovecraft stranded with memories of both timelines but stuck in the new one. My heart goes out to them!
Really, this book should appeal to anyone who loves Strange Tales, Private Investigators, rampant Lovecraftian universe references, and monster romps in remote locations. This novel has it all, including some rather good explorations of what such a timeline would include, not limiting itself to some of the obvious oddities, but getting subtle on us, too.
It's really delightful and tickles most of my funny bones.
My only complaint is a personal one. A lot of people might enjoy the traditional mystery feel and the buildup by way of sidequests before we get to the bottom of the Zero Energy experiment, but I personally wanted things to move along to the goodies a bit quicker. Not a big complaint, just a preference. :)
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this! And just in time for October, too! :)
February 28, 2018
Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft now live in the Unfolded World. Rather than Providence, they're city is called Arkham. Rather than sleepy unremarkable Clave College, they're local institute of higher learning is actually Miskatonic University, and the local towns of Dunwich and Innsmouth are spoken of with trepidation. There's massive changes in the wider world as well, all symptoms of the Powers that really influence humanity in the Unfolded.
Strange as all that is, it all gets stranger when Daniel Carter is again approached by the mysterious lawyer Henry Weston, this time with a job for Carter to get involved with a high-energy physics project at Miskatonic. Soon this leads to involvement in murder, international espionage and the obligate shadowy powers from beyond, all with the aid of the wit and resources of Emily Lovecraft.
I thoroughly enjoyed Carter & Lovecraft from a few years ago so I approached this with plenty of expectations. I'm happy to report that this was actually much better than the first book. Having already established characters and a largely known world is a huge benefit for pieces like this that want to get to the immediate and complex plot without having to color in the background. I also felt that the Unfolded is a much better background for the type of fantastical elements that Jonathan is using here and when the plot takes a turn to the weird it's far less jarring than it was in the first.
One last point: fans of the The Atrocity Archives would thoroughly enjoy this; to the point that readong the first book to get here would be well worth it. As I said above, I actually think this is quite a leveling up for this series.
Strange as all that is, it all gets stranger when Daniel Carter is again approached by the mysterious lawyer Henry Weston, this time with a job for Carter to get involved with a high-energy physics project at Miskatonic. Soon this leads to involvement in murder, international espionage and the obligate shadowy powers from beyond, all with the aid of the wit and resources of Emily Lovecraft.
I thoroughly enjoyed Carter & Lovecraft from a few years ago so I approached this with plenty of expectations. I'm happy to report that this was actually much better than the first book. Having already established characters and a largely known world is a huge benefit for pieces like this that want to get to the immediate and complex plot without having to color in the background. I also felt that the Unfolded is a much better background for the type of fantastical elements that Jonathan is using here and when the plot takes a turn to the weird it's far less jarring than it was in the first.
One last point: fans of the The Atrocity Archives would thoroughly enjoy this; to the point that readong the first book to get here would be well worth it. As I said above, I actually think this is quite a leveling up for this series.
April 16, 2018
What happened? The first book was great while the story of this book never caught my interested and if it weren't for Carter & Lovecraft chemistry and banter wouldn't have bothered finishing the book.
The idea of the book, an alternative world where the Nazis won is a good one, but alas I never found myself truly enjoying the book. Not sure, that I want to read more books in this series...
The idea of the book, an alternative world where the Nazis won is a good one, but alas I never found myself truly enjoying the book. Not sure, that I want to read more books in this series...
April 15, 2018
”The time is out of joint,” he said quietly to himself.
Is it possible to absolutely enjoy a book while at the same time be completely let down by it? Before finishing After the End of the World I would have said no…but I have to revise that view. Because this second book in the Carter & Lovecraft series is both wonderful and disappointing at the same time, and in equal measures. I’ll do my best to explain the rationale behind that statement with this review.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed the first book in the series, aptly titled Carter & Lovecraft, a modern take on the works & imaginings of H.P. Lovecraft (an author whose writings and concepts I thoroughly enjoy). It was quirky, it was mostly fast paced, and it contained enough weirdness in it to satisfy any H.P.L. purist. But while the first book in the series was an occult themed detective tale with a great partnership, the sequel is vastly different in almost every way.
As with all my reviews, I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum, so readers can go in as blind as possible. If it’s not mentioned in the official book synopsis, I’ll do my level best to avoid mentioning it in my review.
So what makes After the End of the World so different? Well, for one thing, while the occult/supernatural element still exists, it’s mostly pushed to the backburner, only infrequently rearing its head and making itself known. No, this book is genuinely more of an alternate history/secret agent/cold-war lite type affair, and it kinda caught me off guard. Because, as much as I love those types of stories (and I sincerely do), that’s not what I was after when I started reading this book. I was looking forward to even more danger from the Old Ones, even more run-ins with power infused madmen who could reshape reality, and even more mind shattering revelations and insanity-causing creatures. But, Jonathan L. Howard said “screw you Jack, this isn’t about what you want”, and wrote something completely different.
And, you know, different is ok. The book is actually great, once you get past your own internal bias as to what it’s going to be about. As an alternate history spy thriller with H.P.L. elements casting their shadows over the whole affair, it delivers quite a bit of the goods. The circumstances are varied and well plotted, the cast of characters is bigger this time around, and the interplay between
Carter & Lovecraft (one of the best things about the first book) is even more on point.
”Don’t worry. They’ll be too busy laughing at your tentacle hentai porn to find it.”
He’d said it as a joke, but then he saw her her eyes slightly widen.
“Oh, my God. Emily…” He couldn’t help laughing.
Yes, the buddy cop vibe is back in a big way, as our two intrepid interdimensional enforcers are stuck in an alternate reality where WWII went a completely different direction, and they are basically the only ones who know. This forces them to be even more reliant upon each other, as they both share a knowledge of a world that may not exist anymore, and that knowledge weighs them down. And though they come from completely different backgrounds, they complement each other so well that it’s almost too easy.
”In case of Somali pirates? Polar bears in fast attack boats?”
“Maybe. This isn’t our world anymore. Maybe we’ll be attacked by a giant squid or something and have to fight it off.”
“Don’t even,” said Lovecraft, so Carter shut up about giant creatures with tentacles trying to kill them.
As with the first book, Daniel Carter still gets the majority of page time, but it’s a near thing with how much more Emily is in the spotlight. And he’s still an engaging and enjoyable character to spend time with. Though he has seen some completely weird stuff, he’s still a generally grounded character with police training that he can fall back on when things go sideways. But because of the crazy things he’s seen, he’s more attuned to the distorted reality and general strangeness that takes place, which gives him even more impact in this book. He’s a good guy at heart, and I can’t help but feel for him as he gets thrown from one mind-bending situation to the next.
It wasn’t snow or lines, and he didn’t care to watch it for too long in case it resolved into a scene of a Japanese woman crawling out of a well.
But while Carter may get more page time, Emily Lovecraft is still the undeniable main attraction of the story. Especially in this book, as with the change in power and social acceptance, she’s even more of an outcast. But though she may have harsh words about the heightened injustice to minorities in this alternate reality, she refuses to be a victim. She’s still the one who “gets it” about most of what is happening, so she’s the one that Carter relies on to keep him straight. She’s also just so damn smart and funny, and is unapologetically blunt and to the point. She was my favorite character from the first book, by far, and has only had that status firmly cemented in After the End of the World. Apparently this series is being optioned for TV rights from a studio, and while Carter could be cast by nearly any middle aged male actor, Emily is going to require some serious finesse…and I really really REALLY hope they don’t screw it up. She’s just such a standout character that, whatever the medium, the proper justice needs to be done with her portrayal.
Lovecraft turned the office chair to face him, and looked up at him with her arms crossed and her expression unimpressed. “Please tell me you’re not thinking of trying to recruit Eva Braun to the Scooby Gang.”
She’d just read a book, that’s all. Just reading a book doesn’t make anyone into a monster, although the jury was still out on Dan Brown’s.
The rest of the characters are varied in their page time and impact, mostly there to add flavor to the story and to give a quick alternate viewpoint. It’s basically just Carter & Lovecraft’s show, which is fine, as they are good characters and their interplay is never dull.
On the villain side, we get ageless non-humans who…no, wait. That’s not right. We get humans driven mad by the supernatural, imbued with fantastic mental power who…errr…hold on, that’s not right either. Oh! We get Nazis! That’s right, Nazis. The history of why they are still in power makes sense, and Johnathan L. Howard actually manages a completely new portrayal of them, one I was not expecting. In all reality, on the villain front, we get mostly stooges and cronies, with the overarching villains barely getting any page time, and mostly just being bogeymen with evil ulterior motives. I understand that the true enemies they face are cosmic beings so far beyond mortal man’s comprehension that it’s like an ant trying to contemplate Mount Everest, but at the same time, I’d really like Carter & Lovecraft to have a good solid villain to contend with.
Weber looked like a man who had inspected his remaining store of fucks to give, and found it empty. He reached into the pocket of his parka and withdrew a handgun.
The alternate history & alternate present are well thought out and provide an entertaining backdrop for our story. I like the subtle differences in technology, mannerisms, and general vibe between the Folded world and the Unfolded world. But, that being said, I think Mr. Howard was a little too in love with this new setting, as aside from a few brief instances, he seems to have forgotten to include the crazy shenanigans we expect from a tale like this.
”Captain, both Emily Lovecraft and I know how to handle guns. I’m an ex-cop.”
“And Miss Lovecraft?”
“She trained as a librarian, and she terrifies me. We’ll be fine. It’s the Nazi’s who need to look out.”
Thankfully, the relationship between Carter & Lovecraft (one of the main draws) ends up being the glue of the story. This book is imminently quotable, as you can see here in the review. In fact, it’s one of the more quotable books I’ve read in a long time, and I was nearly always smiling at some joke or reference that our characters zing out at each other. I would love to meet these characters for real at a bar somewhere; I think we’d be laughing and having movie/book reference challenges well into the night.
”It lacks the intelligence to do such a thing. With great power often comes great irresponsibility, a principle one observes often enough among people.”
But again, I have to nitpick because this was much more science & science-fiction oriented than I wanted it to be. And hell, I run science fiction book club, so I’m all for those stories. I just don’t want the science getting in the way of my occult horrors from beyond our reality. So that’s my big ding against the book. It’s a wonderful story, well written and supremely funny & entertaining…it just didn’t do enough with the H.P.L. inspired weirdness to really bring it home.
That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Howard will get this train back on the rails for the third book, so I’ll definitely still be picking it up!
Is it possible to absolutely enjoy a book while at the same time be completely let down by it? Before finishing After the End of the World I would have said no…but I have to revise that view. Because this second book in the Carter & Lovecraft series is both wonderful and disappointing at the same time, and in equal measures. I’ll do my best to explain the rationale behind that statement with this review.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed the first book in the series, aptly titled Carter & Lovecraft, a modern take on the works & imaginings of H.P. Lovecraft (an author whose writings and concepts I thoroughly enjoy). It was quirky, it was mostly fast paced, and it contained enough weirdness in it to satisfy any H.P.L. purist. But while the first book in the series was an occult themed detective tale with a great partnership, the sequel is vastly different in almost every way.
As with all my reviews, I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum, so readers can go in as blind as possible. If it’s not mentioned in the official book synopsis, I’ll do my level best to avoid mentioning it in my review.
So what makes After the End of the World so different? Well, for one thing, while the occult/supernatural element still exists, it’s mostly pushed to the backburner, only infrequently rearing its head and making itself known. No, this book is genuinely more of an alternate history/secret agent/cold-war lite type affair, and it kinda caught me off guard. Because, as much as I love those types of stories (and I sincerely do), that’s not what I was after when I started reading this book. I was looking forward to even more danger from the Old Ones, even more run-ins with power infused madmen who could reshape reality, and even more mind shattering revelations and insanity-causing creatures. But, Jonathan L. Howard said “screw you Jack, this isn’t about what you want”, and wrote something completely different.
And, you know, different is ok. The book is actually great, once you get past your own internal bias as to what it’s going to be about. As an alternate history spy thriller with H.P.L. elements casting their shadows over the whole affair, it delivers quite a bit of the goods. The circumstances are varied and well plotted, the cast of characters is bigger this time around, and the interplay between
Carter & Lovecraft (one of the best things about the first book) is even more on point.
”Don’t worry. They’ll be too busy laughing at your tentacle hentai porn to find it.”
He’d said it as a joke, but then he saw her her eyes slightly widen.
“Oh, my God. Emily…” He couldn’t help laughing.
Yes, the buddy cop vibe is back in a big way, as our two intrepid interdimensional enforcers are stuck in an alternate reality where WWII went a completely different direction, and they are basically the only ones who know. This forces them to be even more reliant upon each other, as they both share a knowledge of a world that may not exist anymore, and that knowledge weighs them down. And though they come from completely different backgrounds, they complement each other so well that it’s almost too easy.
”In case of Somali pirates? Polar bears in fast attack boats?”
“Maybe. This isn’t our world anymore. Maybe we’ll be attacked by a giant squid or something and have to fight it off.”
“Don’t even,” said Lovecraft, so Carter shut up about giant creatures with tentacles trying to kill them.
As with the first book, Daniel Carter still gets the majority of page time, but it’s a near thing with how much more Emily is in the spotlight. And he’s still an engaging and enjoyable character to spend time with. Though he has seen some completely weird stuff, he’s still a generally grounded character with police training that he can fall back on when things go sideways. But because of the crazy things he’s seen, he’s more attuned to the distorted reality and general strangeness that takes place, which gives him even more impact in this book. He’s a good guy at heart, and I can’t help but feel for him as he gets thrown from one mind-bending situation to the next.
It wasn’t snow or lines, and he didn’t care to watch it for too long in case it resolved into a scene of a Japanese woman crawling out of a well.
But while Carter may get more page time, Emily Lovecraft is still the undeniable main attraction of the story. Especially in this book, as with the change in power and social acceptance, she’s even more of an outcast. But though she may have harsh words about the heightened injustice to minorities in this alternate reality, she refuses to be a victim. She’s still the one who “gets it” about most of what is happening, so she’s the one that Carter relies on to keep him straight. She’s also just so damn smart and funny, and is unapologetically blunt and to the point. She was my favorite character from the first book, by far, and has only had that status firmly cemented in After the End of the World. Apparently this series is being optioned for TV rights from a studio, and while Carter could be cast by nearly any middle aged male actor, Emily is going to require some serious finesse…and I really really REALLY hope they don’t screw it up. She’s just such a standout character that, whatever the medium, the proper justice needs to be done with her portrayal.
Lovecraft turned the office chair to face him, and looked up at him with her arms crossed and her expression unimpressed. “Please tell me you’re not thinking of trying to recruit Eva Braun to the Scooby Gang.”
She’d just read a book, that’s all. Just reading a book doesn’t make anyone into a monster, although the jury was still out on Dan Brown’s.
The rest of the characters are varied in their page time and impact, mostly there to add flavor to the story and to give a quick alternate viewpoint. It’s basically just Carter & Lovecraft’s show, which is fine, as they are good characters and their interplay is never dull.
On the villain side, we get ageless non-humans who…no, wait. That’s not right. We get humans driven mad by the supernatural, imbued with fantastic mental power who…errr…hold on, that’s not right either. Oh! We get Nazis! That’s right, Nazis. The history of why they are still in power makes sense, and Johnathan L. Howard actually manages a completely new portrayal of them, one I was not expecting. In all reality, on the villain front, we get mostly stooges and cronies, with the overarching villains barely getting any page time, and mostly just being bogeymen with evil ulterior motives. I understand that the true enemies they face are cosmic beings so far beyond mortal man’s comprehension that it’s like an ant trying to contemplate Mount Everest, but at the same time, I’d really like Carter & Lovecraft to have a good solid villain to contend with.
Weber looked like a man who had inspected his remaining store of fucks to give, and found it empty. He reached into the pocket of his parka and withdrew a handgun.
The alternate history & alternate present are well thought out and provide an entertaining backdrop for our story. I like the subtle differences in technology, mannerisms, and general vibe between the Folded world and the Unfolded world. But, that being said, I think Mr. Howard was a little too in love with this new setting, as aside from a few brief instances, he seems to have forgotten to include the crazy shenanigans we expect from a tale like this.
”Captain, both Emily Lovecraft and I know how to handle guns. I’m an ex-cop.”
“And Miss Lovecraft?”
“She trained as a librarian, and she terrifies me. We’ll be fine. It’s the Nazi’s who need to look out.”
Thankfully, the relationship between Carter & Lovecraft (one of the main draws) ends up being the glue of the story. This book is imminently quotable, as you can see here in the review. In fact, it’s one of the more quotable books I’ve read in a long time, and I was nearly always smiling at some joke or reference that our characters zing out at each other. I would love to meet these characters for real at a bar somewhere; I think we’d be laughing and having movie/book reference challenges well into the night.
”It lacks the intelligence to do such a thing. With great power often comes great irresponsibility, a principle one observes often enough among people.”
But again, I have to nitpick because this was much more science & science-fiction oriented than I wanted it to be. And hell, I run science fiction book club, so I’m all for those stories. I just don’t want the science getting in the way of my occult horrors from beyond our reality. So that’s my big ding against the book. It’s a wonderful story, well written and supremely funny & entertaining…it just didn’t do enough with the H.P.L. inspired weirdness to really bring it home.
That said, I have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Howard will get this train back on the rails for the third book, so I’ll definitely still be picking it up!
February 19, 2018
Originally I gave this a generous 3 stars. But after thinking about it for a few days I just can't give it three. Sorry Jonathan L. Howard I do usually love your writing and works, but this one fell flat.
This is book 2 to Carter & Lovecraft, and of course features our two leads Carter and Lovecraft.
It's hard to say anything about After The End of the World without giving away book 1. So consider yourself warned if you read further that it sorta kinda spoils book one's big twist.
The Plot
The gist is we are in a world where the Nazis never lost the war. Instead they blew up Russia in order to win. Cool right? Sure.
Now knowing that our characters remember the real world is one of two interesting things in this story. Especially Lovecraft's continual hate for the Nazis; even though in this world they ended the war early and became heroes. And her hate reminds us over and over again if why prejudice is brutal. Because really Nazis who didn't even fight with the army in WWII kind of aren't bad guys necessarily in this world. Although it's hard to argue with the black female librarian in her hatred. She is after all demeaned and written off as unimportant many times based on her dark skin colour and gender. Although at one point she does wonder what people hate most about her... that she's black, that she's female or that she's a librarian and can kicks ass with a shotgun in hand. These moments of wit kept me alive through much of the dreary boringness to come.
The 2nd Interesting Thing
In case your skimming, interesting thing number 1 was Nazis won WWII but out characters know that's not 'right'. They remember our world, the way it was.
The second coolest thing is the link-ups to Lovecraft literature. Now book 1 had a fair bit of this. But book 2 ramps it up. I'm not even close to an obsessive Lovecraft fan, so I'm confident many references went over my head; but the ones that won't for almost anyone familiar with the Horror genre and/or H.P. Lovecraft are these two: the town of Providence is now called Arkham (yes for you Batman fans they stole this name from H.P. Lovecraft--although I believe it's perfect for the Asylum name) and the Necronomican is real.
Yeah that's right. It's real!!
Cool right?
Totally.
Except then Howard does the worst possible thing...
The Downfall
We suddenly find ourselves in a spy/thriller novel with too many scientists names, too many secret agencies I've never heard of, and too much crap I don't care about.
All in an attempt to get our characters to an ultimate standoff. Seriously 300 pages of almost entirely filler where our characters say to themselves I think we are supposed to do this. Even when it makes no sense and seems irrelevant.
Now I'll give Howard this, those 300 pages are relevant eventually. But mostly by the end (even after some cool stuff happens) I just didn't care and wanted it to be over.
Overall
Had this been written by an author that I didn't know and respect I would have DNF'd it. I know tragic to say that but it was really that boring for 3/4 of the book.
There is an opening left for a third book (because this universe could actually be truly infinite the way its set-up). And yes I'll probably cave and read it too. Why? Because I know Howard can make witty, satirical magic with words and I refuse to believe he's out of magic.
And so I'm going to hope that this was an anomaly. A bad editor, a rushed publication date, a hard time in Howard's life; it does even matter, because honestly I'll take any excuse so I can keep believing Howard hasn't gone downhill.
Do yourself a favour and go read Howard's Johannes Cabal series instead; or stop at book 1 and I'll let you know if book 3 is better than this book 2.
For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
This is book 2 to Carter & Lovecraft, and of course features our two leads Carter and Lovecraft.
It's hard to say anything about After The End of the World without giving away book 1. So consider yourself warned if you read further that it sorta kinda spoils book one's big twist.
The Plot
The gist is we are in a world where the Nazis never lost the war. Instead they blew up Russia in order to win. Cool right? Sure.
Now knowing that our characters remember the real world is one of two interesting things in this story. Especially Lovecraft's continual hate for the Nazis; even though in this world they ended the war early and became heroes. And her hate reminds us over and over again if why prejudice is brutal. Because really Nazis who didn't even fight with the army in WWII kind of aren't bad guys necessarily in this world. Although it's hard to argue with the black female librarian in her hatred. She is after all demeaned and written off as unimportant many times based on her dark skin colour and gender. Although at one point she does wonder what people hate most about her... that she's black, that she's female or that she's a librarian and can kicks ass with a shotgun in hand. These moments of wit kept me alive through much of the dreary boringness to come.
The 2nd Interesting Thing
In case your skimming, interesting thing number 1 was Nazis won WWII but out characters know that's not 'right'. They remember our world, the way it was.
The second coolest thing is the link-ups to Lovecraft literature. Now book 1 had a fair bit of this. But book 2 ramps it up. I'm not even close to an obsessive Lovecraft fan, so I'm confident many references went over my head; but the ones that won't for almost anyone familiar with the Horror genre and/or H.P. Lovecraft are these two: the town of Providence is now called Arkham (yes for you Batman fans they stole this name from H.P. Lovecraft--although I believe it's perfect for the Asylum name) and the Necronomican is real.
Yeah that's right. It's real!!
Cool right?
Totally.
Except then Howard does the worst possible thing...
The Downfall
We suddenly find ourselves in a spy/thriller novel with too many scientists names, too many secret agencies I've never heard of, and too much crap I don't care about.
All in an attempt to get our characters to an ultimate standoff. Seriously 300 pages of almost entirely filler where our characters say to themselves I think we are supposed to do this. Even when it makes no sense and seems irrelevant.
Now I'll give Howard this, those 300 pages are relevant eventually. But mostly by the end (even after some cool stuff happens) I just didn't care and wanted it to be over.
Overall
Had this been written by an author that I didn't know and respect I would have DNF'd it. I know tragic to say that but it was really that boring for 3/4 of the book.
There is an opening left for a third book (because this universe could actually be truly infinite the way its set-up). And yes I'll probably cave and read it too. Why? Because I know Howard can make witty, satirical magic with words and I refuse to believe he's out of magic.
And so I'm going to hope that this was an anomaly. A bad editor, a rushed publication date, a hard time in Howard's life; it does even matter, because honestly I'll take any excuse so I can keep believing Howard hasn't gone downhill.
Do yourself a favour and go read Howard's Johannes Cabal series instead; or stop at book 1 and I'll let you know if book 3 is better than this book 2.
For this and more of my reviews please visit my blog at: Epic Reading
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
April 14, 2023
This book was pretty good. A full review later.
December 15, 2019
This is good book if bit unremarkable. There are moments we saw some of Howard's brilliant writing style but he has trouble weaving it into more seriously toned story. Also for story that relies heavilty on Lovecraft's work, his mythos feels underutilized here.
November 16, 2020
The details were vague, but he kind of had the idea this was Carter's fault, though Lovecraft said things would be a bunch worse if it hadn't been for him. How worse? Well, just as bad, really, in terms of the day-to-day. But there would be no hope to put things back as they were if Carter hadn't done something they were real vague about, so that was something, wasn't it?
After the End of the World picks up where book one left off, after giving our heroes some time to adjust to the Unfolded World they now find themselves in. The biggest change? Turns out the Germans won WWII, most of the writings of HPL were about the pre-Folded world rather than fictional, oh - and the bookshop has some interesting surprises in the safe.
There's some elbow nudges and winks going on with regards to the "Nazis? In 2020?" and America's current political situation (in case it's not explicit enough, one drops a "We're making Germany great again"), but obviously Emily isn't in for the time of her life in this new world. So the action mostly focuses on Carter and the case that leads him to a very remote island and a showdown to rival that of The Last Crusade (less melting, but more explosions, so yay?).
There's nothing hugely wrong with this book, but I was left oddly lukewarm by it - I really liked the addition of Harrelson, but Carter felt a bit directionless this time around. Emily didn't get near enough time, and I kind of want to see an author take on an alternate history novel where the Nazi's don't end up in power, to be honest. There's a few takes out there, and while this one was one of the better ones, I still think the author's got the kind of imagination that didn't need the prop. Unfortunately, too, there's no sign of a third book yet, and this is the kind of book that I really think would work better as a bridge between a strong start and a strong end - currently, instead of providing breathing room, it's more a sentence without an end.
Still, should a third materialise, I will absolutely come back to this series.
After the End of the World picks up where book one left off, after giving our heroes some time to adjust to the Unfolded World they now find themselves in. The biggest change? Turns out the Germans won WWII, most of the writings of HPL were about the pre-Folded world rather than fictional, oh - and the bookshop has some interesting surprises in the safe.
There's some elbow nudges and winks going on with regards to the "Nazis? In 2020?" and America's current political situation (in case it's not explicit enough, one drops a "We're making Germany great again"), but obviously Emily isn't in for the time of her life in this new world. So the action mostly focuses on Carter and the case that leads him to a very remote island and a showdown to rival that of The Last Crusade (less melting, but more explosions, so yay?).
There's nothing hugely wrong with this book, but I was left oddly lukewarm by it - I really liked the addition of Harrelson, but Carter felt a bit directionless this time around. Emily didn't get near enough time, and I kind of want to see an author take on an alternate history novel where the Nazi's don't end up in power, to be honest. There's a few takes out there, and while this one was one of the better ones, I still think the author's got the kind of imagination that didn't need the prop. Unfortunately, too, there's no sign of a third book yet, and this is the kind of book that I really think would work better as a bridge between a strong start and a strong end - currently, instead of providing breathing room, it's more a sentence without an end.
Still, should a third materialise, I will absolutely come back to this series.
February 13, 2018
"The existential dread doesn't me like it used to."
The alternate-dimensional Nazis, on the other hand, piss Emily Lovecraft the fuck off.
The alternate-dimensional Nazis, on the other hand, piss Emily Lovecraft the fuck off.
July 13, 2023
I have a soft spot for Jonathan Howard. His Johannes Cabal series is an absolute delight, and his irreverent humor and obvious deep love of Lovecraftiana makes him very endearing to me. But Howard knows that good old H.P.’s legacy is complicated – to put it mildly. Which is why the way he had handled it in the first book of the “Carter & Lovecraft” series was so great: he found ways to subvert the unsavory elements of Lovecraft’s work and place them in a great story.
It's hard to summarize “After the end of the world” without spoiling its predecessor, but I’m going to do my best. After the rather spectacular conclusion of their investigation, Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft find themselves in the Unfolded World, a place that is very much like our world, but also absolutely isn’t. WWII’s outcome was quite different, for starters, which makes things very awkward. Providence is now a town called Arkham, the Misktaonic University is a real place, and a lot of other things that were straight out of Howard Philip Lovecraft’s imagination are actually real now. Dan and Emily do their best to carry on with their lives in this strange new world, but a new mystery – involving Nazi scientists and a machine that can produce infinite power – lands on Dan’s PI desk. He takes a job as a security guard at the university that houses the machine, and will soon find himself (and Emily) hopelessly tangled in a weird plot that will take them to the remotest spot on Earth and pit them against creatures that should not exist.
The general consensus seems to be that this volume is weaker than the first book of the series. I agree: the first one was so much fun, and set a very high bar. Howard’s humor is still very present, and the speculative exercise is really interesting. There are so many alt-WWII histories out there, and this one struck me as a very unique take on that trope. I think that what disappointed readers was that the style went from horror/mystery to spy/action/mystery. Some horror elements remain; this is still based on Lovecraft’s work, after all, but it’s less prevalent, and changes the atmosphere of the story.
I still really enjoyed it, as I love those characters, and I would love it if Howard pushed this series into a third book.
It's hard to summarize “After the end of the world” without spoiling its predecessor, but I’m going to do my best. After the rather spectacular conclusion of their investigation, Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft find themselves in the Unfolded World, a place that is very much like our world, but also absolutely isn’t. WWII’s outcome was quite different, for starters, which makes things very awkward. Providence is now a town called Arkham, the Misktaonic University is a real place, and a lot of other things that were straight out of Howard Philip Lovecraft’s imagination are actually real now. Dan and Emily do their best to carry on with their lives in this strange new world, but a new mystery – involving Nazi scientists and a machine that can produce infinite power – lands on Dan’s PI desk. He takes a job as a security guard at the university that houses the machine, and will soon find himself (and Emily) hopelessly tangled in a weird plot that will take them to the remotest spot on Earth and pit them against creatures that should not exist.
The general consensus seems to be that this volume is weaker than the first book of the series. I agree: the first one was so much fun, and set a very high bar. Howard’s humor is still very present, and the speculative exercise is really interesting. There are so many alt-WWII histories out there, and this one struck me as a very unique take on that trope. I think that what disappointed readers was that the style went from horror/mystery to spy/action/mystery. Some horror elements remain; this is still based on Lovecraft’s work, after all, but it’s less prevalent, and changes the atmosphere of the story.
I still really enjoyed it, as I love those characters, and I would love it if Howard pushed this series into a third book.
January 16, 2018
As to the shelves...we would have to call this, "mild horror" but as it's largely based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft lets put it on the horror shelf also.
Okay...I'M GOING TO ASSUME YOU HAVE READ BOOK 1 SO THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 IN THIS REVIEW OF BOOKS 2. IF YOU DOUN'T WANT TO READ SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 DON'T READ FURTHER! REPEAT DON'T READ FURTHER!
To be safe:
So, liked, can recommend it, enjoy.
Okay...I'M GOING TO ASSUME YOU HAVE READ BOOK 1 SO THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 IN THIS REVIEW OF BOOKS 2. IF YOU DOUN'T WANT TO READ SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1 DON'T READ FURTHER! REPEAT DON'T READ FURTHER!
To be safe:
So, liked, can recommend it, enjoy.
November 16, 2017
The Necronomicon - "It's the ...apocalypse with page numbers."
I'm an unapologetic fan of H.P. Lovecraft and am always happy to sample work that embraces the Cthulhu Mythos, the Elder Gods, and Lovecraft's unique version of cosmicism, (especially the conviction that ordinary reality is just a thin wall protecting us from an alien reality that would drive us mad). Lots of writers have tried to copy Lovecraft, or extend his world, or advance his themes, often with indifferent success. You can't just spell Cthulhu right and claim success. (Heck, even a fair amount of Lovecraft's work isn't very good Lovecraft.) Bottom line? It seems to me that if you are going to be a tribute band you have to at least be a good tribute band. And, to be a good tribute band you have to bring something new and talented to the effort. I feel that's what you get here.
In his Johannes Cabal novels our author, Jonathan L. Howard, established quite decisively that he can write horror and characters with real style. He also showed himself to be a tricky and devious plotter and adept at witty dialogue. In this Carter & Lovecraft series we get to see all of that again.
I'm not huge on alternate world/time lines, but Howard has used that premise to move our heroes from the ordinary world into an actual Lovecraftian world. In this new world there are Elder Gods and the Necronomicon is real. Howard fills this new world with Nazis, but most of that is fun and games and clever window dressing. What we really get is complete immersion in the kind of world Lovecraft, in his work, feared was on the other side of our reality. So, instead of sending the heroes to the Arctic or the Mountains of Madness or whatever, Howard has just hopped through a fold and turned Providence into Arkham, with all the Lovecraft trimmings. That was a brilliant structural move, and everything good in the book's plot and throwaway humor flows from there.
But, this is not a dry or scholarly recap or reframing of the usual Lovecraft. The book is funny, smart, and witty. There are many, many neat set pieces and scenes. There are wonderful throwaway lines and bits of business. The two heroes meld seamlessly into a partnership built on trust and courage and smartaleckiness, and that's the best partnership there is.
I could go on, but you get the idea. This is smart, sharp, edgy, and sometimes insightful and even touching stuff, all wrapped up in knowing and winking homage to Lovecraft and in a sure command of classic horror conventions. An excellent find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
I'm an unapologetic fan of H.P. Lovecraft and am always happy to sample work that embraces the Cthulhu Mythos, the Elder Gods, and Lovecraft's unique version of cosmicism, (especially the conviction that ordinary reality is just a thin wall protecting us from an alien reality that would drive us mad). Lots of writers have tried to copy Lovecraft, or extend his world, or advance his themes, often with indifferent success. You can't just spell Cthulhu right and claim success. (Heck, even a fair amount of Lovecraft's work isn't very good Lovecraft.) Bottom line? It seems to me that if you are going to be a tribute band you have to at least be a good tribute band. And, to be a good tribute band you have to bring something new and talented to the effort. I feel that's what you get here.
In his Johannes Cabal novels our author, Jonathan L. Howard, established quite decisively that he can write horror and characters with real style. He also showed himself to be a tricky and devious plotter and adept at witty dialogue. In this Carter & Lovecraft series we get to see all of that again.
I'm not huge on alternate world/time lines, but Howard has used that premise to move our heroes from the ordinary world into an actual Lovecraftian world. In this new world there are Elder Gods and the Necronomicon is real. Howard fills this new world with Nazis, but most of that is fun and games and clever window dressing. What we really get is complete immersion in the kind of world Lovecraft, in his work, feared was on the other side of our reality. So, instead of sending the heroes to the Arctic or the Mountains of Madness or whatever, Howard has just hopped through a fold and turned Providence into Arkham, with all the Lovecraft trimmings. That was a brilliant structural move, and everything good in the book's plot and throwaway humor flows from there.
But, this is not a dry or scholarly recap or reframing of the usual Lovecraft. The book is funny, smart, and witty. There are many, many neat set pieces and scenes. There are wonderful throwaway lines and bits of business. The two heroes meld seamlessly into a partnership built on trust and courage and smartaleckiness, and that's the best partnership there is.
I could go on, but you get the idea. This is smart, sharp, edgy, and sometimes insightful and even touching stuff, all wrapped up in knowing and winking homage to Lovecraft and in a sure command of classic horror conventions. An excellent find.
(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
June 29, 2021
Pagāja nieka divi gadi līdz saņēmos izlasīt grāmatu sērijas Carter & Lovecraft turpinājumu. Patiesībā es cerēju, ka autors uzrakstīs pa šo laiku vismaz trešo grāmatu un tad es varētu izlasīt uzreiz visus turpinājumus. Taču laiks gāja, un trešā grāmata neparādījās, nolēmu lasīt to, kas ir.
Te būs maitekļi tiem, kas nav vēl lasījuši pirmo daļu. Jaunā realitāte, kurā attapušies Krāters un Lovkrafta, nudien nav līdzīga viņu ori��inālajai pasaulei. Pasaules suprevara ir Trešais Reihs, Otrais pasaules karš noritēja pēc pavisam cita scenārija, virs Maskavas tika detonēta atombumba un nu ir Fāterlande no Berlīnes līdz Vladivostokai, neviens nezina par to, kas notiek bijušajā PSRS teritorijā. ASV joprojām pieturas pie neitralitātes politikas un nav nekāda pasaules līdere.
Jaunā Arkhamas versija ir daudz interesantāka nekā mūsu realitātes. Šeit pārdabiskais, mītiskais un šausminošais vairs nav tikai leģendas, te tas ir atrodams katrā tumšākā stūrī. Kārters un Lovkrafta ar to sastopas diezgan ātri, un nav jau tā, ka tas viņiem būtu kāds baigais noslēpums. Sākumā izskatījās, ka šī grāmata būs zinātniskās fantastikas gultnē, jo centrālā sižeta līnija ir par Nulles Punkta Enerģiju un zinātnieku grupu, kas nodarbojas ar tā izpēti. Taču, kad parādās aukstās zvaigznes, tiek piesaukts Algols, tad zinātājam viss top skaidrs, tā ir tikai kārtējā dekorācija. Šeit zinātnieki reizē ir arī kultisti, Dižvācijas slepenie dienesti ne vienmēr darbojas fāterlandes labā.
ŠĪ grāmata, līdzīgi kā iepriekšējā, ir detektīva un trillera sajaukums, kas pasniegts Lovkrafta pasaules mērcītē. Cilvēkiem tikai šķiet ka viņi ir pasaules valdnieki, bet patiesībā viņi ir tikai putekļu īsto pasauļu valdnieku acīs. Grāmatas galvenie varoņi grib atgriezties savā pasaules variantā, bet, tā kā ēst arī vajag, tad sākotnējā fāzē, katrs nodarbojas ar to, ar ko nodarbojušies vienmēr, Kārters ir privātdetektīvs un Lovkrafta – grāmatu veikala īpašniece. Kādudien Kārteram parādās ļoti labs darba piedāvājums no gestapo pārstāvja un viņš nolemj to pieņemt. Lovkrafta savā grāmatnicas seifā atrod Nekronomikonu un nolemj nedaudz palasīties. Šī ir no tām grāmatām, kas lasītāju piesaista ar sižeta pavērsieniem un neļauj atslābināt uzmanību, pie reizes inkorporējot piecdesmito gadu populāro SciFi žanra tēmu, Nacisti uz Mēness, Antarktīdā un kosmosā. Brīdī, kad uzrodas Tules organizācijas pārstāvji, tad vispār norauj jumtu, gandrīz kā Hell Boy komiksos, uzreiz ir skaidrs, ka pasaules kārtībai tūlīt tiks pielikts punkti.
Karš Debesīs vienmēr slikti atsaucas uz parastajiem Zemes iedzīvotājiem, šoreiz nav savādāk, bet par laimi ir divi Zemes iedzīvotāji, kuri no šīm lietām kaut ko sajēdz un spēj ietekmēt. Grāmatai lieku 8 no 10 ballēm.
Te būs maitekļi tiem, kas nav vēl lasījuši pirmo daļu. Jaunā realitāte, kurā attapušies Krāters un Lovkrafta, nudien nav līdzīga viņu ori��inālajai pasaulei. Pasaules suprevara ir Trešais Reihs, Otrais pasaules karš noritēja pēc pavisam cita scenārija, virs Maskavas tika detonēta atombumba un nu ir Fāterlande no Berlīnes līdz Vladivostokai, neviens nezina par to, kas notiek bijušajā PSRS teritorijā. ASV joprojām pieturas pie neitralitātes politikas un nav nekāda pasaules līdere.
Jaunā Arkhamas versija ir daudz interesantāka nekā mūsu realitātes. Šeit pārdabiskais, mītiskais un šausminošais vairs nav tikai leģendas, te tas ir atrodams katrā tumšākā stūrī. Kārters un Lovkrafta ar to sastopas diezgan ātri, un nav jau tā, ka tas viņiem būtu kāds baigais noslēpums. Sākumā izskatījās, ka šī grāmata būs zinātniskās fantastikas gultnē, jo centrālā sižeta līnija ir par Nulles Punkta Enerģiju un zinātnieku grupu, kas nodarbojas ar tā izpēti. Taču, kad parādās aukstās zvaigznes, tiek piesaukts Algols, tad zinātājam viss top skaidrs, tā ir tikai kārtējā dekorācija. Šeit zinātnieki reizē ir arī kultisti, Dižvācijas slepenie dienesti ne vienmēr darbojas fāterlandes labā.
ŠĪ grāmata, līdzīgi kā iepriekšējā, ir detektīva un trillera sajaukums, kas pasniegts Lovkrafta pasaules mērcītē. Cilvēkiem tikai šķiet ka viņi ir pasaules valdnieki, bet patiesībā viņi ir tikai putekļu īsto pasauļu valdnieku acīs. Grāmatas galvenie varoņi grib atgriezties savā pasaules variantā, bet, tā kā ēst arī vajag, tad sākotnējā fāzē, katrs nodarbojas ar to, ar ko nodarbojušies vienmēr, Kārters ir privātdetektīvs un Lovkrafta – grāmatu veikala īpašniece. Kādudien Kārteram parādās ļoti labs darba piedāvājums no gestapo pārstāvja un viņš nolemj to pieņemt. Lovkrafta savā grāmatnicas seifā atrod Nekronomikonu un nolemj nedaudz palasīties. Šī ir no tām grāmatām, kas lasītāju piesaista ar sižeta pavērsieniem un neļauj atslābināt uzmanību, pie reizes inkorporējot piecdesmito gadu populāro SciFi žanra tēmu, Nacisti uz Mēness, Antarktīdā un kosmosā. Brīdī, kad uzrodas Tules organizācijas pārstāvji, tad vispār norauj jumtu, gandrīz kā Hell Boy komiksos, uzreiz ir skaidrs, ka pasaules kārtībai tūlīt tiks pielikts punkti.
Karš Debesīs vienmēr slikti atsaucas uz parastajiem Zemes iedzīvotājiem, šoreiz nav savādāk, bet par laimi ir divi Zemes iedzīvotāji, kuri no šīm lietām kaut ko sajēdz un spēj ietekmēt. Grāmatai lieku 8 no 10 ballēm.
April 9, 2018
It's not even been a full year since I read (and enjoyed) Carter & Lovecraft, but I'd managed to forget enough about When We Last Left Our Heroes to slow my entry in this sequel. Still, that slightly disoriented feel at the start is appropriate, given that, along with Carter and Lovecraft (and also the perennially irritated Detective Harrelson) we are flung into a world in which Hitler blew up Moscow and won WWII and the U.S. now has close ties with Nazi Germany. The “N word” nice people don't say has changed, much to Emily Lovecraft's disgust – with white supremacists in power, social progress didn't progress. But wait, there's more! Not only are there standard issue racist, antisemitic Nazis, but they also come in the Extra evil, dark-gods-serving version, glad to enslave mankind to malignant cosmic overlords in exchange for obliterating the possibility of a return to the “folded” reality in which Germany lost the war.
Anyway, this is loads of fun – a Lovecraft/James Bond hybrid, with the addition of interesting characters and humor. Emily Lovecraft and Daniel Carter are very engaging, Henry Weston continues enigmatic, and there are all the snowmobile chases, giant murderous fish-men-from-the-deep, and Nazi punches you could ask for. And, I was surprised and delighted to find that there seems likely to be a third in this series!
Anyway, this is loads of fun – a Lovecraft/James Bond hybrid, with the addition of interesting characters and humor. Emily Lovecraft and Daniel Carter are very engaging, Henry Weston continues enigmatic, and there are all the snowmobile chases, giant murderous fish-men-from-the-deep, and Nazi punches you could ask for. And, I was surprised and delighted to find that there seems likely to be a third in this series!
August 29, 2018
answering that age old question can you make cthulhu and nazis boring: yes
November 17, 2017
This book is a journey into another dimension where the world has undergone an alternate history and some things have radically changed. For starters, the Nazis got the A-Bomb first, dropped it in Moscow, took over the Eastern half of Europe, withdrew from France and the Low Countries, convinced Japan not to attack Pearl Harbor, thus America never entered the War. Germany then became the preeminent industrial power, were as bigoted as ever, but there was no Holocaust - the Jews were moved en masse to Madagascar (unjustly exiled to a foreign land not their ancestral home once again). It’s a weird, intriguing alternative universe although any time you start imagining the Nazis winning I don’t sit very comfortably. The author also generously gave us a detective and an heir to Lovecraft’s legacy, spies, bombs, ghosts, and all kinds of strange unearthly stuff.
By the way, this is the second book in the series. Perhaps there are things I missed by not having book one. Overall, the book which I had high hopes for, didn't do it for me, but there are quite a few intriguing and interesting things here that other readers might enjoy.
By the way, this is the second book in the series. Perhaps there are things I missed by not having book one. Overall, the book which I had high hopes for, didn't do it for me, but there are quite a few intriguing and interesting things here that other readers might enjoy.
September 19, 2019
I really enjoyed this novel a great deal. So much so that I wish the third novel in the series was already available to us all. It’s great fun, and it kept me interested throughout, and until the end. I hope the next novel will come out very soon!
Here is a great review to help explain this novel better than my incoherent ramblings at 4 a.m., as tired as I am:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ari Fliakos is the narrator, and I enjoyed him a great deal also. He had some great characterizations, including a small character he somehow made sound like the actor who does Kronk, from The Emperor’s New Groove. It was funny, probably unintentional, and made me laugh out loud.
Also the author Howard made this character Lovecraft make this hysterical dig at Dan Brown near the end of the novel that had me snorting loudly. I scared my dog lol.
Anyway, read this novel! After you read the first one, of course.
4 stars, and recommended to anyone and everyone.
Here is a great review to help explain this novel better than my incoherent ramblings at 4 a.m., as tired as I am:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ari Fliakos is the narrator, and I enjoyed him a great deal also. He had some great characterizations, including a small character he somehow made sound like the actor who does Kronk, from The Emperor’s New Groove. It was funny, probably unintentional, and made me laugh out loud.
Also the author Howard made this character Lovecraft make this hysterical dig at Dan Brown near the end of the novel that had me snorting loudly. I scared my dog lol.
Anyway, read this novel! After you read the first one, of course.
4 stars, and recommended to anyone and everyone.
November 15, 2017
John L. Howard’s latest novel After the End of the World opens with a bang – literally. In 1941, the Nazis explode a nuclear bomb over Moscow bringing an abrupt end to the war and changing history or, rather, unfolding it.
In the present, Nazi Germany is the biggest superpower in the world. Most of the world’s largest corporations are stationed there. Only three people remember what the folded world was like: Detective Martin Harrelson of the Arkham (Providence before the unfolding) Police Department, Emily Lovecraft, and Daniel Carter and they are finding it hard to control their anger at the Nazis over events that, admittedly, never happened at least not in this world.
Then Carter and Lovecraft are hired to investigate an experiment in high-energy physics at Miskatonic University. Their employer suspects that the data is being manipulated and wants them to discover what is really going on. Soon, they find themselves caught in the centre of a dangerous game of espionage and counterespionage that is linked to the events of 1941.
When I started reading After the End of the World, I hadn’t realized it was a sequel to Carter & Lovecraft (a book I haven’t read but which is now high on my TBR list) and, admittedly, it took me a few pages to catch up. But when I did, I was completely sucked into the story. Howard combines speculative fiction with suspense, and a nice touch of humour. And, of course, a bit of Lovecraft thrown in. But he also isn’t afraid to look at some difficult issues like anti-Semitism and racism. And he even manages to draw subtle parallels while giving a not-too-subtle poke at US politics today – as one German character says:
We are making Germany great again.
A fun read and a high recommendation from me to fans of intelligent and well-written speculative fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
In the present, Nazi Germany is the biggest superpower in the world. Most of the world’s largest corporations are stationed there. Only three people remember what the folded world was like: Detective Martin Harrelson of the Arkham (Providence before the unfolding) Police Department, Emily Lovecraft, and Daniel Carter and they are finding it hard to control their anger at the Nazis over events that, admittedly, never happened at least not in this world.
Then Carter and Lovecraft are hired to investigate an experiment in high-energy physics at Miskatonic University. Their employer suspects that the data is being manipulated and wants them to discover what is really going on. Soon, they find themselves caught in the centre of a dangerous game of espionage and counterespionage that is linked to the events of 1941.
When I started reading After the End of the World, I hadn’t realized it was a sequel to Carter & Lovecraft (a book I haven’t read but which is now high on my TBR list) and, admittedly, it took me a few pages to catch up. But when I did, I was completely sucked into the story. Howard combines speculative fiction with suspense, and a nice touch of humour. And, of course, a bit of Lovecraft thrown in. But he also isn’t afraid to look at some difficult issues like anti-Semitism and racism. And he even manages to draw subtle parallels while giving a not-too-subtle poke at US politics today – as one German character says:
We are making Germany great again.
A fun read and a high recommendation from me to fans of intelligent and well-written speculative fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
November 22, 2017
For a second I was really thrown for a loop when I started this book, because I'd forgotten how the firs book had ended. After checking my sources, I delved back in and was delighted at the Unfolded World that Howard had created. I was also astounded at the amount of times I found myself looking up German translations or areas of note, to find that Howard had researched the hell out of this novel - and I had fun doing it, and learned a lot.
It was delightful to get back to Carter and Lovecraft. I really enjoy these characters and this weird, uncomfortable world they find themselves in. Howard's set himself up for a sequel and I cannot wait to have it in my hands.
It was delightful to get back to Carter and Lovecraft. I really enjoy these characters and this weird, uncomfortable world they find themselves in. Howard's set himself up for a sequel and I cannot wait to have it in my hands.
December 3, 2017
I think if I knew more about the Lovecraft mythology I wouldn't have so many questions. This is most definitely a 3.5.
February 20, 2018
If irritating foul-mouthed characters don't both phase you, and you enjoy buddy-cop sci-fi, it's likely you'll find something to enjoy here, sadly I found little. Full disclosure: I haven't read the first book in the series, and I am not a HPL fan, despite realizing a few pages in that I was reading a sequel to an HPL'esque book I stuck with it. However, I didn't enjoy this book as much as a could have for three reasons. First, the foul language, I can overlook profanity and enjoy a book despite it, here Mr. Howard inundates the reader with foul and profane language, and it detracted from my enjoyment of the work. I believe Mr. Howard may have been attempting to make his primary protagonist, Emily Lovecraft seem cool, sassy or woke (more on that later) by having insert foul language into literally every sentence of dialogue. This reader found Mr. Howard's Emily to be crass, petulant, and annoying, despite the claims by her side-kick, Daniel Carter that she was "smart," see the bottom of page 290 for an example. Second, the author's attempt to make Emily woke, laughable, I almost stopped reading on page 234, literally almost put the book down for good, but I kept going (sigh). Last, my cardinal sin, when characters suddenly develop super powers to overcome obstacles. By novel's end Emily has magically, and inexplicably developed limited omniscience(?), can contemporaneously see events happening some distance away, and is able to use alien weaponry not designed for her and having never encountered it before. I absolutely detest lazy writing and last minute superpowers is the epitome of it. I don't recommend this book, and will gladly pass on books one and three.
October 9, 2020
The first installment was better!
December 22, 2020
Перша книга з цієї серії – «Картер і Лавкрафт» – виявилася своєрідною. Так, автор запозичив у батька космічного жаху деякі елементи, але не намагався його скопіювати, написати свій фанфікшн. Натомість вийшла доволі оригінальна історія. Друга книга не відходить від обраного напрямку, але залишає по собі післясмак.
Отже, спойлери. Щоб було простіше, поясню зрозумілими аналогіями. Детектив Картер є одночасно співвласником книгарні. Разом з продавчинею Емілі Лавкрафт в першій книзі вони «відкрили портал» і потрапили в «паралельний світ», де нацисти перемогли у Другій світовій і досі правлять значною частиною світу.
Справи в детективному бізнесі у Картера не вельми радісні, а просто сидіти і збирати гроші з книгарні йому не надто хочеться, тому він погоджується на дещо слизьку пропозицію. По суті його просять пошпигувати в дослідницькій лабораторії, де американці і німці шукають новий вид енергії. Слизько тут від того, що замовник-німець просить шпигувати за своїми ж, а нещодавно один з охоронців лабораторії з’їхав з глузду.
Паралельно Лавкрафт дізнається, що в цій версії всесвіту в неї в сейфі лежить «Некрономікон». Вона постає перед вибором, читати чи не читати. В таємничій книзі може лежати розгадка, як повернутися назад до рідного світу, та разом з тим шкода психиці може бути непоправна.
Деякі моменти тут просто упираються в ребра. По-перше, нацисти. Ну от прямо не можна було знайти інших антагоністів. Звісно, автор зіграв на їхній впізнаваності і чутках про любов до окультного, ще й потрібна була якась сила планетарного масштабу, а не маленьке вигадане езотеричне товариство. Все ж виглядає трохи дешево.
По-друге, пов’язані з цим жартики про нациків тощо. І якась незграбність в поведінці героїв. І натяки на сексуальну напругу. Якийсь ситком. На щастя, все це залишилося на перших сторінках.
По-третє, не ясно, що ж сталося. Фінал знову відкритий.
Отже, спойлери. Щоб було простіше, поясню зрозумілими аналогіями. Детектив Картер є одночасно співвласником книгарні. Разом з продавчинею Емілі Лавкрафт в першій книзі вони «відкрили портал» і потрапили в «паралельний світ», де нацисти перемогли у Другій світовій і досі правлять значною частиною світу.
Справи в детективному бізнесі у Картера не вельми радісні, а просто сидіти і збирати гроші з книгарні йому не надто хочеться, тому він погоджується на дещо слизьку пропозицію. По суті його просять пошпигувати в дослідницькій лабораторії, де американці і німці шукають новий вид енергії. Слизько тут від того, що замовник-німець просить шпигувати за своїми ж, а нещодавно один з охоронців лабораторії з’їхав з глузду.
Паралельно Лавкрафт дізнається, що в цій версії всесвіту в неї в сейфі лежить «Некрономікон». Вона постає перед вибором, читати чи не читати. В таємничій книзі може лежати розгадка, як повернутися назад до рідного світу, та разом з тим шкода психиці може бути непоправна.
Деякі моменти тут просто упираються в ребра. По-перше, нацисти. Ну от прямо не можна було знайти інших антагоністів. Звісно, автор зіграв на їхній впізнаваності і чутках про любов до окультного, ще й потрібна була якась сила планетарного масштабу, а не маленьке вигадане езотеричне товариство. Все ж виглядає трохи дешево.
По-друге, пов’язані з цим жартики про нациків тощо. І якась незграбність в поведінці героїв. І натяки на сексуальну напругу. Якийсь ситком. На щастя, все це залишилося на перших сторінках.
По-третє, не ясно, що ж сталося. Фінал знову відкритий.
October 6, 2021
3.5 stars.
As I replied in agreement to my friend's review, "this book is both wonderful and disappointing in equal measure."
While the first book was deliciously Lovecraftian, and an excellent depiction of a man struggling with his own sanity, this second book puts the Cosmic Horror on the back burner, and becomes more of a "Spy Story" in an alternate universe. (Genre change-ups aren't inherently a BAD thing necessarily, it's just somewhat jarring in this instance.)
Moreover, like the first book, Emily Lovecraft again gets a bit of a "Second fiddle" story; I'm not sure if she will step to the front in forthcoming books, but they are beginning to squander the potential of a potentially intriguing character. (Though the relationship between the two is definitely at the heart of the book and the series, and this book especially shines when focusing on that aspect.)
All that said, this isn't a BAD book. In fact, it was a bit of a page-turner, it just wasn't what I was hoping for/expecting in a sequel to a book I loved so very much.
As I replied in agreement to my friend's review, "this book is both wonderful and disappointing in equal measure."
While the first book was deliciously Lovecraftian, and an excellent depiction of a man struggling with his own sanity, this second book puts the Cosmic Horror on the back burner, and becomes more of a "Spy Story" in an alternate universe. (Genre change-ups aren't inherently a BAD thing necessarily, it's just somewhat jarring in this instance.)
Moreover, like the first book, Emily Lovecraft again gets a bit of a "Second fiddle" story; I'm not sure if she will step to the front in forthcoming books, but they are beginning to squander the potential of a potentially intriguing character. (Though the relationship between the two is definitely at the heart of the book and the series, and this book especially shines when focusing on that aspect.)
All that said, this isn't a BAD book. In fact, it was a bit of a page-turner, it just wasn't what I was hoping for/expecting in a sequel to a book I loved so very much.
October 10, 2018
Solid second novel in the series. This time the whole setting is changed radically. We`re in a alternate history in wich the germans are the Real Deal. They have defeated the Soviets by a secret BOMB and they rule the world with the Americans. Also the Israel is now on Madagascar Island as it was planned in the original events. And the world is not such a bad place, because The Germans didn`t go ahead with all of their atrocities.
The story it`s also different than the one in the previous level, the characters are still interesting, the pacing it`s very good and half of the mysteries still haven`t been revealed.
This was a book that I couldn`t put it down so I have to give it a four star rating.
The story it`s also different than the one in the previous level, the characters are still interesting, the pacing it`s very good and half of the mysteries still haven`t been revealed.
This was a book that I couldn`t put it down so I have to give it a four star rating.
August 8, 2023
So so good. Really scratches that Call of Cthulhu itch. I couldn't recommend this series more!
I need book three!
I need book three!
January 15, 2018
While not having an interest in Lovecraft or his particular kind of world building and mythology, I enjoyed the characters in Carter & Lovecraft (as well as JLH's writing in general) and wanted to see how they would develop in this next installment. But I came out of it disappointed. Much of the story is driven by Dan. We always know his thoughts, perspective, and feelings about whatever is happening. Lovecraft never rises above the level of supporting character whose default setting is that of grumpy staff Sargent stomping around the barracks growling at the cadets whilst chewing on an old cigar. When she's not providing Dan (and the reader) with the info dumps required to get the plot to the next bit, she's going on about guns and weapons. Given that I picture her as Zendaya, I wanted a lot more for the character.
I was particularly frustrated when Lovecraft
My lack of connection to these characters has made it difficult to continue reading, to be honest. Dan's your basic gumshoe and Lovecraft is...well, just kind of there. They don't feel like a team and I don't feel connected to either of them as individuals. Not feeling inspired to continue with this series, unfortunately.
I was particularly frustrated when Lovecraft
My lack of connection to these characters has made it difficult to continue reading, to be honest. Dan's your basic gumshoe and Lovecraft is...well, just kind of there. They don't feel like a team and I don't feel connected to either of them as individuals. Not feeling inspired to continue with this series, unfortunately.
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