A review by utopologist
The Litany of Earth by Ruthanna Emrys
4.0
This was an absolutely fascinating short read. I've had several conversations with friends who are aware of weird fiction and cosmic horror about how at least for Lovecraft, his complex and fascinating mythos as well as his description of the truly Other arose FROM his thick xenophobic racism as opposed to in spite of it. I've seen many attempts to rehabilitate Lovecraft from his opinions, which I believe misses the point. We wouldn't be reading him if he hadn't been such a monster.
That said, The Litany of Earth is an excellent revision. Sure, The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a classic, but we didn't really learn anything about the horrifying fish-people of Innsmouth. Emrys corrects the record and gives us insight into why these people choose to worship omnicidal eldritch horrors: not because they're evil, but because they possess the long view.
That said, The Litany of Earth is an excellent revision. Sure, The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a classic, but we didn't really learn anything about the horrifying fish-people of Innsmouth. Emrys corrects the record and gives us insight into why these people choose to worship omnicidal eldritch horrors: not because they're evil, but because they possess the long view.