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A review by lesserjoke
Carter & Lovecraft by Jonathan L. Howard
3.0
The vibes of this fantasy noir, in which a private investigator learns that H. P. Lovecraft actually experienced some of the cosmic horrors he wrote about and gets caught up in a plot with the writer's descendant, are top-notch. As the titular ex-cop and bookstore-owner investigate, they encounter gibbering madness, magic accomplished via complex math, and all manner of gruesome deaths. The characters even acknowledge the old namesake's racism, which is always appreciated.
But the villains act pretty incomprehensibly throughout -- including intentionally tipping the protagonist off about their activities in the first place -- and there are a lot of basic questions about the premise of the story that remain unanswered at the end. I know this 2015 title is the launch of a series, with a sequel that followed two years later, and this debut volume certainly ends on a promising twist for whatever's next. Yet it's overly long to be just a prologue, and not entirely satisfying in and of itself. It's solid, but not in the same league as other modern works like Lovecraft Country or The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe that have likewise sought to grapple with the famous author's complicated legacy.
[Content warning for rape, gun violence, and suicide.]
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But the villains act pretty incomprehensibly throughout -- including intentionally tipping the protagonist off about their activities in the first place -- and there are a lot of basic questions about the premise of the story that remain unanswered at the end. I know this 2015 title is the launch of a series, with a sequel that followed two years later, and this debut volume certainly ends on a promising twist for whatever's next. Yet it's overly long to be just a prologue, and not entirely satisfying in and of itself. It's solid, but not in the same league as other modern works like Lovecraft Country or The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe that have likewise sought to grapple with the famous author's complicated legacy.
[Content warning for rape, gun violence, and suicide.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6288479-joe-kessler
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
https://lesserjoke.home.blog