Tuesday, December 26, 2017

In the Lost City of Leng, by Rudy Rucker and Paul Di Filippo

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(Lovecraft Pastiche) In 1933, Doug quits his job to go on an expedition to Antarctica to kill the Great Shoggoth and retrieve the priceless treasures of the lost city of Leng. (21,373 words; Time: 1h:11m)

Rating: ★★★★☆ A Very Different Twist on Lovecraft’s Story

Although this story revisits the site of Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness,” the tone is much closer to humor than to horror

"In the Lost City of Leng," by and (edited by Sheila Williams), appeared in issue 01-02|18, published on by .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: Probably the best thing about this story is the way Doug narrates the events. He’s so earnest and so naΓ―ve that he manages to make the Elder Ones are either comical or sexy but never terrifying.

As far as plot goes, Doug’s the protagonist, and it’s clear what he’s after, even though he doesn’t achieve it. The two Elder ones have their own agenda, and they succeed completely.

The story is filled with references to different Lovecraft stories. If you want to follow them and you’re reading on a Kindle, I suggest acquiring The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (it’s free from Amazon) and then using the “Search All Text” feature when you find unusual names.

It's amusing that Doug uses the "I don't remember what happened" excuse to not tell us what happened during his three-way with a giant cucumber-shaped alien and another man. Perhaps it's better imagined than described.

Con: It was a fun ride, but it didn’t conjure up any emotion. Not even when the dog died.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|18)
Rudy Rucker Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Paul Di Filippo Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

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