Steve Lockley discusses working within the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft: H.P. Lovecraft seems to have been with me for most of my life. He was one of my earliest introductions to horror and along with those others who followed in his footsteps, he held my hand through those early days of learning to be a writer. While his stories of cosmic horror told of Great Cthulhu and the Great Old Ones, they were at heart about people whose lives and sanity were touched by their encounters. It was a joy to be able to play in this world. and hope that like others who have preceded us, we have managed to bring something of our own to the mythos. Now, Steven Savile reflects on his influences, and how they shaped The Sign of Glaaki: Were the sum of our influences. If it wasnt for Harry Houdini I dont think Id be a writer now, actually. Id gone maybe a year without writing a word for the first time in my life, when I started a story - Bury My Heart at the Garrick - which had the central premise that Harry Houdini was capable of real magic because hed died during one of his early stunts in Paris, drowned in fact, and was no longer bound by the natural laws of the universe. The dead wanted Harry back where he belonged. It took a long time to write it - but I came out on the other side, and so did Harry. I submitted the story to Writers of the Future and thought nothing more of it. It was the first time Id ever submitted, and it seemed like a place that might fit so I sent it in and stopped thinking about it for almost a year. Then I got an email to say it had won. From submitting to hearing it had won I hadnt written another word. Funny how it goes, but its so good to return to Houdinis fictional life thirteen years later and play again. Theres something wonderfully compelling about the guy. Like he really could do magic. As to Wheatley, well, my relationship with him goes back to lazy hazy summer days at school, playing cricket, reading The Devil Rides Out and To the Devil a Daughter in the pavilion waiting for my turn to go out and bat. We used to sit around during the breaks and retell stories from Wheatley, and the Pan Books of Horror. It was fairly natural as a young reader to move on from Wheatley to Lovecraft when I hit university, a more mature reader able to cope with his opaque prose and grand ideas. And they really were grand ideas. I remember once our games master wanted to take us out into the middle of Kielder Forest at midnight to play a game close to the wreckage of a plane crash purely to add to the fear factor. Yes, we did stupid things like that, so it was equally only natural to want to bring all of these together in Sign of Glaaki, playing with little references to Wheatleys work and perhaps once and for all answering what happened to Houdini before that fateful performance at the Garrick... Thanks Steve and Steven! Ive been waiting to see this bad boy on sale. It feels like it has been forever coming to be honest, but it is finally here, Steve Lockley and my foray into the realms of H. P. Lovecraft, a brand new novel, Sign of Glakki. UK: amazon.co.uk/Arkham-Horror-Glaaki-Steven-Savile-ebook/dp/B00HX2G228 US link: amazon/Arkham-Horror-Glaaki-Steven-Savile-ebook/dp/B00HX2G228 When an actress is brutally murdered on the set of a high-profile horror film, the list of suspects seems endless. After all, the movie’s ambitious young director has assembled an unsavory cast of circus folk and misfits, any one of whom might have committed the vile act. But when other bodies begin to appear, someone – or something – far more sinister than a mere murderer is clearly at work. Now, one of the twentieth century’s most influential authors will team up with history’s greatest escape artist, as they navigate the secrets and supernatural horrors of the small New England town of Dunwich! The Sign of Glaaki pits escape artist Harry Houdini, and author Dennis Wheatley against ancient evil. There is a mass market paperback edition, too.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 20:47:27 +0000
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