The Dark Rites of Cthulhu by Brian M. Sammons

The Dark Rites of Cthulhu Reviews

• 
  Dominique Lamssies

  This collection focuses on magic in Lovecraftian Mythos, which is a great concept for an anthology, since most Lovecraftian anthologies usually revolve around big tentacled monsters.
  
  This anthology does a good job of representing the use of magic in the Mythos, with a lot of reading from books you shouldn't and some weird machines. There's also a nice variety of locations and time periods. There are some stories in Arkham, of course, but here are stories that take place very solidly in our world and in our time. There are twenties stories and some old English stuff.
  
  The magic itself in the stories is mostly traditional (and does have some Judeo-Christian elements in some stories which I'm not a fan of), but there are a few interesting takes on magic that are worth a look. Of note are Don Webb's "Like Comment Share" which focuses on the internet as a driver of ritual magic; Tom Lynch's "Of Circles And Rings" which has a very cool take on martial arts; and C.J. Henderon's "The Nest Of Pain" which is one of those stories that you always wonder why it hasn't been written yet (I have seriously been wanting to read a story with a plot line like this for ages) .
  
  The standout in this collection is Christine Morgan's "The Mindhouse" which is so ridiculously original and cool while at the same time being ridiculously Lovecraftian and gut wrenching and challenging it alone is worth the price of admission.
  
  This is the perfect anthology for Lovecraft fans who are looking for something a little different in their Mythos fiction and for people who don't think they will be fans of Mythos fiction because it will change your mind.
• 
  Sean Hoade

  A brilliant collection bringing together Mythos names both well known and brand new. Hardly a dud in the bunch, and the ONE story that wasn't as good as the rest was still pretty darned good.
• 
  Pat

  Great selection of supernatural and mysterious short stories.
• 
  David

  A good collection of stories in the Cthulhu Mythos. I recommend it to lovers of the genre.
• 
  Glenn Mitchell

  I first read H.P. Lovecraft's stories in my youth. I devoured all of the Bantam paperbacks at the time. Plus the biography by L. Sprague deCamp. Then nothing for a couple of decades.
  
  In the last several years, writer's influenced by Lovecraft have become a niche market within the horror genre.
  
  Lovecraft was not a gifted stylist. He was an imaginative writer who created a horror universe that obviously resonates with many authors todays. Unfortunately, many of Lovecraft's imitators are even less gifted when it comes to their prose. The ability to self-publish eBooks for the Kindle and other devices means that mediocre writers can publish rough drafts and hawk them for a dollar or two.
  
  "The Dark Rites of Cthulhu" has some okay stories. The writing is mediocre at its peak and worse for much of the book. Editing appears to be non-existent.
  
  There are some interesting new anthologies of Lovecraft-inspired stories. J.T. Joshi and Ellen Datlow have released some interesting collected volumes in the last few months.
  
  Fans of Lovecraft can pass this volume by and save their money for better collections of stories.