Book Lizard: 'The H.P. Lovecraft Institute'
By James Argendeli
CNN Headline News
(CNN) -- In the horror literature genre from the last century (it wasn't that long ago) there is a writer whose name we should be familiar with. Before Stephen King (and no, contemporary horror did not begin with him) there was Howard Phillips Lovecraft -- or as his byline reads, H.P. Lovecraft.
A quick history lesson: Providence, Rhode Island-born H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) wrote in the "cosmic horror" style. He is best-known for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of stories and novels about banished gods hiding in other dimensions, biding their time until they can return to Earth. End of lesson. (I told you'd it'd be quick)
This is the Book Lizard's way of preparing you for this week's review. "The H. P. Lovecraft Institute" by David Bischoff brings a modern-day spin to a timeless tale of Lovecraft-inspired horror.
The novel takes place in the late 1980s in a small Rhode Island town called Morristown. The cast of characters includes Tony Dickens, the 16-year-old, introverted son of Richard Dickens, the new reverend of the local Episcopal church. There is also the town eccentric Professor Abraham Martin and his "I only go out at night" niece Cordelia. More on them later.
Morristown has been targeted by serial killers, including one with an M.O. from the dark side. The Who's Who of fiends includes the infamous Jack the Ripper, Mr. Hyde and even Tricky Dickie himself, Richard Nixon. By the way, they are also made of wax. Cue the Psycho music here.
During the day, our rogues' gallery hangs out at the local rumored-to-be-haunted house on the hill, the Martin House; the same house where the professor lives. It also serves as the venue for young Tony Dickens' after school job: cleaning house to pay for his collection of horror books.
As you might have deduced, our white-haired, jolly Professor Martin is not what he seems. Using dark sorcery and sacrifice, he is attempting to bring those pesky banished gods back to reign on Earth. And what of Martin's niece Cordelia? It seems that both Tony and his father are both falling for her. But then they don't know that her daybed is a coffin.
In "The H. P. Lovecraft Institute", Bischoff has borrowed from the Lovecraft mythology and written a contemporary novel that brings to mind sneaking downstairs to watch the late-night creature feature after the folks have gone to bed. It might not be great literature, but it is a wicked way to spend a couple of hours.
A note on the technical aspects of this novel, published by Wildside Press: Like in the B-movie creature features of old, you might notice the zipper running up the monster's rubber back. This edition has a lot of copy editor problems. From characters changing names on the same page, to other obvious mistakes, this edition has errors that could easily have been avoided.
