Beneath the Moors and Darker Places

In this Lovecraftian horror collection, “additions to the mythos' pantheon of god-monsters are nasty, gruesome things, best not revealed in the dark” (Booklist).

In addition to his stellar Necroscope series, Brian Lumley is highly regarded for his short fiction, for which he has won the British Fantasy Award. Beneath the Moors and Darker Places, a companion to The Whisperer and Other Voices, collects nine lengthy exemplars of the best of Lumley's short works, many of them unavailable for decades in any form.

The Cthulhu Mythos of the immortal H.P. Lovecraft provides inspiration for much of Lumley's work, including “Dagon's Bell” and “Big C,” both included here. The explosive creation of a new volcanic island off Iceland in 1967 led to “Rising with Surtsey,” a homage not just to Lovecraft but to the great August Derleth. “David's Worm”—which takes an interesting view of “you are what you eat”—was published in a Year's Best Horror Stories.

The collection also includes the macabre “The Second Wish,” published here for the first time with the author's original, intended ending, and “The Fairground Horror,” first published in The Disciples of Cthulhu twenty-five years ago and not seen since save for a small press edition.

The title tale, Beneath the Moors, a complete short novel, has been unavailable in the United States since its first publication in the early 1970s. It is considered to be one of Lumley's strongest short works.

“One of the best writers in the field.” ―New York Times–bestselling author John Farris