Shoggoth's Old Peculiar
by Neil Gaiman
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A naive young Texan is on a rather disappointing self-guided walking tour of the British coast - when he randomly wanders into the village of Innsmouth. As a couple of friendly, if strange-looking, locals tell him, the one in the US was named after this one, the original.
One of the most entertaining and humorous homages to Lovecraft that I've read. Gaiman gets everything from travel guidebooks to nameless horrors spot-on. (And 'Strange Ian' made me laugh out loud...)
One of the most entertaining and humorous homages to Lovecraft that I've read. Gaiman gets everything from travel guidebooks to nameless horrors spot-on. (And 'Strange Ian' made me laugh out loud...)
A teetotaling Texas boy named Ben Lassiter decides to take a walking tour of the British Isles using a pretty lackluster guide in this humorous and provocative short story from Neil Gaiman. Despite that, he stumbles onto an unusual village called Innsmouth where two natives prove — how shall I say this? — very interesting. Ben also has his first beer, a pint of the eponymous stout.
I’ve never read any H.P. Lovecraft, and other reviews make clear that this is a loving homage to Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’m certain that Lovecraft fans would get a lot more out of it than I did and would think it hilarious, but even neophytes like me would love this short story — especially if show more they’re lucky enough to hear author Neil Gaiman read it himself with his mellifluous voice.
Now I’m thinking I need to read “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” and then re-read “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar.” show less
I’ve never read any H.P. Lovecraft, and other reviews make clear that this is a loving homage to Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I’m certain that Lovecraft fans would get a lot more out of it than I did and would think it hilarious, but even neophytes like me would love this short story — especially if show more they’re lucky enough to hear author Neil Gaiman read it himself with his mellifluous voice.
Now I’m thinking I need to read “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” and then re-read “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar.” show less
With a this title, I had no clue what to expect, but I definitely got the unexpected. For a good two-thirds, the story seems like a humorous tale of a mislead American traveler on England's coast. But then Gaiman delivers a fun and interesting twist and caps it off with the perfect ending to make you wonder.
***This review is of the audiobook edition of "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar".***
Typical, well-written Neil Gaiman. Entertaining enough to keep your attention, but nothing to write home about. More of a homage to H.P. Lovecraft than an actual story. Gaiman did a good job of narrating, but his British accent peeked through once or twice during dialogue from Ben, the American tourist. His voices for Seth and Wilf(?) were exceptional, though, extracting more than a few laughs from me.
Last time I checked, this was free on Audible. Considering I have no idea when you'll read this review, I can't say whether or not it will still be free.
I gave "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" three stars because, though it was a fun little listen, the story didn't show more really pay off for me. show less
Typical, well-written Neil Gaiman. Entertaining enough to keep your attention, but nothing to write home about. More of a homage to H.P. Lovecraft than an actual story. Gaiman did a good job of narrating, but his British accent peeked through once or twice during dialogue from Ben, the American tourist. His voices for Seth and Wilf(?) were exceptional, though, extracting more than a few laughs from me.
Last time I checked, this was free on Audible. Considering I have no idea when you'll read this review, I can't say whether or not it will still be free.
I gave "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar" three stars because, though it was a fun little listen, the story didn't show more really pay off for me. show less
Perhaps my favourite Neil Gaiman short story. I always laugh my way through it. Neil tackles the world of H.P. Lovecraft in this amusing story of a man who stumbles upon the British version of Inns mouth Harbour. A humorous tale which can also be found in Smoke and Mirrors.
A peculiar little story by Neil Gaiman: funny, clever, and very very Lovecraftian. So derivative of Lovecraft, in fact, that I think if you have no exposure to Lovecraft, you might have a hard time following the story.
This is a limited edition of 5000, a small illustrated volume of the single, award winning short story.
This is a limited edition of 5000, a small illustrated volume of the single, award winning short story.
Creepy short story, Lovecraftian style, about an American tourist encountering Cthulhu at the British coastline.
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Neil Gaiman was born in Portchester, England on November 10, 1960. He worked as a journalist and freelance writer for a time, before deciding to try his hand at comic books. Some of his work has appeared in publications such as Time Out, The Sunday Times, Punch, and The Observer. His first comic endeavor was the graphic novel series The Sandman. show more The series has won every major industry award including nine Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, three Harvey Awards, and the 1991 World Fantasy Award for best short story, making it the first comic ever to win a literary award. He writes both children and adult books. His adult books include The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which won a British National Book Awards, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel for 2014; Stardust, which won the Mythopoeic Award as best novel for adults in 1999; American Gods, which won the Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, SFX, and Locus awards; Anansi Boys; Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances; and The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction, which is a New York Times Bestseller. His children's books include The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish; Coraline, which won the Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla, the BSFA, the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Bram Stoker awards; The Wolves in the Walls; Odd and the Frost Giants; The Graveyard Book, which won the Newbery Award in 2009 and The Sandman: Overture which won the 2016 Hugo Awards Best Graphic Story. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Original publication date
- 1998
- Dedication
- For Piritta and Joonas, who are neither batrachian nor squamous... - Jouni
- First words
- Benjamin Lassiter was coming to the unavoidable conclusion that the woman who had written A Walking Tour of the British Coastline, the book he was carrying in his backpack, had never been on a walking tour of any kind,... (show all) and would probably not recognise the British coastline if it were to dance through her bedroom at the head of a marching band, singing 'I'm the British Coastline' in a loud and cheerful voice while accompanying itself on the kazoo.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He also asked the author if she would send him a copy of the page that had been ripped from his guidebook, to set his mind at rest; but he was secretly relieved, as the days turned into months, and the months turned into years and then into decades, that she never replied.
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