Forbidden Knowledge: Two Tales of Lovecraftian Terror
by
Tony LaMalfa
(Hippocampus Press, August 2023, tpb, 148 pp.)
“The Face on the Floor”
“If Only Skin Deep”
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
A pair of original novellas inspired by the cosmic horror stories of H. P. Lovecraft appear in this collection.
The narrator of “The Face on the Floor” is a graduate student at Lovecraft’s famous fictional Miskatonic University. A disgraced scientist hires him to copy certain passages from the Necronomicon, an equally well-known imaginary volume referred to often in Lovecraft’s works. He becomes obsessed with the sinister book of arcane knowledge, lapsing into near-insanity at times. In more lucid moments, he investigates the reason for the scientist’s interest in the Necronomicon, leading to a ghastly discovery.
As can be seen from this synopsis, the story is very similar to the original tales of Lovecraft. From the 1920’s setting, to references to stories such as “The Dunwich Horror” and “At the Mountains of Madness,” to the narrator’s formal language and use of esoteric words, the resemblance is unmistakable. Fans of Lovecraft will feel right at home reading this pastiche, while others may feel that it follows its inspiration too closely.
More original is “If Only Skin Deep,” although the resemblance to Lovecraft’s story “Dagon” is obvious. The narrator is a French woman, speaking to an unidentified interviewer. As a student of anthropology, she studied an isolated group of the Maori people of New Zealand. She goes so far as to become an honorary member of the group, undergoing initiation ceremonies and taking a Maori as a lover. Only when she goes through the third, terrifying initiation does she understand why the group’s chief is never seen, why there is only one woman among them, and what they have planned for her.
Despite the fact that an adventurous, sexually liberated woman would never be found in one of Lovecraft’s works, anyone familiar with “Dagon” will be able to predict the story’s grim climax. (There are also small clues in the interview that point to the conclusion.) The language is not as formal as that found in the previous tale, so some readers may find it less affected.
As a whole, this collection is likely to appeal to fans of H. P. Lovecraft, as well as those with an interest in cosmic horror in general. The stories are different enough that one could read both in one sitting, but it might be better to turn to something else between them, lest one become overwhelmed.
Victoria Silverwolf has never been to New Zealand.