| THE INVASION OUT OF TIME |
| "The Invasion Out of Time" in "Cross-Genre Cthulhu", Sunseri, John, editor. Permuted Press, 2008. |
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| My first entry into the prolific and tentacle-strewn world of Lovecraftian mythos was a success: "The Invasion Out of Time" will be appearing sometime later this year in one of two planned anthologies with the theme of "Cross-Genre Cthulhu" (precise titles remain to be determined). Why, then, am I usign the science-fiction background on this page for a story you would expect, from its Lovecraftian origins, to be horror? (What, you hadn't noticed my backgrounds accord with the story's main genre?) Because this is a project that seeks to explode the usual elements of the mythos--elder deities, dark cults, unfathomable creatures--outside of horror proper, to mix and match with the tropes and traditions of other genres. In my case, "Invasion..." is a blend of old-school Lovecraft with military science-fiction, particularly the aerial/space dogfighting kind showcased in the X-Wing series, for instance. |
| Webmaster: trent_roman@yahoo.ca |
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| Those familiar with the mythos might feel that the title is somewhat familiar; that's because the story is an indirect sequal of sorts to the original (and classic) Lovecraft story, "The Shadow out of Time", borrowing some of the background elements from that tale and showcasing them in this no-holds-barred story of merciless competition for survival between the emergent, futuristic Empire of Tsan Chan and the incomprehensibly ancient beings known as the Flying Polyps, the foes of the Great Race of Yith. Our protagonist is a fighter pilot at Watches-Without-Rest, an outpost on the edge of the desolation under the control of the elder aliens. When his superiors need to test what could be a watershed new weapon against the bizarre, reality-defying creatures, Bai Quosan will need all his skills as a pilot to venture deep into enemy territory and lure the Polyps back towards human civilization... but the psychic entities might just have plans of their own. The anthology is now available for sale from Amazon here. |