These aren't your mother's fairy tales.
Throughout history parents have told their children stories to help them sleep, to keep them entertained. But we're pretty sure none of those parents had this in mind. These are the fairy tales that will give you and your children nightmares. From the darkest depths of Grimm and Anderson come the immortal mash-ups with the creations of HP Lovecraft.
These stories will scare and delight 'children'Â of all ages!
- Introduction by Gary AÂ Braunbeck
- “The Pied Piper of Providence†by William Meikle
- “The Three Billy Goats Sothoth†by Peter N Dudar
- “Little Maiden of the Sea†by David Bernard
- “The Great Old One and the Beanstalk†by Armand Rosamilia
- “In the Shade of the Juniper Tree†by JP Hutsell
- “The Horror at Hatchet Point†by Zach Shephard
- “The Most Incredible Thing†by Bracken MacLeod
- “Let Me Come In!†by Simon Yee
- “The Fishman and His Wife†by Inanna Arthen
- “Little Match Mi-Go†by Michael Kamp
- “Follow the Yellow Glyph Road†by Scott T Goudsward
- “Gumdrop Apocalypse†by Pete Rawlik
- “Curiosity†by Winifred Burniston
- “The Ice Queen†by Mae Empson
- “Once Upon a Dream†by Matthew Baugh
- “Cinderella and Her Outer Godfather†by CT Phipps
- “Donkeyskin†by KH Vaughan
- “Sweet Dreams in the Witch-House†by Sean Logan
- “Fee Fi Old One†by Thom Brannan
- “The King on the Golden Mountain†by Morgan Sylvia
- “The Legend of Creepy Hollow†by Don D’Ammassa
Brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths
So what makes this Lovecraftian Fairy Tales anthology special?
William Meikle: Lovecraft was working on stirring some base emotions in the reader, asking us to reflect on the depth and wonder of the Universe around us. Fairy tales, whether from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or from the oral tradition are a similar means of tapping into something old and primal, and a fusion of both gives us added insight into how archetypes and myth might evolve in an age where the most frightening thing is ourselves.
Armand Rosamilia: The mashup of Lovecraft and fairy tales blended together way too easy. It makes you wonder... Reading through these stories you can see how the two parallel and fit nicely together, especially since the base for Cthulhu mythos and fairy tales are so dark and have that underlying gloom to them.
Tell us more about your horror short story.
William Meikle: I have a fascination with the power of music to affect changes in our mental, and physical, picture of how the world works at a basic level. THE PIED PIPER OF PROVIDENCE is one of my explorations of just that. Plus, it was a load of fun exploring how a modern city might respond to an age old menace.
Armand Rosamilia: What would happen if Jack's magic beans took him not to giants but to an infinitely worse creature? I tried to stay true to the fairy tale, which I hadn't read in many years. I was at once fascinated by how dark it was reading it as an adult. As a kid you miss the subtle darkness in this tale and I wanted to bring it to the forefront with my story. The readers will let me know if I've succeeded.
Why should readers give this horror anthology a try?
Armand Rosamilia: If you love fairy tales or Lovecraft or horror or reading or... There are so many levels to this anthology. So many stories you'll read and then go back to read the original fairy tale to gain a new perspective on what you remember (or thought you remember) as a child. I went back and read all of the original tales and was a bit creeped out. Adding Lovecraft to the mix only makes it better!
