John Pelan The Colour Out of Darkness

The Colour Out of Darkness

John Pelan

Cemetery Dance, March 2005, $30.00 166 pp.

ISBN 1587671131

During the war it's enemies turn it into hundred of pieces, the mass sentient part lay down in the bottom of the sea, resting, regenerating so it could once again be what it once was. The other pieces develop its own sentience, always linked to the First One using humanity to strengthen them and allow the First One time to become whole again. The pieces fell in different parts of the earth, influencing the action of Vlad Tepes, Countess Bathory and many other evil humans that existed throughout history.

In Seattle, Caf Sepulcher, a Goth hangout, is home to one of these amphibian insectoids, using the green liquor known as essence to create more soldiers in its army. It feeds on strong emotions and gives to its soldiers what they want most. Lara can walk again; Sheree is no longer a whore; and Josh has Lara to love. It demands sacrifices, and the police become involved, but it remains to be seen whether they can do anything to stop it.

Fans of Lovecraft horror will have to read THE COLOUR OUT OF DARKNESS which goes many steps beyond where Lovecraft took his audience. John Pelan has written a tale that is a chilling and frightening thriller about an unstoppable enemy that wants to remake the earth in its own image without any humans to interfere with its plans. The characters are, especially for a long novella, surprisingly well developed and not one of them is a stereotype.