Friday, 24 June 2011

Codex Ulthar & Lundone

I've not been reading much lately, but must report on two new poetry pamphets from the indefatigable Cardinal Cox. Codex Ulthar is, as the title suggests, from Lovecraft's story 'The Cats of Ulthar', and the overall tone is more fantastical than horrific. We're in the realms of Dunsany, or very nearly, the Irish fabulist who HPL admired but who is almost unknown today. From my brief perusal these poems are well up to the Cardinal's usual high standard - fine bedtime reading for the whimsically disposed.

There's also Ludone, a fascinating collection of steampunk poems, giving glimpses of a parallel universe where Wells Martian invasion happened - and a Martian stumbled upon Griffin's invisibility formula! This and other wonderful conceits make for a feast of verse-shaped fun. I particularly enjoyed 'Last Notes of the Imperial British Expeditionary Force to Mars'. There's also the surprising 'Bunter's Uncle', which offers a compelling insight into the Fat Owl's real significance beyond the world of Greyfriars.

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