That Which Should Not Be: A NovelBrett J. Talley
JournalStone, October 2011
ISBN: 978-1936564149
Miskatonic University has a long-whispered reputation of being strongly connected to all things occult and supernatural. From the faculty to the students, the fascination with other-worldly legends and objects runs rampant.
When Carter Weston, a student at Miskatonic University, is asked by his professor, Dr. Thayerson, to retrieve a book with a powerful reputation, he has no idea what he was getting himself into. Weston is sent to the town of Anchorhead during a blizzard to find the Incendium Maleficarum, or Flame of the Witch.
While in a tavern he meets four men, each of whom has a very interesting story to tell. Jack tells Weston of his encounter with the legendary Wendigo while on a trapping expedition. Daniel tells of his misadventure in Eastern Europe where he inadvertently stumbled upon a cult of women intent on bringing a demon into this world. William’s story involves an insane asylum, a professor at Miskatonic University, and a cult trying to unsuccessfully awaken Cthulhu with the Necronomicon.
It is the fourth man, Captain Grey, who has the book Weston is searching for. Grey’s story of how he found the book in the first place describes a magic powerful enough to trap Grey’s ship and bring back the dead. Grey gives up the book willingly but it is only after Weston has brought the book back to the University that he realizes his mistake. Carter Weston must now stop Thayerson from doing what a former professor at Miskatonic failed to do--awaken Cthulhu.
Brett J. Talley has written a wonderful homage to occult horror. Each of the stories told to our protagonist is unique and scary by itself while adding to the overall atmosphere and theme of the novel as a whole. Each character is nicely fleshed-out and their individual stories come together beautifully. With references to Lovecraft and Stoker, That Which Should Not Be reads like the best 19th and early 20th century horror stories about the occult and ancient monsters. I highly recommend this novel and look forward to reading more by Talley in the future.
BRETT J. TALLEY received a philosophy and history degree from the University of Alabama before moving to witch-haunted Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School. Brett loves every kind of fiction--from horror to literary to historical to sci-fi--as long as there are fantastic characters with a compelling purpose.
ISBN: 978-1936564149; ISBN10: 1936564149; Imprint: JournalStone; On Sale: 10/7/2011; Format: Paperback; Pages: 260; $12.95
