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Initially, it's unclear why this volume was even put together. Unlike the Chaosium series and the Fedogan & Bremer anthologies, Eternal Lovecraft does not seemingly focus either on a particular theme within the Cthulhu Mythos nor on a particular phase of it's evolution.

Upon closer reading, Turner's book demonstrates two things: First, that HPL continues to inspire stories by contemporary authors (all but 4 of the 18 stories were written in the past twenty years). HPL is eternal in that his memory is kept alive by his continuing inspiration evident in these stories. Second, the volume and Turner's fine introductory essay emphasizes the eternal and cosmic in HPL's work. The stories generally avoid the Innsmouth / Arkham / Kingsport settings and Mythos theogonies so prevalent in contemporary pastiches, most notable, Lin Carter's.

So what's in the book? Eternal Lovecraft contains stories by among others, Thomas Ligotti, TED Klein, Fritz Leiber, Richard Lupoff, Stephen King and William Browning Spencer.

Leiber's "A Bit of the Dark World" is an astounding story where a psychiatrist and his two friends confront, well, a bit of the dark world. As usual, Leiber's fine writing, strong plotting and imagination are on display here.

Klein's "The Events at Poroth Farm" is, of course, one of the masterpieces of the Mythos. However, since it's been collected in several other anthologies and was published initially in 1972, there's little point in discussing it here.

Ian MacLeod's "The Golden Keeper" is a pleasant surprise. Telling the tale of Lucius Maximus, a Roman official posted to a remote Egyptian gold mine, and who discovers both himself and something else in the hills, this tale is both finely written, and unusually, develops the personality and motivation of our hapless yet not entirely unknowing hero.

Also included in this volume is Thomas Ligotti's "The Shadow at the Bottom of the World", Richard Lupoff's "The Turret", William Spencer Browning's "The Ocean and All its Devices" and Peter Tremayne's "Daoine Domhain" - all first class stories..

Well-known horror masters Fred Chappell and Stephen King also put in appearances here - Chappell with his erudite yet terrifying "Weird Tales" and King with an exceptional showing of his true talents in "Crouch End."

Only Alan Rodgers' "Her Misbegotten Son" and Paula Volsky's "Black Rat of Sumatra" fall down here. "Her Misbegotten Son" is a misbegotten Arkham pastiche, while the "Giant Rat of Sumatra" throws Sherlock Holmes into a cardboard characterization and plot.

All in all, this volume is an exceptional value for the finest Mythos writing of TED Klein, Fritz Leiber, Thomas Ligotti, William Browning Spencer, Fred Chappell, Ian MacLeod and Stephen King.

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