The specialty press of Fedogan & Bremer brings out the sort of books that H P Lovecraft might be writing were he alive today. Adam Niswander, author of previous novels in a series called the Shaman Cycle (The Charm, The Serpent Slayers, The Hound Hunters), is a worthy heir to Lovecraft: instead of writing mere pastiche, he explores new settings and viewpoints for the Cthulhu Mythos.

The Sand Dwellers will please fans of Brian Lumley's elaborations on the Mythos (there are some allusions to The Burrowers Beneath), but it isn't necessary to have read Lumley to enjoy this rollicking tale. Like Lumley, and other horror masters such as Stephen King, Niswander makes use of a point of view that shifts from section to section, building suspense by giving the reader a series of limited snapshots of the proceedings. The novel, set in Niswander's home stomping ground of the American Southwest, interweaves several subplots for a complex but effective hybrid between horror and espionage. Lovecraftian images--unnatural fog, weird mutants, and nasty subterranean creatures plotting to destroy the world--are combined with a secret military installation, a natty private detective, a strong-willed woman, the history of an old mine, and more.

And as horror critic Stefan Dziemianowicz writes, "in contrast to its Lovecraftian models, The Sand Dwellers is a novel in which human interests and concerns do have significance, and moral choices are still possible despite the cosmic horrors that mock them." --Fiona Webster

Genre: Horror