Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born on 20 August 1890. As I am a huge fan of H.P.L and his circle of writer-friends and the Mythos tales they wrote, and since my birthday also falls in mid-August, “August is for Lovecraft!”[i]
Lovecraft’s most oft-quoted couplets inspired the title of this novel:
That is not dead which can eternal lie,
And with strange aeons even death may die.[ii]
And, oh boy, are there some strange aeons here.
§
Strange Eons was written by Robert Bloch and first published in June 1978, in hardback, by Whispers Press.
A year later (June 1979), Pinnacle Books released a paperback edition. It is this paperback edition which is under consideration in this post.
§
Robert Bloch was born on 05 April 1917. The author of over a hundred short stories and dozens of novels, he is most popularly known for his Psycho. He was presented with numerous awards for his work,
For the purpose of this short post, however, we shall limit our interest to a few comments on Bloch’s interactions with Lovecraft.
Bloch’s introduction to H. P. Lovecraft began when Bloch was still a child. Being an avid reader of the pulp magazine, Weird Tales, Bloch first encountered Lovecraft’s works at the age of ten years. Lovecraft’s writing connected with Bloch in a way traditional authors could not.
In 1933, Bloch first wrote to Lovecraft. This began a long and happy correspondence that would last until Lovecraft’s death in 1937. Sadly, the two never met. This was in part due to the times—The Great Depression, and in part due to Lovecraft’s relative poverty. Ironically, he was planning to visit Bloch later in 1937. He never got the chance
Lovecraft acted as an inspiration and graciously encouraged Bloch’s efforts in weird fiction and recommended he contact other members of Lovecraft’s circle. Very soon after graduating high school, Bloch sold his first story to Weird Tales in July 1934; the first of many such sales. “The Feast in the Abbey” appeared in the January 1935 issue.
He never forgot Lovecraft’s support and kindness to him and stated that he owed his career as an author to H.P. Lovecraft. Regarding the novel here under consideration, Strange eons, in an interview in 1983, the interviewer asked Bloch whether he wrote Strange eons as an homage to Lovecraft? Bloch responded with:
Yes. It was a book that I wanted to do for a long time. You see, when I started, I wrote things in Lovecraft's style. Most writers imitate a style to begin with, while they develop their own. So, I wondered, since I read so many other imitations of Lovecraft, what would happen if I could write a book in the Lovecraftian tradition, using my own style. Nobody had done that before. I'm afraid I'm not always that commercial, but I felt it was something that I had to do.[iii]
Bloch is pictured below with his award from the 1st. Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Awards Luncheon held on 05 December 1976.[iv]
Robert Bloch died on 23 September 1994 at the age of 77 in Los Angeles, California.
§
Strange Eons is structured as if three separate, but interwoven, novellas (rather than a single plotted novel). Each of the three parts follows a different person; each tale possessing a different flavor. Each person pursues clues as established in Lovecraft’s writings; coming to understand Lovecraft’s stories as truth . . . as warnings of a potential future.
Part I—NOW
Shuddering, he stared at what lay off the starboard bow. It was horrifyingly familiar, and for a moment he thought he was experiencing déjà vu. Then he realized that he was gazing at what Lovecraft had so vividly and accurately described in his story—the tip of a single muddy peak upthrust from the ocean depths, atop of which towered a mountainous mass of masonry rising to a monolith formed by gigantic blocks of slime-green stone.
It was R’lyeh, and it was real.
Albert Keith, a wealthy collector of outré art, is drawn into a globe-spanning conspiracy much against his will. In his investigations, he discovers that Lovecraft’s stories were not fiction at all, but rather warnings of cataclysm, couched in fiction.
Too late, Albert realized that he was not the author writing this tale. Rather, he was a character in a tale written by another. He was being moved by some unknown hand, for some unknown reason. He paid the price for this too-late realization with his life, his sanity, and probably his soul.
Part II—LATER
…evoked images of other worlds, lifeless planets, dead and distant suns, moving like motes of dust in the empty infinity of outer space, which in itself was dying. This is the way the world ends—not with a bang, not even with a whimper, but with a whisper. A whisper lost in darkness.
In this second part, Albert’s ex-wife, Kay Keith, takes up center stage. Striving to discover Albert’s fate, she begins retracing his steps. In uncovering what he knew, she comes to realize that Lovecraft did not write fiction. Kay is made the guest of a secret international organization—Project Arkham—that opposes the forces of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Utterly defeated, Kay is offered up as sacrifice to Great Cthulu.
Albert was the lucky one.
Part III—SOON
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and the time of strange eons had arrived. The stars were right, the gates were open, the seas swarmed with immortal multitudes and the earth gave up its undead.
Soon the winged ones from Yuggoth would swoop down from the void and now the Old Ones would return—Azazoth and Yog-Sothoth, whose priest he was, would come to lightless Leng and Kadath in the risen continents that were transformed as he was transformed.
He stirred, and the walls surrounding him splintered and fell forward.
He breathed, and Nyarlathotep vanished into nothingness, clutching the tiny toy that was the Trapezohedron.
He waved, and the waters below surged upward, boiling and beckoning.
He rose, and mountains trembled, sinking into the sea.
Time stopped.
Death died.
And Great Cthulhu went forth into the world to begin his eternal reign.
This third and final “novella” opens 25 years later and follows Mark Dixon, a 24-year-old budding journalist. After a massive natural disaster, it is revealed to Mark that he was actually the bastard product of the unholy union of Kay Keith and Great Cthulhu. How the previous two parts lead into this moment are explained.
Mark opens the way for Cthulhu to be reborn into the world and the stars become right.
§
Many of Bloch’s tales were heavily dependent on the works of Lovecraft. They build upon and expand on Lovecraft’s works. Today, we might label such tales as fanfiction, or maybe pastiches of Lovecraft’s own stories. For clarity’s sake, a pastiche is a tale written in imitation of another author’s style, irrespective of story or plot or even intent; can be mocking or respectful. A work of fanfiction, however, uses elements from a previous work as a starting point to build upon or expand the original piece. Lastly, homage shows respect to the subject of the homage. A work created by an admirer to honor the one admired.
By his own admission, Bloch wrote Strange Eons as homage to Lovecraft. In addition, according to Douglas Draa, after penning numerous tales in Lovecraft’s world, Strange Eons was:
. . . Robert Bloch’s final tribute to his friend and mentor “H.P. Lovecraft”. To my knowledge, Mr. Bloch never wrote another Chtulhu Mythos story after this novel. I figure that that is reasonable seeing that he brings the entire “Cthulhu Mythos” to an end in this book. Yep, in the novel, the Stars are finally right![v]
§
Strange Eons is not a pastiche per se, written in Bloch’s own style, or even a work of fanfiction. It is Bloch’s homage to his friend, colleague, mentor and writing-collaborator, H. P. Lovecraft. Complementing this, Strange Eons is also Bloch’s final word on the Cthulhu Mythos where he brings it all to a close.
For Bloch, the stars were finally right.
References
Print Resources
Bloch, Robert, Strange Eons. Pinnacle Books: Los Angeles, 1979.
Digital Resources
Online Resources
Draa, Douglas. “Strange Eons.” Uncle Doug’s Bunker of Vintage Horror Paperbacks. Blogger. 13 January 2013. Web. 28 August 2018. http://uncledougsbunkerofhorror.blogspot.com/2013/01/strange-eons.html
Haefele, John D. “H. P. Lovecraft’s letters to Robert Bloch: End of era begins another.” Allied Authors of Wisconsin. Wordpress.com. 28 January 2015. Web. 26 August 2018. https://allied-authors.org/2015/01/28/h-p-lovecrafts-letters-to-robert-bloch-end-of-era-begins-another/
Haney, J. Keith. “Review: Strange Eons.” Innsmouth Free Press. Web. 29 August 2018. http://www.innsmouthfreepress.com/blog/review-strange-eons/
Hart, William. “12 1st. Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Awards Luncheon 05-Dec-76 Robert Bloch with His Award (Detail).” Flickr. 10 September 2010. Web. 29 August 2018. https://www.flickr.com/photos/cthulhuwho1/4998786359/in/photostream/
Lofficier, Randy & Jean-Marc. “Interview with Robert Bloch.” The Unofficial Robert Bloch Website. Web. 29 August 2018. http://mgpfeff.home.sprynet.com/lofficier_interview1.html
The Library of America. “What Robert Bloch owes to H. P. Lovecraft.” Reader’s Almanac. Blogger. 23 September 2010. Web. 26 August 2018. http://blog.loa.org/2010/09/what-robert-bloch-owes-to-h-p-lovecraft.html
Wikipedia contributors. "Robert Bloch." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 July 2018. Web. 29 August 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bloch
[i] Yes, I know it’s September and I’m late. Gimme a break.
[ii] From Lovecraft’s “The Nameless City” (1921).
[iii] Lofficier. “Interview with Robert Bloch.” The Unofficial Robert Bloch Website.
[iv] Hart. “12 1st. Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Awards Luncheon 05-Dec-76 Robert Bloch with His Award (Detail).” Flickr.
[v] Draa. “Strange Eons.” Uncle Doug’s Bunker of Vintage Horror Paperbacks. 13 January 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment