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Twice Upon an Apocalypse: Lovecraftian Fairy Tales Kindle Edition

3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

These aren't your mother's fairy tales.


Throughout history parents have told their children stories to help them sleep, to keep them entertained. But we're pretty sure none of those parents had this in mind. These are the fairy tales that will give you and your children nightmares. From the darkest depths of Grimm and Anderson come the immortal mash-ups with the creations of HP Lovecraft.

These stories will scare and delight 'children' of all ages!

  • Introduction by Gary A Braunbeck
  • “The Pied Piper of Providence” by William Meikle
  • “The Three Billy Goats Sothoth” by Peter N Dudar
  • “Little Maiden of the Sea” by David Bernard
  • “The Great Old One and the Beanstalk” by Armand Rosamilia
  • “In the Shade of the Juniper Tree” by JP Hutsell
  • “The Horror at Hatchet Point” by Zach Shephard
  • “The Most Incredible Thing” by Bracken MacLeod
  • “Let Me Come In!” by Simon Yee
  • “The Fishman and His Wife” by Inanna Arthen
  • “Little Match Mi-Go” by Michael Kamp
  • “Follow the Yellow Glyph Road” by Scott T Goudsward
  • “Gumdrop Apocalypse” by Pete Rawlik
  • “Curiosity” by Winifred Burniston
  • “The Ice Queen” by Mae Empson
  • “Once Upon a Dream” by Matthew Baugh
  • “Cinderella and Her Outer Godfather” by CT Phipps
  • “Donkeyskin” by KH Vaughan
  • “Sweet Dreams in the Witch-House” by Sean Logan
  • “Fee Fi Old One” by Thom Brannan
  • “The King on the Golden Mountain” by Morgan Sylvia
  • “The Legend of Creepy Hollow” by Don D’Ammassa

Brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths

So what makes this Lovecraftian Fairy Tales anthology special?

William Meikle: Lovecraft was working on stirring some base emotions in the reader, asking us to reflect on the depth and wonder of the Universe around us. Fairy tales, whether from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or from the oral tradition are a similar means of tapping into something old and primal, and a fusion of both gives us added insight into how archetypes and myth might evolve in an age where the most frightening thing is ourselves.

Armand Rosamilia: The mashup of Lovecraft and fairy tales blended together way too easy. It makes you wonder... Reading through these stories you can see how the two parallel and fit nicely together, especially since the base for Cthulhu mythos and fairy tales are so dark and have that underlying gloom to them.

Tell us more about your horror short story.

William Meikle: I have a fascination with the power of music to affect changes in our mental, and physical, picture of how the world works at a basic level. THE PIED PIPER OF PROVIDENCE is one of my explorations of just that. Plus, it was a load of fun exploring how a modern city might respond to an age old menace.

Armand Rosamilia: What would happen if Jack's magic beans took him not to giants but to an infinitely worse creature? I tried to stay true to the fairy tale, which I hadn't read in many years. I was at once fascinated by how dark it was reading it as an adult. As a kid you miss the subtle darkness in this tale and I wanted to bring it to the forefront with my story. The readers will let me know if I've succeeded.

Why should readers give this horror anthology a try?

Armand Rosamilia: If you love fairy tales or Lovecraft or horror or reading or... There are so many levels to this anthology. So many stories you'll read and then go back to read the original fairy tale to gain a new perspective on what you remember (or thought you remember) as a child. I went back and read all of the original tales and was a bit creeped out. Adding Lovecraft to the mix only makes it better!


From the Publisher

Our anthologies include the likes of Clive Barker, Ramsey Campbell, Jack Ketchum, Edward Lee, Josh Malerman, Damien Angelica Walters, Orrin Grey , Brian Keene, Graham Masterton , Kathe Koja, Gemma Files, Lee Murray, Christopher Golden, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, Gary A. Braunbeck, Rick Hautala, Tim Curran, Elizabeth Massie, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Kevin Lucia, John Skipp, Mary SanGiovanni, Jonathan Janz, Glenn Rolfe, Jeff Strand, Rachel Autumn Deering, Patrick Lacey, Bev Vincent, John Palisano, Tim Waggoner, Lisa Morton, Rena Mason, Tim Lebbon, Aaron Dries, Richard Chizmar, Mark Allan Gunnells, Kenneth W. Cain, Kealan Patrick Burke, Gene O'Neill, Maria Alexander, Michael Bailey, Lucy A. Snyder, Jason Sizemore, Laird Barron, S.P. Miskowski, Gwendolyn Kiste, Seanan McGuire, Richard Thomas, Taylor Grant, Armand Rosamilia, Todd Keisling, John Boden, Chad Lutzke, Gary McMahon, Jasper Bark, Jeremy C. Shipp, John Claude Smith, Scott Nicholson, William Meikle, and many more.

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Blurb From the blood of Macbeth and the ghosts of Hamlet, to the dark fantasy of The Tempest and the twisted love of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Unleashed reimagines the Bard’s greatest works as short horror stories…as well as horror sonnets. Since the beginning of time, people have argued the meaning of dreams. Are they symbolic visions that hold great meaning and personal significance? Are they portals into other worlds? Or are they just a series of random events? Haunting podcast transcripts. Blood-soaked police reports. Bewildering court findings. Brace yourself for an anthology that resurrects the chilling power of epistolary fiction—where ordinary documents transform into vessels of absolute terror. Written by 37 of Horror’s greatest writers, Including 18 Bram Stoker Award Winners, this anthology features diverse voices from every walk of life as they usher you through the darkest and most profound questions of the modern age. Prepare yourself for a harrowing journey through Dastardly Damsels, an anthology that redefines horror with a powerful lineup of female authors. This one-of-a-kind collection gathers the chilling voices of horror’s most imaginative minds, presenting a rich blend of flash fiction, short stories, poetry, a suspenseful play, a novella, and even an illustrated comic book section.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Twice Upon an Apocalypse is one of the most refreshingly inventive, entertaining, thoughtful (and thought-provoking), not to mention unnerving anthologies I've read in years." - Gary A. Braunbeck

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071ZLM9P7
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crystal Lake Publishing (May 30, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 30, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 200 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
43 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2021
    *Review from my ten year old*
    The book was very good except some stories didn't really make sense to me. Like the Juniper Tree story. Why did the wife eat the baby? I think my favorite story was The Three Little Pigs. I like how the story sort of turned and the pigs tried to eat the wolf. I think the worst part was that the authors built up a story but the last part was sort of underwhelming. We don't really know what happened to the world. Who these bad people were.
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2017
    A series of short stories that lead you down a seemingly familiar path only to leave you alone and hunted in the dark forest of Gothic enchantment. A must read for fantasy and SciFi lovers. Highly reccomended.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017
    I was excited upon hearing the concept of this book, and being a fan of most everything related to Lovecraft and his mythos, I picked it up immediately. However, most of the stories, for me, were predictable and didn't seem to have much of required tone, dread, and suspense that it should have. There were a few stories that stood out among the others from writers J.P. Hutsell, Bracken Macleod, Winifred Burniston, and Matthew Baugh. The highlight that really nailed all the beats with creeping prose was the last story, "The Legend of Creepy Hollow" by Don D'Ammassa, who is no stranger to this subject matter and perhaps why his work stands out among the others. This collection certainly gets an A for effort, but only a C in results. Mild recommendation but credit must go to Crystal Lake Publishing for trying something new.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2018
    I don't generally read mash-ups. Every once in a while they can be cleverly done but, as Gary Braunbek states in the Introduction, they tend to work better as short stories rather than novels. The subtitle of 'Lovecraftian Fairy Tales' soon caught my eye and I eagerly offered myself...ok, I may have begged a bit.

    I can't say that I was disappointed at all. The stories are generally good and range from deadly serious to tongue firmly in cheek. There were a few stand-outs but none that made me roll my eyes in disbelief or bored me to tears. Each story, despite having common themes, was it's own creation and unique. I also enjoyed the fact that along with the more well-known fairy tales some were used which are rarely seen. I have to admit that I fully expected to see many stories by the Brothers Grimm. The Grimm Brothers are amply represented but so also is Charles Perrault and Hans Christian Anderson. There are also a couple well-known stories, even if the authors are not widely known. Even though I partly expected to see at least 'The Little Mermaid' show up in an Innsmouth story, indeed how could she not?  I was also pleased to see a few of the lesser known tales. I'm slightly biased towards Hans Christian Anderson's tales, I'll admit that right now.

    The stories are well-written but with such a narrow framework to write a story within (Lovecraftian fairy tales leading up to an apocalypse) constrains the creativity to a degree. You know pretty much how things will end (or begin) so the only mystery is how it's going to get there or be described. Some of the better stories made very good use of atmosphere. I'm also unsure of the submission process for the stories but with the wealth of both fairy tale and Lovecraft mythos there seems to be quite a bit of repetition in view. For instance, there are two separate stories about 'Jack and the Beanstalk'.They each go in their own directions but there should really be no need for two of the same story in the anthology. Also, with the amount of different locations mentioned in Lovecraft and the fairy tales themselves seem to limit themselves to fairly confined areas. Innsmouth and Dunwich are particular favorites.

    Since there are too many stories to go into them as deeply as I'd like I will sort them from best to least liked.

    Madness-Inducing (Best):

    The Pied Piper of Providence - William Meikle
    The Three Billy Goats Sothoth - Peter N. Dudar
    In the Shade of the Juniper Tree - J.P. Hutshell
    The Most Incredible Thing - Bracken MacLeod
    Let Me Come In! - Simon Yee
    The Fishman and His Wife - Inanna Arthen
    The Gumdrop Apocalypse - Pete Rawlik
    Curiosity - Winifred Burniston
    Sweet Dreams in the Witch House - Sean Logan
    The Legend of Creepy Hollow - DonD'Ammassa

    Mind-bending Angles (Good):

    The Horror at Hatchet Point - Zach Shephard
    Follow the Yellow Glyph Road - Scott T. Goudsward
    The Ice Queen - Mae Empson
    Once Upon a Dream - Matthew Baugh
    Donkeyskin - K.H. Vaughn
    The Great Old One and the Beanstalk - Armand Rosamilia

    Slightly Skewed (Meh):

    Little Maiden of the Sea - David Barnard
    The Little Match Mi-Go - Michael Kamp
    Cinderella and Her Outer Godfather - C.T. Phipps
    Fee Fie Old One - Thom Brannan
    The King of the Golden Mountain - Morgan Sylvia

    Even the stories that didn't thrill me were still pretty good. Oddly, I just noticed that despite my love for Hans Christian Anderson, those seem to be the ones that I rated lowest. Perhaps I couldn't separate the originals from the mixture. Because they were mixed well, I just couldn't get into them. Others may like them more so I would not discourage anyone from reading them. For those interested in Lovecraft or fairy tale mash-ups there is a lot to be liked here. So kick back and get ready for some familiar and comfortable cosmic horror. Although that may be an oxymoron.

    Received from the author at scifiandscary.com for review consideration
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017
    I’ve always been one for fairy tales, so when I saw that Crystal Lake Publishing was putting together a collection of Lovecraftian tales based on actual fairy tales I just knew I had to be on board to receive an ARC. Twice Upon an Apocalypse: Lovecraftian Fairy Tales does not disappoint! Using some familiar favorites along with some obscure tales as a springboard for some very unique twisted tales makes this collection a winner. I originally posted this review for a horror novel review site that I write for.

    Who better than William Meikle to begin the telling of tales? A man who in his own words says… “I’m just a big kid at heart. And therein lies my secret. I haven’t grown up.” just has to be the right candidate. Meikle gives us The Pied Piper of Providence, a chilling tale of what happens when you don’t pay the piper.

    Armand Rosamilia’s The Great Old One and the Beanstalk is a dark take on the original telling of Jack and his beanstalk. You won’t be finding any geese laying golden eggs here.

    Bracken MacLeod has written The Most Incredible Thing! Yes, that’s the title and it is quite an incredible story. Ah, fame, glory, all those things that will garner adoration that’s what Marcus Carter hopes to achieve, yet, we’ve been told time and again to be careful what you wish for. Marcus should have heeded this advice.

    Inanna Arthen gives us a wonderful twist on The Fisherman and His Wife. Henry and his wife, Luella were granted a modicum of rank under the new regime but for Luella, that just wasn’t enough; the greedy wench just didn’t know when to quit.

    Disney has made Sleeping Beauty such a soppy tale today, but Matthew Baugh with his Once Upon a Dream refashions this tale back to the grim, gory story the Brothers Grimm originally presented ala Lovecraft.

    As you can see by the TOC there are many more tales to cover, but I think you should read them yourself. They are all cleverly done and with a touch of Lovecraft transformed into tales that I wish were available to me as a child. Nothing here to induce nightmares but enough to sufficiently creep you out.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Yvonne
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy Tales with a Lovecraftian twist
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2017
    Like most people I grew up with fairy tales, and have always loved it when authors put their own twist to them. Each story is a different tale but have one thing in common, they all had a Lovecraftian theme.
    With 21 stories to capture your imagination, you be hard pressed to find a story that you don’t like. For this review, I am going to pick my favourites.
    Little Maiden of the Sea by David Bernard: Using the story of The Little Mermaid, the author tells the story of a female Deep one, who wants to live with humans. Reading this story, I had the feeling that both main characters used each other to get what they wanted in life. The added twist at the end left me wondering if the plan worked.
    The Horror of Hatchet Point by Zach Shephard: Based on Rumpelstiltskin and sticking very close to the original this story tells how Rumpelstiltskin uses the Queen to enable him to call forth Father Dagon. Whilst the character of Rumpelstiltskin is a hated child abductor, the author puts a spin on this character and explains the reasons behind his plan.
    Let Me Come In by Simon Yee: If you have read The Three Little Pigs, the wolf is the bad guy, however in this story, the wolf has just survived The Great War against the humans and is looking for food. His meeting with the three little pigs and a mysterious white symbol tells the story in a whole new light. It was different to read it from the point of view of the wolf and I did find it funny to hear the pigs swearing, as I am used to the original fairy tale. I liked how the wolf did not use his breath to destroy the houses.
    The Little Match Mi-Go by Michael Kamp: After the Old ones were released and destroyed the earth, it was left to the smallest of the Mi-Go to save the earth. This story follows this creature whilst it tries and find Ghatanothoa. Throughout this story I felt sorry for the little Mi-Go as I sensed the quest was hopeless, and I was willing it to survive.
    Writing this review, I found it hard to pick my favourites as every story was good. Not having read any of these authors previous works, I did not know what to expect but I have now added more authors to my list to read. I have not read any of HP Lovecraft, but this did not stop me enjoying this book. Lovecraft’s characters suited these fairy tales and returned them to the dark tales before Disney got hold of them. If you like your fairy tales dark or just a fan of Lovecraft then this is a great book to buy.

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