Donald Wandrei (1908–1987)

It's remarkable that something with a heavy subject like "our gods hate us" could be so much fluff. This book is an H.P. Lovecraft imitation, both in its overwrought prose and its cosmic-horror storyline, and that's not an unjustified slur. Wandrei was part of Lovecraft's circle, the author even dedicates the book to him, and he frequently reads like he is trying to impress his mentor rather then develop his own story.

However there is one chapter that stood out. At one point a rake trying to avoid the law accidentally picks up the McGuffin and flees the country on a ship. There he is attracted to a beautiful woman whom he seems to recognize as a fellow scofflaw. Their whole night is a kind of feverish foreplay interrupted by vengeful ghosts implied to be brought on by the McGuffin. The whole chapter is just great. The writing is tense, the atmosphere drips with a sexy dread, the dialogue is pithy. I understand Wandrei wrote mystery novels so it's a shame he didn't just flesh this chapter out into a novel length supernatural noir, like a great episode of Tales from the Crypt.… (more)