Dark Origins

The Collected Novellas, Volume I (Arkham Horror Series)

By: Dave Gross, Graeme Davis, Richard Lee Byers, Chris A. Jackson

Narrated by: Todd Menesses

Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

The Ancient Ones are coming to consume our world, and only the bold investigators of Arkham Horror stand in their way in this chilling collection of eldritch novellas.

Hour of the Huntress by Dave Gross - The mysterious disappearance of dilettante Jenny Barnes's beloved sister triggers a frantic search through Arkham's darkest shadows.

The Dirge of Reason by Graeme Davis - For federal agent Roland Banks, investigating a bizarre incident exposes him to the supernatural horrors of Arkham.

Ire of the Void by Richard Lee Byers - The astronomer and professor Norman Withers finds himself the subject of a strange creature's gaze when he agrees to assist in a fellow scientist's weird experiment.

The Deep Gate by Chris A Jackson - Sailor Silas Marsh must return to Innsmouth and confront his harrowing nightmares when he stumbles on a tome foretelling the end of the world.

©2021 Fantasy Flight Games (P)2022 Tantor

Meh.

it's very PG, alot of plot armor, and too much character development. the. characters in short cosmic horror stories like this are not supposed to be important, what happens to them, what they see and experience is the story.....all that classic cosmic horror short story style is trying to be there but missing the mark. these stories are not bad objectively but they are a little too soft for me. people escaping from some pretty insane situations that none of Lovecrafts protagonists would have even attempted let alone survived. if you absolutely love the cthulu mythos I think you may enjoy these, like I said they are not bad, they just don't seem to take themselves seriously. not my cup of tea.

Refreshingly LOVECRAFT!

DARK ORIGINS

I wish all Cthulhu mythos compilations were this good.

I’M SO TIRED!
I can’t believe what melodramatic drivel passes for most collections of ‘Mythos stories’ these days involving none of the creatures haunting Lovecraft’s mythos. A large pie-slice of “NEW Mythos Tales" push pointless scribblings of unlikable people going aimlessly insane. I mean, do any of these supposedly 'neo-lovecraftian writers' actually READ Lovecraft?

I'M HAPPY!
However, this collection, DARK ORIGINS, is all about Lovecraft’s literature.

WHERE?
Each tale is directly related to Lovecraft’s world - actually taking place in towns / universities from Lovecraft’s fiction.

WHEN?
The stories all take place in the time when Lovecraft wrote his work - 1920 or so.

WHAT?
In these tales Lovecraft’s things-that-cannot-be are physically, NOT symbolically, invading our time/space seeking to work their alien actions.

WHO?
Characters here are interesting & become involved in mysterious situations the solving of which brings them face to nameless-face with one, or more, of Lovecraft’s indescribable horrors. Yet,THESE authors do their best to actually describe what-should-not-be, so there’s no absence of shuddering scenes that will keep you up.

WHY?
As far as I can tell, these are written to give you a thrill like you got reading Lovecraft for the first time. They go THERE and show you THAT. Worth listening to.

NARRATION:
Narrated by Todd Menesses - Great professional story reading without over-acting & never "gettin' in da' way of da' tale."


Oh, what a refreshing change from all those “New Cthulhu Tales” ( without any Cthulhu )!

A fun ride into the Lovecraftian world for all

Arkham Horror Dark Origins is an easy to read, fun, and clean book to read. It's simple writing and prose style makes for an easy read for any age. It's toned down language and violence makes this a great anthology for anyone.

Fun tales in the Lovecraft mythos

I enjoyed these stories and it was a good spot to give the world and stories a try in a few small doses. The stories vary and give a good sampling. I found them all enjoyable, not expecting a genre defining experience, but stories in the vein of the pulp era that they are set in. There are pacing issues in all three stories, but it is a fair trade in that world building that is done. The narrator is good, though his accents have a tendency to get confuses. It is especially noticeable in the first story when both a French and German accented characters are talking in the same scene. Even later a German might sound more French or even Russian at times. It was noticeable enough but it didn't take me out of the story as you suspend disbelief to be able to enjoy stories like this. If you are interested in the Arkham Horror series this is a good place to get a taste of the world and a good way to spend some time.

Interesting takes on the Lovecraft mythos, but a shame about the narrator

I’ll never understand why male angels can’t take a little time to research the books they are going to perform. This narrator butchers French, he butchers the names of the books love craft created And his accents on laughable. It’s really a shame because the stories are great. Luckily the stories are good enough but the bad narration doesn’t attract so much, at least this reader, to give up on the stories.

Interesting stories

Enjoyed the stories and the way they linked together. It reminded me of Lovecraft. Would recommend it to others.

Stories are great but the Maine/New England accents are lol

Stories are fun. If you like lovecraftian pulp novellas it’s why you even stopped to look at this title. Good for playing while you’re doing something else.

Reading is clear, cadence and emotional registering is good. The occasional word is pronounced with some creative license but that’s fine.

But the accents leave something to be desired. Admittedly, the Maine accent is probably the most difficult of any English speaking accent to mimic; I was born in Maine, I would know. I can’t even get it right and I still have some family alive with that characteristic accent.

But when a Maine fisherman’s accent dips in and out of cockney, Australian, Irishmen, Bostonian, pirate, and John f kennedy in the same page of reading you just have to laugh 😂.

Great for fans of Arkham horror or HPL Mythos

This was pretty good. I am a big fan of anything Arkham horror & HPL mythos related so it was either I listen to it or buy the book to read. This is a collection of the 1st 4 novellas focused on Arkham investigators & their experiences with mythos related occurrences. Some of the stories are better then others, but all of them fit very well in relation to the games & goings-on in Lovecraft country. The narration was good- there were quite a few accents that were done & most were alright. Although when voicing a German in one story I heard slips of Scottish & Irish as well.
Overall a good choice if you're in to this kind of thing!