The Elder Ice: A Harry Stubbs Adventure

De: David Hambling

Narrado por: Brian J. Gill

In this novella set in 1924 London, ex-boxer Harry Stubbs is on the trail of a mysterious legacy. A polar explorer has died, leaving huge debts and hints of a priceless find. His informants seem to be talking in riddles, and Harry soon finds he isn't the only one on the trail - and what he's looking for is as lethal as it is valuable. The key to the enigma lies in an ancient Arabian book and it leads to something stranger and more horrifying than Harry could ever imagine.

Harry may not be an educated man, but he has an open mind, the bulldog persistence and fists like pile drivers - useful assets when you're boxing the darkest of shadows.

The story of mystery and horror draws on H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and is inspired by Ernest Shackleton's incredible real-life adventures.

©2014 David Hambling (P)2016 David Hambling

Humorous, action packed listen

I really enjoyed this story. It's full of action, adventure and humor. The narration is excellent. I received a review copy at my request and voluntarily reviewed.

Great short story

Nice Cthulhu-esque short story. I hope the rest of the series are this well done.

A Great Lovecraftian Adventure

I’m a big fan of Lovecraftian horror books, so this (with its great cover artwork) piqued my interest. I’m glad I took a chance on it as I enjoyed it quite a bit. 

The action scenes were probably my favorite part of the book. I’m usually picky about how the action scenes are described and portrayed as it can make or break a book for me, but thankfully, the author David Hambling did a great job depicting the fights that Harry Stubs finds himself partaking in.

I also found the story’s progression and pacing to be well executed. The buildup of the characters and their backstories lead to a great final chapter that was well worth it. The only criticism I could think of was it was too short. Hopefully its future books expand on the story, and the main character Harry Stubs, even further.

I found Brian J. Gill’s performance to be very good. He exceled at the different accents between characters and made it a joy to listen to. I’ll be adding him to my list of Narrators to consider when making future purchases.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

The best Cthulhu adventure in years

THE ELDER ICE is a short investigative novel which is either set in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft or somewhere very similar. It's very much like a Call of Cthulhu tabletop adventure with the premise of a solictor finding out about a man's possible occult encounters from his estate relics. In this case, I was genuinely surprised to find out it was set in the Cthulhu Mythos and kind of feel bad for bringing it up except I think it will encourage people who wouldn't read the novel normally to give it a shot.

The novel doesn't waste much time and doesn't deal with much actual occult content but deals, more, with the implications of it. Basically, this is a novel about an expedition to Antarctica which never actually gets to Antarctica. It might be resolved in future volumes but I felt a little disappointment there. On the other hand, I liked the Maltese Falcon-esque quest between multiple factions to determine if there's anything worth actually going to Antarctica for.

Harry is an enjoyable everyman protagonist who isn't quite educated enough in theology, biology, physics, or other matters to understand the implications of what he's encountering. He's too "normal" of a person to be effected by it the way a hardened scientist or warrior might be. Still, he's likable enough and I want to pick up the rest of the series because of it.

I appreciated the research done into concepts like the search for the North Pole and the horrific human cost involved in exploring Antarctica. I also like the serious question over whether the man who "might" have found the city of the Elder Things (which might not actually be the Elder Things but an entirely different race which inspired H.P. Lovecraft's writings) was just delusional or even the subject of a fantasy by his own investors desperate to recoup their losses by believing he found more than he did. The ambiguity works well and I liken it to a man who has a fragment of a UFO or a piece of the Holy Grail...or might not.

If I had any complaints, it's that this really does feel like the first half of a larger novel and it's instead more of an intimate journey rather than something big and epic. Sort of like how the Five Orange Pips ended not with Sherlock Holmes going out to fight the Ku Klux Klan in America but all of his enemies dying in a shipwreck.

The audio is excellent in this one and I appreciated the narrator's flourishes to make Harry come alive. No complaints whatsoever.

9/10

Brilliant! - I highly recommend this book!

The Eldar Ice: A Harry Stubbs Adventure ( book I )

"The Eldar Ice" = "At the Mountains of Madness"

I love Lovecraft.
I love H. P. Lovecraft. I discovered HP Lovecraft in high-shool, along with heavy metal music, and I have been an annoyingly enthusiastic fan of both ever since. I’ve read everything Lovecraft’s written.

Now I hunt for stories and books that take place in the literary mythology that he invented. In his life time Howard Phillips Lovecraft invited other writers to write with-in the worlds he created with his mythos characters, alien-gods, monsters and inter-dimensional - creatures, and thus he started an unending generation of literature in his dark universe. A feat no other writer has ever duplicated.

“The Eldar Ice” is one such book, and a very good one too.

I really enjoyed the lead character, Harry Stubbs. Harry is a retired boxer looking for another trade. His skills as a fighter, and his large muscular physique, make him a fresh take apart from the usual bookish professors in Lovecraft tales. Here’s a character who can punch his way out of a sticky mess, even one with very inhuman monsters.

What’s better than a creepy horror story in H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos? A creepy horror story in H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos with some action thrown in, I say! That is exactly what’s on the menu in these Harry Stubbs books.

Without sacrificing the mood, or the time period, in H.P. Lovecraft’s mythos original tales these stories all take place just after the turn of the century. Limited technology makes hunting the unknown so much creepier through dark foggy London streets.

It’s a smart well written story. Also of note; we are lucky to have a very good narrator make the tale come alive with out taking it over. The only problem I have with "The Eldar Ice: A Harry Stubbs Adventure" is that it’s too short.

I highly recommend this book.