After the End of the World

By: Jonathan L. Howard

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's Summary

After the End of the World by Jonathan L. Howard brings the H. P. Lovecraft mythos into the 21st century.

The Unfolded World is a bitter and unfriendly place for Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft. In this world the Cold War never happened because the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1941. In this world the Nazi Großdeutschland is the premier superpower and is not merely tolerated but indulged because, in this world, the Holocaust happened behind the ruins of the Iron Curtain and consumed only Bolsheviks, Communists, and others the West was glad to see gone. In this world there are monsters, and not all of them are human.

But even in the Unfolded World, there are still bills to pay and jobs to do. Carter finds himself working for the German secret security service to uncover the truth behind a major scientific joint project that is going suspiciously well. The trail takes Lovecraft and him to a distant, abandoned island and a conspiracy that threatens everything. To fight it, Lovecraft must walk a perilously narrow path between forbidden knowledge and soul-destroying insanity.

Fortunately, she also has a shotgun.

This dark, captivating audiobook will send listeners into a twisted version of the world they will be thankful not to inhabit.

©2017 Jonathan L. Howard (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Fantastic fun, eldritch horrors, and a cliffhanger

Second entry in the series and it opens with a doozy -- WWII mostly averted by the destruction of Moscow by the Nazis. Which means our eponymous protagonists (Carter & Lovecraft) live in an alternative reality where the Nazis are a few decades into that promised thousand year Third Reich, the US never entered the war, Japan was never bombed, their was no Holocaust against the Jews but rather one against Bolsheviks and Communists, and Britain faded away without the heroics of that Great War (and thus the world is without the James Bond films). In this Unfolded World things are simultaneously similar and jarringly different -- there hadn't been the massive awakening for social justice without the impetus of the Holocaust, so wandering around the streets of America people look at you in horror if you use the "n word," only in this world the n word is Nazi (it's rude to call someone that just because they are in the party). Germany is an ally of the US and the great world power, and the US never rose to dominance and sadly never made it to television's golden age (much to Carter's dismay).

Carter & Lovecraft are making their way in this world, the former continuing as a PI and the latter still owner of a bookshop in the Unfolded World's version of Providence (Arkham). Yet again, the inhuman and ever-smiling Weston shows up and sets into motion another adventure, this time implicating German special agents, super-advanced science, and cosmic horrors. The book ends neatly, but with plenty of promise for another entry. Though left in the Unfolded World, there may be powers and knowledge in reach to return home. Now readers just have to wait patiently for Howard to deliver again.

Twilight Zone meets Night Stalker meets X-Files

Not only is the story’s plot gripping but the high quality of the writing and performance ensure maximum impact to the listener. In particular, Ari Fliakos’ delivery of the finely tuned rhythms of Howard’s rapid-fire prose are reminiscent of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone episode introductions. The result is deliciously stimulating to the intellect, creep-out receptors and funny bone in well-blended measures.

Lovecraft Noir!

Amazing. Narrator hooked me after one chapter. Story is great, and you end up loving the badass characters. Can't wait for the next book!

A bit aimless after the first

The cliffhanger from book 1 is immediately resumed in this second installation and we get to see what life is like on the other side of the fold.

Sadly, aside from the cool "oh, it's like THIS over here", there's not much interesting about it. It boils down to the Nazis never lost and the US treats them as equals.

Most of the story revolves around Carter & Lovecraft bumbling from one fateful encounter to another while being obviously manipulated from afar.

Although much DOES happen in this book, it doesn't feel like anything has really happened at all. We know a smidgen (and the tiniest of smidgens it is) more about what's going on behind the scenes, and Lovecraft grows a bit more into her own as a useful character (beyond being book smart). Carter, unfortunately, is pretty much the same, and is surprisingly incompetent in many situations which his background would lead you to believe he shouldn't be.

No cliffhanger here, just an obvious opening to anoher entry that I think I'll likely pass on.

Delicious pulp fiction/cosmic horror

JLH figured out a plausible way for an aryan Gestapo agent to pleadingly ask the black protagonist not to call him the "n-word" (Nazi). I'm pretty sure he wrote the rest of the plot just to setup that line. Totally worth it.

Interesting

Well, we are working on making the stories more complicated. Which in some ways is good and others not so good. Actually I have no complaint about it. It is a way to travel through the world of H. P. Lovecraft without having venture back into the old world. The alternate world concept is interesting.

Fantastic modern Cthulhu fix

Dying for future books in the series. Highly recommend the series. Start with Carter & Lovecraft

worth it for CoC and HPL fans

having read many of the stories, and played much of the table top game, I enjoyed this second book. esp as I sought to identify the 'players' before the characters .

loved it

this is the 2nd book in the series I've listened to, both are a fun story, ready for some more!

If you liked the first book

Then you will love this one. Carter is back and just as hard boiled as ever and Lovecraft is even more of a BAMF with her boom stick....there are fish monsters and scientists with guns. It was everything I wanted it to be.

A wonderful sequel

I loved this sequel to Carter & Lovecraft. The same great writing and great characters (Lovecraft especially comes to the fore), but it's a different kind of story, more of an adventure novel compared to the detective work of the previous book. I CANNOT wait for the 3rd book in the series. Hurry up publishers!!!

A Largely Successful Sequel

This next chapter in the Carter + Lovecraft story tells a different story than the one I imagined it would, but I really enjoyed it for the most part! In particular, I really loved Howard's vision of a world in which Germany won WWII. This has certainly been done a number of times before by other writers, but Howard successfully breathes fresh life into the concept. The Carter and Lovecraft characters have knowledge of both histories and therefore all of the big and small differences between the realities. These details really help to create a convincing alternate world! In addition to this, the way in which 'After The End Of The World' continuously makes callbacks and references to the first book was well executed and frankly refreshing. I have read sequels that gloss over the events of earlier instalments, or even alter their own continuity! This novel on the other have feels like a definite and solid continuation of the first story, hope Howard keeps this up as the books continue. For me, 'After The End Of The World' did suffer from the same problem that 'Carter + Lovecraft' did, in that the final dozen or so chapters of the book were muddled. The first three quarters of 'After The End Of The World' were very engrossing, if not sometimes a little cliched, but as it moved towards the finale, the narrative became more confused or lost. This is particularly true of the ending to the book, which came too far out of left field in my opinion and I did not enjoy it. This is still a successful sequel in my view, it never feels filler-y like some sequels in a series can and I am eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

Offbeat, fun and well written

Scifi, Fantasy, Lovecraftian and alternate history all in one. This was a really fun romp. Elements of Lovecraft but not horror, per se. Glad I read it.

Great Book

Very different. Well written. Fantastic characters. Not horror or Lovecraft, not fantasy or a detective novel but a great mix of all of those elements. It flows very nicely on from Carter and Lovecraft, the first book in the series, and leaves the listener longing for more.

great 2nd visit

Great follow up to first book , Howard captures the mythos well and accompanies it with good story in the man in the high tower genre.

Good sequel, promises more to come

Good sequel, promises more to come. Decent level of knowledge and influence of HP Lovecraft and an interesting alternative reality setting

A good read but a missed opportunity.

The first book in the series was engaging and inventive and very enjoyable. This book reads a bit more like a standard occult adventure book. Still enjoyable but nazis and zero point energy feels a bit Indiana Jones. That is not to insult the writer, for whom I have a lot of respect the writing is excellent. I feel that more could have been made of the fold and could have gone in a different direction and avoided some tropes (eg the mysterious appearing lawyer/quest giver). The narrator is very good and a great choice for the books.

wonderful!

I loved this. Emily Lovecraft truly rocks! Funny, creepy and dramatic by turns. Great stuff.

A good listen

more of an adventure than the last books crime/horror mash up. good all the same.

Easy listening and fun

Quite a fun listen playing on the lovecraft mythos and parallel worlds but gets a bit too technical with the weaponcraft