I can't say anything without being a spoiler. Writing and characters are good, but the real bomb is the plot. Thoroughly intrigued and confused at the same time. Excellent! ( )

I did myself no favors taking so long to get to this novel, though ultimately it really doesn't matter, because this series appears to be dead. That said, you come for the relationship of Carter & Lovecraft, as while Howard's take on mixing Nazis and Cthulhu isn't bad, Charlie Stross has done this sort of thing so much better. Still, if by some chance Howard got the chance to write a complete trilogy, I'd be happy to read it. ( )

What happened? The first book was great while the story of this book never caught my interested and if it weren't for Carter & Lovecraft chemistry and banter wouldn't have bothered finishing the book.

The idea of the book, an alternative world where the Nazis won is a good one, but alas I never found myself truly enjoying the book. Not sure, that I want to read more books in this series... ( )

What happened? The first book was great while the story of this book never caught my interested and if it weren't for Carter & Lovecraft chemistry and banter wouldn't have bothered finishing the book.

The idea of the book, an alternative world where the Nazis won is a good one, but alas I never found myself truly enjoying the book. Not sure, that I want to read more books in this series... ( )

I can’t say I loved it, but I can’t say I was disappointed either. This is like a reasonable love letter to Lovecraftian mythology, especially in the setup. Note the keyword “reasonable”: it doesn’t really go into much depth or does much with the mythos.

I love the characters and the banter they share. The setup is fantastic too, especially the alternate reality with Nazis. I love the university and island settings; they felt like classic Indiana Jones adventures with that same mood of slight cheeriness and pep.

Sadly, the pacing is off. The story meanders for the first two thirds with not much happening. The third act, while full of action, doesn’t really feel cohesive. Why were the Deep Ones there? Is Mr. Weston Nyarlathotep? Whatever happened to the other characters? Whatever happened to the British soldiers’ sacrifices?

Nothing really matters, and maybe that’s the point the narrative makes, that it’s all inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. But as a reader I’d have liked a faster-paced story with more Lovecraftian entities and depth.

I’m giving this 4 stars though, as I absolutely loved the shit out of the sheer sense of adventure and joy it brought. But please, fix the pacing for the next one! ( )