The Tindalos Cycle

THE TINDALOS CYCLE, edited by Robert M. Price, Hippocampus Books, $20, 364 pages, ISBN: 9780981488851, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

It’s strange how some books will cause you to dig up old memories and force you to remember times past. This time it’s one of those good memories. In the 1970s I was privileged to be a member of the Esoteric Order of Dagon, an amateur press association dedicated to the works of Lovecraft and the other Mythos writers. Most of the members were scholars in the field and I was there because of my love of the fiction they had written.

During this time, Ben Indick passed Frank Belknap Long’s address to me and we had a too brief correspondence. Long did autograph some books for me as well as answering the letters in his own hand. He even arranged for Arkham to send a copy of IN MAYAN SPLENDOR. He was a wonderful, giving person. Sadly, most of the mannerly gentlemen are long gone, but their literary creations live on.

This collection brings together Longs’ tales of the hounds from another dimension and time that only move in angles – much like the knight in Chess. Here, too, are tales by others (Block, Campbell, Carter, and the editor) who have taken the nature of the beasts and given them more teeth. Price also gives us stories from Robert W. Chambers – whose classic THE KING IN YELLOW is not to be missed; and, Ambrose Bierce – whose life and writings are still shrouded in mystery.

All of the stories are masterpieces and Price adds to the charm of the book with his insightful introduction to the book and each story. Books like this do not come along often enough and one needs to grab them when they do. Order this from your local bookseller or order direct from www.hippocampuspress.com. As Long stated about the hounds, “They are hungry and athirst!” You will be too once you sit down to devour this collection.