Work IS still continuing on Desert of Zin (the story, not the site…)

However, it is progressing at a snail’s pace, as you may have guessed from the title of the post.

Since the beginning of the year I’ve threatened to quit a dozen times and each time I’ve been inspired to write more shortly after.  Seems to be the way it’s working at the moment.

Still, progress is progress and chapters two and three are taking shape quite nicely.  The follow-up to The Bandstand is on indefinate hiatus and has been since that “first chapter” was finished.  My plans for that were never concrete anyway, and the greater storyline was always just at the concept stages.

Despite it not going anywhere it remains the piece if work I’m most proud of.

Burrowers is the first book in a series of six that he wrote for the Cthulhu Mythos.  Lumley is is better known for the Necroscope series of horror novels (it’s what I knew him for at any rate).

The Burrowers Beneath is my favourite of Lumley’s Mythos work but, even then, I feel that it’s not as good a Cthulhu Mythos tale as it could be.

The story deals with Titus Crow, who has interests in the more uncanny aspects of the world around him, and his erstwhile Dr Watson, Henri-Laurent de Marigny, and their involvement in discovering and thwarting the hideous machinations of the Great Old One, Shudde-Mell.

I’ll admit that, while it’s a great read, it doesn’t really fit in with my visions of the Cthulhu Mythos.  Lovecraft heroes were scholars or artists, and tended to reel in terror against the unescapable insanity of what they faced.  I always prefered this, the realisation of their being helpless in the face of unspeakable evil.  All my favourite Mythos stories followed that theme.

But with Lumley, his characters are able and well-versed in occult lore.  They are aware, for the most part, of what they’re up against and are armed with incantations, elixirs, the Star Stones of Mnar (the mere presence of which repels even the most foul of creatures) and the resources of an organisation, The Wilmarth Foundation, dedicated to the eradication of all things Mythos.  This is no bad thing but I think it reduces the scale of the cosmic horror they’re up against.  It becomes manageable and controlled.

And that just isn’t the Mythos.

So, I would recommend the book heartily.  It’s a great read.

But as a Cthulhu Mythos story?  It could have been better…

Ages ago (October last year, I think) I wandered in to the Games Workshop in Glasgow and (because I am an unrepentant geek) I bought a single Grey Knight Space Marine Terminator with the idea that it would be fun to paint.

To explain, when in my teens I had extensively played Warhammer 40K (an Eldar army and a Genestealer Cult, but not at the same time), enjoyed Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and dabbled in Warhammer Fantasy Battle (with my impressively unpainted Skaven army).

Recently I’ve been getting back into my gaming in a serious way with semi-regular Call of Cthulhu games with Guy Incognito and Charming Manipulator. Before that I spent some time playing Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars (very possibly the greatest Customisable Card Game ever produced) and Call of Cthulhu (the card game, not the role-playing game).

All good fun, but it’s just not table-top. Table-top gaming is just sooooooooooooooo much more fun. And it’s not just the playing of the game. It’s the choosing/painting/customising of the models that’s all part of it. And other forms of gaming just don’t compare.

Hey what can I say, I’m a geek…