Arkham Files: A Hybrid Blend

The world of the Cthulhu Mythos, an invention of the horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, has been almost since its inception a collaborative effort. Lovecraft corresponded regularly with other writers, notably Clark Ashton Smith and August Derleth. They later became known as the "Lovecraft Circle." They all contributed to the mythology and sometimes referenced each other's works in their stories. The process has continued to this day. In my stories, I've borrowed elements from many Mythos authors while also adding characters and concepts that are generally not found in Lovecraft's fiction.

Laban Shrewsbury is a case in point. He was created by August Derleth in his series of short stories, The Trail of Cthulhu, set in the 1920s and 1930s. As Derleth envisioned him, Laban was an anthropologist and professor of philosophy at Miskatonic University. Laban visited an ancient library on Celaeno in Derleth's stories and one of his assistants was named Andrew Phelan. The timeline worked well for my stories which are set in 1975. I took those key elements and spun an alternate history for Laban, Andrew, and their descendants.

In Chapter 1 of Cinereous Skies, the account of Laban's trip to Celaeno was my invention. Thaddeus Shrewsbury, Phineas Dittlesworth, and Lavinia Armitage are also original characters. Miskatonic University and Arkham were created by Lovecraft, but algolnium, the planet Merope, and its inhabitants are Arkham Files creations. Many of the characters in Lovecraft's stories were professors at Miskatonic. Unknown languages and indecipherable scripts figured prominently in many of his tales. I retained those features and added many of my own, including an optimistic outlook, a dash of humor, and a hero who is lucky to have supportive friends. Romance does not figure in Lovecraft's stories, but it does in mine.

My apologies to any Lovecraft purists who are offended by the mix. In my defense, I call upon Diana Berrigan and the stated purpose of Arkham Files. Diana is an agent at White Collar who is writing Arkham Files as part of a strategy to bring a cybercriminal nicknamed Azathoth to justice. The criminal organization he works for is called Ydrus. Diana views the cybercriminal Azathoth and the traditional Lovecraft horror story as two of a kind. She created the Ymar, a race of hostile aliens, to represent Ydrus. To battle Lovecraft's pessimism, Diana has let her mind wander into the fields of science fiction and fantasy. Star Trek with its vision of alien races working together inspired her to create the Celaenians and Meropians. As a counterweight to the menacing creatures created by Mythos writers, such as ghasts and zoogs, Neal and his friends will meet alien creatures who aren't hostile, and some, such as the chittaks, who are downright lovable.

Arkham Files page with non-spoiler summaries
Inside the Arkham Files Vault for summaries with spoilers

Cinereous Skies on Archive of Our Own
Cinereous Skies on FanFiction