Next up, Burrowers Beneath, by Brian Lumley. This is the first edition from DAW, published in 1974. That is important, because it is this versions excellent cover painting by Tim Kirk that Gary Gygax cites as providing the very basic inspiration for the Mind Flayer.

The story itself…I just read it and would say that it is a fun read if you go in for the camp and a terrible read if you are expecting Lovecraftian horror. It is sort of “Quatermass, but occult and silly.” Two occultists, Titus Crow and Henri-Laurent de Marigny, stumble upon a plot by the Cthonians – titanic, telepathic burrowing land squid – to take over the world and free Cthulhu. The content of Lovecraft’s stories are not just presented as fact, but as well known, so there are endless unpronounceable names dropped and plenty of what we’d call fan service today. In fact, most of the book consists of the two shouting their way through the mystery whilst drinking large amounts of alcohol (so much so that the narrator actually has a “not that we’re alcoholics or anything” moment). Apparently, Titus Crow comes back as a cyborg in the next novel. Totally serious.

It is a romp, basically. So much so that I can’t honestly believe that it served as much inspiration for the Call of Cthulhu RPG, but it probably did. Cthonians are in the game, for one. And the novel not only hits the basic investigatory beats of CoC, the approach to magic feels similar and there is even a world spanning Anti-CCD secret organization (CCD is in the book – its stands for Cthulhu Cycle Diety, and the Wilmarth Foundation is dedicated killing them).

So, if you’re looking for a cosmic horror novel about the insignificance of humanity, take a pass. If you want a delirious, off the rails, beer soaked novelization of a Call of Cthulhu session from hell, boy do I have a book for you!