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Review: Sinbad and the Great Old Ones by Gavin Chappell

Sinbad and the Great Old Ones by Gavin Chappell
Schlock! Publications
2016

The exotic and fantastical adventures of Sinbad have thrilled readers for generations, while the cosmic horror of the Cthulhu Mythos has ensnared just as many for almost as long. Never would I have envisioned the two existing together in one story...until now.

Sinbad has experienced many adventures and would like nothing more than a quiet respite at his estate to enjoy the spoils of his youth. The Caliph poses an innocuous errand: collect his soon to be daughter-in-law and bring her back to Baghdad. The Mad Poet also covets the princess, for her blood holds a secret lineage that not even the princess is aware of.

Several companions will share Sinbad's search for the Mad Poet and the Princess: the prince, the Persian scholar, the headstrong female slave, and the Samarkand lawman. They will travel through deserts and ruins, fly in a dirigible, become marooned, and get arrested as spies. They will fight ghouls, cannibals, and giant spiders. Always just one step behind as their enemy collects fragments of the Sign of Koth from temples around the Near and Far East.

I was completely ignorant of this book until very recently. Someone had shared this on Facebook which spurred interest from many fans including myself. Gavin Chappell has written an interesting mash-up with unrelenting action and short chapters; leaving you on the edge of your seat. It totally gripped me. The pacing reminded me of many Burroughs books I have read. While I have not delved into the Cthulhu Mythos very deeply, I feel that fans of the Mythos will readily pick up on all of the references found within the story.

Clocking in at 285 pages the paperback has a good heft to it. Print-to-order from Schlock! Publications and Amazon with a nice glossy cover featuring art by Bendukiwi and Maxfield Parrish. A welcome addition to my personal library.