Daniel Carter and Emily Lovecraft return--is that correct? They're back on the page, but their entire world has changed. This second installment in the series is about both The Plot and their adjustment to a world in which Nazis still openly exist and the Holocaust never happened. This title will take them to the edge of the world, but will they ever get back home? And do they want to go there anyway? Not as engrossing as the series opener, but still a good read.

A few months after the explosive events of Carter & Lovecraft, our heroes—former cop Dan Carter and H. P. Lovecraft descendent Emily Lovecraft—find themselves in the Unfolded World. It’s like ours. Kinda. Except, the Cold War never happened because the Germans obliterated Moscow with an atomic bomb in 1941.

The bookstore that Lovecraft and Carter co-own—called Carter & Lovecraft, of course—is thriving, especially with Miskatonic University right around the corner. But Carter and Lovecraft were understandably shell-shocked in the beginning.

“How can everyone be so cool with the Nazis?” Carter had asked. “What about the Holocaust? They can’t have been given a free pass for that, can they?”

For her answer, Lovecraft passed him an atlas and told him to look up Israel in the index. He did, and found it listed, which was a relief. But then he went to the page indicated, and found himself looking at a map of the southern half of the continent of Africa. In the corner was an inset of Madagascar; the north of the island down to the nineteenth parallel was labeled “Israel.”


He’d looked at Lovecraft, speechless.

In this world, the Nazis had enacted their plan to dump their Jews and other undesirables on Madagascar, now a German holding after the fall of France. It was a difficult transition for the refugees, but this Israel was much larger than the Middle Eastern version, and it was rich, verdant land. Policed by the Gestapo until 1955, it had been given full independence in return for favored trading partner status. In this world, the Jewish people might not have loved the Nazis, but nor did they hate them with much enthusiasm.

So, no Holocaust.

Though … there had been a holocaust, but it had been in the East, and the victims were Bolsheviks, Communists, and other degenerates the West couldn’t get excited about.

The weird thing was that Carter and Lovecraft had both known it. They had lived in the Folded World consciously, and the Unfolded World by association. They were people with two histories sitting one upon the other, and with a little shift of focus that became easier every time they practiced it, they could read this one or that.

As strange as their new reality is, though, they still have to make a living, and that means that Carter needs clients for his PI business. When Mr. Henry Weston—the lawyer that informed Carter of his inheritance of the bookstore—approaches him with an opportunity, he’s intrigued. He’s tasked with gathering intelligence (by a member of the Gestapo, no less) of a mysterious science experiment at Miskatonic U.

“Have you heard of ‘zero point energy,’ Mr. Carter?” Without waiting for an answer, he continued, “Allow me to explain. Classical physics predicts a state of no energy at absolute zero, which is to say, zero degrees Kelvin, or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. Indeed, the very definition of absolute zero is this predicted temperature. But, it doesn’t actually work. Real matter doesn’t behave like an ideal gas. Even at zero, there is still entropy and enthalpy, because there is still energy there, even though there theoretically shouldn’t be. The famous example is helium. At absolute zero, everything should be a solid, yet helium is still a liquid. Something must be moving those atoms around. This is ‘zero point energy.’ ”

The implication of this kind of device is huge. All that free energy would be a boon, but in the wrong hands…

Carter smells a rat but needs the money. It just so happens that one of the security guards is on leave because of a mental breakdown, and not only will Carter be getting a fee for his snooping, he’ll be getting a salary by filling the security position. Seems like an easy job, but when strange things start happening in and around the lab, Carter worries that something sinister is at play.

Meanwhile, Lovecraft has discovered that fragments of the Necronomicon reside in the bookstore’s safe, and that reading it isn’t good for one’s sanity. However, Carter and Lovecraft are determined to get back to the Folded World, and the Necronomicon might hold the key—if she can hold onto her sanity.

When Carter is asked to provide security for a new iteration of the device after a heroic act at Miskatonic U, he asks Lovecraft to come along. Unfortunately, the posting is in the remote Aleutian Islands, and it’s gonna be a heck of a journey getting there. And the finale, well…

To tell you any more would give important things away, but I can promise it’s epic.

I loved Carter & Lovecraft, and I like this one even better. Jonathan L. Howard took the best of H. P. Lovecraft and stamped it with his own brand of weird, creating a strange and wondrous adventure with two very charming leads. Their friendship is one of equals, and it’s become one of trust. They have to trust one another, especially after being thrust into this crazy new reality.

You don’t have to be a Lovecraft fan to enjoy this one, and for those that like their mysteries with a healthy dash of horror and the very strange, you’ll want to get to know the fantastic Carter and Lovecraft.

This novel picks up where the previous one left (if you haven’t read it yet, stop here), or roughly, after Emily Lovecraft and Daniel Carter, alogn with Detective Harrelson, have been stranded in the Unfolded world for a few months, slowly adjusting to their lives in Arkham-instead-of-Providence.

And it’s not easy, because even though the Unfolded world is fairly similar when it comes to daily life (and better, in some ways, as in when Emily realises she own a nice house here instead of renting a flat), in many other ways, it is tremendously different. For starters, World War II ended much sooner, when the Third Reich dropped an A-bomb on Moscow in 1941, obliterating its whole leadership; and the Reich is now one of the world’s superwpoers, having been accepted because, well, the Holocaust didn’t concerned Jews but Communists, and for some reason this was much more acceptable to the West who turned a blind eye and ha-hemmed in a corner while it happened. Which infuriates Dan and Emily just as much, a different kind of evil still being evil after all; also, the Nazis are welcome in the USA and racism much more prevalent, so the Unfolded world isn’t so peachy for Emily herself.

(On a side note, I wish we had seen more of that. I don’t enjoy racist slurs in the least, but in terms of ‘show, don’t tell’, it never felt like Emily was really ostracised, apart from a couple of instances when some Gestapo guy said ‘who’s that black down there’ or something to that extent. In turn, the ‘lessons in political correctness’ given at times didn’t have the impact they could’ve had.)

The world is definitely not right by our heroes’ standards, who want nothing more than bring back its Folded version, but have no clues where to start… until Emily finds out she has the Necronomicon in her safe, Henry Weston is at his shenanigans again, and Daniel gets hired to spy on a joint German-US project in Miskatonic University. Weird stuff ensues, veering into spy-thriller-weird more than HPL-weird at first, but no worries, the latter is never too far behind.

Although I was hesitant at first about the spy thriller part, probably because of its apparent simplistic aspects (US vs Communists or US vs Nazis, it’s kind of the same... also Nazis make easy enemies: Instant Evil! Just add water!), the way it was handled was all in all interesting, in part because, let’s be honest, it makes for contrived enemies… but it also makes for entertaining scenarii. In fact, it reminded me of the Call of Cthulhu/Adventure! Crossover RPG I had played a few years ago, as well as of Indiana Jones movies, and I soon found my bearings again in that kind of plot and setting. We get typical but useful ingredients: scientists working on a secret project infiltrated left and right by Gestapo, Abwehr and probably a few others (Daniel even manages to throw the CIA in all that, and it blends in perfectly); research influenced by esoterism; evil cultists who’re all the more evil because they treat sacrifice as if it was a mere bureaucratic matter; a secret research facility on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean; not exactly human beings; and this mix works fairly well here.

Another thing I liked was that the focus shifted slightly in this book from Dan to Emily. We already know by now of Dan’s ancestor and the abilities he’s inherited, and there was a solid risk of Emily remaining more of a sidekick (a badass one, but a sidekick nonetheless) when it came to the weird/non-Euclidian parts. Well, let’s just say that reading can indeed empower people. (I bet you can already tell where this is going.)

Conclusion: 4 stars, it was an enjoyable read in spite of the few peeves I had about it, and I breezed through it, and now I want the next instalment.

Originally I gave this a generous 3 stars. But after thinking about it for a few days I just can't give it three. Sorry Jonathan L. Howard I do usually love your writing and works, but this one fell flat.
This is book 2 to Carter & Lovecraft, and of course features our two leads Carter and Lovecraft.

It's hard to say anything about After The End of the World without giving away book 1. So consider yourself warned if you read further that it sorta kinda spoils book one's big twist.

The Plot
The gist is we are in a world where the Nazis never lost the war. Instead they blew up Russia in order to win. Cool right? Sure.
Now knowing that our characters remember the real world is one of two interesting things in this story. Especially Lovecraft's continual hate for the Nazis; even though in this world they ended the war early and became heroes. And her hate reminds us over and over again if why prejudice is brutal. Because really Nazis who didn't even fight with the army in WWII kind of aren't bad guys necessarily in this world. Although it's hard to argue with the black female librarian in her hatred. She is after all demeaned and written off as unimportant many times based on her dark skin colour and gender. Although at one point she does wonder what people hate most about her... that she's black, that she's female or that she's a librarian and can kicks ass with a shotgun in hand. These moments of wit kept me alive through much of the dreary boringness to come.

The 2nd Interesting Thing
In case your skimming, interesting thing number 1 was Nazis won WWII but out characters know that's not 'right'. They remember our world, the way it was.
The second coolest thing is the link-ups to Lovecraft literature. Now book 1 had a fair bit of this. But book 2 ramps it up. I'm not even close to an obsessive Lovecraft fan, so I'm confident many references went over my head; but the ones that won't for almost anyone familiar with the Horror genre and/or H.P. Lovecraft are these two: the town of Providence is now called Arkham (yes for you Batman fans they stole this name from H.P. Lovecraft--although I believe it's perfect for the Asylum name) and the Necronomican is real.
Yeah that's right. It's real!!
Cool right?
Totally.
Except then Howard does the worst possible thing...

The Downfall
We suddenly find ourselves in a spy/thriller novel with too many scientists names, too many secret agencies I've never heard of, and too much crap I don't care about.
All in an attempt to get our characters to an ultimate standoff. Seriously 300 pages of almost entirely filler where our characters say to themselves I think we are supposed to do this; even when it makes no sense and seems irrelevant.
Now I'll give Howard this, those 300 pages are relevant eventually. But mostly by the end (even after some cool stuff happens) I just didn't care and wanted it to be over.

Overall
Had this been written by an author that I didn't know and respect I would have DNF'd it. I know tragic to say that but it was really that boring for 3/4 of the book.
There is an opening left for a third book (because this universe could actually be truly infinite the way its set-up). And yes I'll probably cave and read it too. Why? Because I know Howard can make witty, satirical magic with words and I refuse to believe he's out of magic.
And so I'm going to hope that this was an anomaly. A bad editor, a rushed publication date, a hard time in Howard's life; it does even matter, because honestly I'll take any excuse so I can keep believing Howard hasn't gone downhill.
Do yourself a favour and go read Howard's Johannes Cabal series instead; or stop at book 1 and I'll let you know if book 3 is better than this book 2.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

An alternate reality where the Nazis won WWII after dropping The Bomb on Moscow. In 2017, the Nazis are a superpower and obviously the world is drastically different. While that major a change will obviously lead to major changes in the world today, it's interesting to see the nuanced differences in how people live their every day lives. What becomes acceptable and what is no longer acceptable. Though I do raise an eyebrow at some of the changes that were made from during the war, it is a Lovecraftian Alternate Reality and I'll just deal with it.

Harrelson, Carter, and Lovecraft know of the "correct timeline", our timeline and their horror to the world events of the reality they're now in seems to be more than their reactions to the monsters abound. Because as mentioned before, it's as if the necronomicon was unleashed into this world. However, I would say this is more a detective story with social commentary before it's a horror book.

The characters do seem to be a bit lacking. The partnership between Carter and Lovecraft (built up from the first book I haven't read) seems to be more talked about than actually existing. Carter's character seems more fleshed out than Lovecrafts, but this might be because Lovecraft was more fleshed out in the first book. It does feel that perhaps I should go back to read the first book and come back to this book because while the story is easy enough to get into, I do feel like I"m missing something characterwise.

At the end of the excellent CARTER & LOVECRAFT there was a major cliffhanger and I felt compelled to request an ARC of the next book. I have to admit I was disappointed with AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD.

The things I loved most in the universe that Jonathan Howard has created was the weirdness of it-the mysterious Mr. Weston who started everything off by showing up and awarding Dan Carter ownership of a bookshop, run by Emily Lovecraft. (Emily is black and you can almost hear Lovecraft turning over in his grave.) I also enjoyed an area called Waite's Bill, an isolated place on the shore where creepy, mysterious people live. (Not to mention the large amphibian-like creatures emerging from the water!) Unfortunately, other than Dan Carter and Emily, most of the mysterious fun things I liked from the first book were not here.

The world has unfolded, (the major event which ended CARTER & LOVECRAFT), and we're now in a universe where we are great friends with Germany and the Holocaust never happened. A group of Germans working at Miskatonic University are trying to build a machine that will provide unlimited power without draining any natural resources. Mr. Weston makes a brief appearance and Carter gets involved as a security guard at MU.

From there, I feel like the tale crept away from the components that I enjoyed and veered into the area of weird science-fiction, with the entire group of scientists, (as well as Carter and Lovecraft), traveling to the Aleutian Islands to continue their work on the power machine. The pacing slowed way down and I really couldn't have cared less about the machine, the Germans, or anything else for that matter. Events degenerated until the story was more like an action movie than the dark fiction horror story I was expecting. I don't care for action movies.

I still love Dan and Emily and am fascinated by Mr. Weston and the weird creatures, but I'm not sure I'll continue with the series if there is another book. This case is one of those "It's me, not you" situations, I think, because everyone else seemed to love this book. While I admired the world building and the banter between my favorite characters, the meat of the story just didn't appeal to me.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This is it. I'm sorry it's a little late.*

This book is a journey into another dimension where the world has undergone an alternate history and some things have radically changed. For starters, the Nazis got the A-Bomb first, dropped it in Moscow, took over the Eastern half of Europe, withdrew from France and the Low Countries, convinced Japan not to attack Pearl Harbor, thus America never entered the War. Germany then became the preeminent industrial power, were as bigoted as ever, but there was no Holocaust - the Jews were moved en masse to Madagascar (unjustly exiled to a foreign land not their ancestral home once again). It’s a weird, intriguing alternative universe although any time you start imagining the Nazis winning I don’t sit very comfortably. The author also generously gave us a detective and an heir to Lovecraft’s legacy, spies, bombs, ghosts, and all kinds of strange unearthly stuff.

By the way, this is the second book in the series. Perhaps there are things I missed by not having book one. Overall, the book which I had high hopes for, didn't do it for me, but there are quite a few intriguing and interesting things here that other readers might enjoy.

The Necronomicon - "It's the ...apocalypse with page numbers."

I'm an unapologetic fan of H.P. Lovecraft and am always happy to sample work that embraces the Cthulhu Mythos, the Elder Gods, and Lovecraft's unique version of cosmicism, (especially the conviction that ordinary reality is just a thin wall protecting us from an alien reality that would drive us mad). Lots of writers have tried to copy Lovecraft, or extend his world, or advance his themes, often with indifferent success. You can't just spell Cthulhu right and claim success. (Heck, even a fair amount of Lovecraft's work isn't very good Lovecraft.) Bottom line? It seems to me that if you are going to be a tribute band you have to at least be a good tribute band. And, to be a good tribute band you have to bring something new and talented to the effort. I feel that's what you get here.

In his Johannes Cabal novels our author, Jonathan L. Howard, established quite decisively that he can write horror and characters with real style. He also showed himself to be a tricky and devious plotter and adept at witty dialogue. In this Carter & Lovecraft series we get to see all of that again.

I'm not huge on alternate world/time lines, but Howard has used that premise to move our heroes from the ordinary world into an actual Lovecraftian world. In this new world there are Elder Gods and the Necronomicon is real. Howard fills this new world with Nazis, but most of that is fun and games and clever window dressing. What we really get is complete immersion in the kind of world Lovecraft, in his work, feared was on the other side of our reality. So, instead of sending the heroes to the Arctic or the Mountains of Madness or whatever, Howard has just hopped through a fold and turned Providence into Arkham, with all the Lovecraft trimmings. That was a brilliant structural move, and everything good in the book's plot and throwaway humor flows from there.

But, this is not a dry or scholarly recap or reframing of the usual Lovecraft. The book is funny, smart, and witty. There are many, many neat set pieces and scenes. There are wonderful throwaway lines and bits of business. The two heroes meld seamlessly into a partnership built on trust and courage and smartaleckiness, and that's the best partnership there is.

I could go on, but you get the idea. This is smart, sharp, edgy, and sometimes insightful and even touching stuff, all wrapped up in knowing and winking homage to Lovecraft and in a sure command of classic horror conventions. An excellent find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

John L. Howard’s latest novel After the End of the World opens with a bang – literally. In 1941, the Nazis explode a nuclear bomb over Moscow bringing an abrupt end to the war and changing history or, rather, unfolding it.

In the present, Nazi Germany is the biggest superpower in the world. Most of the world’s largest corporations are stationed there. Only three people remember what the folded world was like: Detective Martin Harrelson of the Arkham (Providence before the unfolding) Police Department, Emily Lovecraft, and Daniel Carter and they are finding it hard to control their anger at the Nazis over events that, admittedly, never happened at least not in this world.

Then Carter and Lovecraft are hired to investigate an experiment in high-energy physics at Miskatonic University. Their employer suspects that the data is being manipulated and wants them to discover what is really going on. Soon, they find themselves caught in the centre of a dangerous game of espionage and counterespionage that is linked to the events of 1941.

When I started reading After the End of the World, I hadn’t realized it was a sequel to Carter & Lovecraft (a book I haven’t read but which is now high on my TBR list) and, admittedly, it took me a few pages to catch up. But when I did, I was completely sucked into the story. Howard combines speculative fiction with suspense, and a nice touch of humour. And, of course, a bit of Lovecraft thrown in. But he also isn’t afraid to look at some difficult issues like anti-Semitism and racism. And he even manages to draw subtle parallels while giving a not-too-sublt poke at US politics today – as one German character says:

<i>We are making Germany great again.</i>

A fun read and a high recommendation from me to fans of intelligent and well-written speculative fiction.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

Have you ever come across something that you didn't know you needed or wanted until you found it? That's what the Carter and Lovecraft series is for me and I couldn't wait to tear into this one. Jonathan Howard is a wonderful writer and just like his first book ,Carter and Lovecraft,he weaves a wonderfully descriptive tale that leads your mind on an adventure. His world building is excellent,and I loved exploring the Unfolded world, and seeing just how drastically the world could change if history took a left instead of a right. Before reading this series, I was never into the noir feeling I get from these books, but Jonathan Howard has made me a fan. Overall a great story and addition to the fantasy genre.

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Jonathon L Howard knows how to write fantasy so that it's plausible and seems possible. Love this series!

Thanks St. Martin's Press and netgalley for this ARC.

Carter and Lovecraft are spun out of their world and into another far stranger place. This novel is a sci fi/fantasy lover's cloud 9.

After the End of the World by Jonathan L. Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes it seems that this world doesn't have enough Cthulhu adventures. It's a real fault.

Fortunately, JLH has a cure in mind.

Granted, he may have helped unfold the world we all knew and loved to send us right into an alternate timeline where Nazis got the atomic bomb and wiped out Stalingrad, leaving poor Carter and Lovecraft stranded with memories of both timelines but stuck in the new one. My heart goes out to them!

Really, this book should appeal to anyone who loves Strange Tales, Private Investigators, rampant Lovecraftian universe references, and monster romps in remote locations. This novel has it all, including some rather good explorations of what such a timeline would include, not limiting itself to some of the obvious oddities, but getting subtle on us, too.

It's really delightful and tickles most of my funny bones.

My only complaint is a personal one. A lot of people might enjoy the traditional mystery feel and the buildup by way of sidequests before we get to the bottom of the Zero Energy experiment, but I personally wanted things to move along to the goodies a bit quicker. Not a big complaint, just a preference. :)

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this! And just in time for October, too! :)

After the universe was “unfolded” at the end of Lovecraft & Carter, Emily Lovecraft and Dan Carter found themselves in a world that was deeply wrong. The prologue of After the End of the World clues us into how wrong the world is as well. The novel opens shortly before the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is signed in Moscow, in 1939. Instead of signing, in this reality, a German pilot detonates what appears to be an atomic bomb over the city. Everyone is killed and the Nazis sweep east to conquer the Soviet Union. The prologue sets up a sense of deep unease, one that never really lets up as Lovecraft and Carter try to put the universe back to rights.

Lovecraft is still a book seller and the descendant of H.P. Lovecraft. Carter is still a detective, former policeman, and descendant of Randolph Carter. However, in this new universe, not only did the Nazis win and World War II never happen, but Arkham, Rhode Island, Miskatonic University, and the Necronomicon exist. The intrepid pair don’t have a lot of time to work out just how different their new universe is. Instead, a mysterious and unsettling lawyer gives Carter a job: working for a Gestapo agent on what appears to be a case of scientific malfeasance. The job first pulls Carter deeper into weirdness, then grabs Lovecraft, too.

The plot of After the End of the World begins to pick up speed at the halfway point. Most of what happens before serves to encourage feelings of Lovecraftian weirdness and set the stage for what happens in the second half, when the action relocates to Attu Island, Alaska. It’s rather amazing how Howard manages to pull in so much Nazi occultism while sidestepping some of the worst implications of a successful Third Reich and introducing some new, deeply unpleasant effects.

I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started it. The first half, the stage-setting bit moves a bit too slowly. Like Lovecraft, I was itching for some serious Nazi ass-kicking action. That itch was very satisfyingly scratched in the second half. I was glued to the pages for the entire second half. I still don’t care overmuch for the first half, but I did like the spectacular finish and all the clandestine shenanigans that preceded it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for review consideration. It will be released 14 November 2017.

After the End of the World by Jonathan L. Howard- In this sequel to Carter & Lovecraft, Daniel and Emily find themselves in a world where things have drastically changed and not for the good. The Germans A-bombed Moscow in 1941 averting World War Two and are now just friends with the rest of the world. H.P. Lovecraft's monsters are real, and so are the places he wrote about. There's a lot going on here. I love the way Lovecraftian lore is brought to an already strange alternate Earth. As before Emily and Daniel's interplay is entertaining and pushes against the plot. Sparks of imagination ignite and I'm enjoying this, longing for the next installment.

Review: AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD by Jonathan Howard
(CARTER AND LOVECRAFT#2)

I am so glad author Jonathan Howard continued this exceptional series and hope it will go on and on. Those who have read CARTER AND LOVECRAFT understand in the 1920's H. P. Lovecraft and horse close friend Randolph Carter, the "Dreamer" (real, not fictional) "Folded" the Universe, preventing the incursion of the Elder Gods and Great Old Ones. Then a graduate student named William Colt arrogantly attempted to unfold the Fold, disastrously unraveling our world into a different probability.

In an intriguing revision of known history, AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD romps through a world where World War II ended in 1941, and Greater Germania includes all the territories that were once the province of the Soviet Union. Dan Carter and Eliza Lovecraft find themselves inextricably maneuvered by the very mysterious Henry Weston, and find themselves at the farthest reaches geographically, in the Aleutian Islands, where a "zero energy" scientific experiment is actually intended to open a portal to an entity beyond the watching stars.

In the aftermath of the previous book, Dan Carter and Emily Lovecraft are struggling to fit into their new world when Dan gets an intriguing case that sees him going undercover as a security guard at Miskatonic University to investigate a joint German-American zero point energy experiment. But what does the mysterious Mr. Weston have to do with everything?

Carter & Lovecraft was one of my favorite books of 2015 so I've been dying to get my squamous tentacles on this ever since. Thank you, Netgalley!

Anyway, After the End of the World picks up where Carter and Lovecraft left off. Dan and Emily find themselves in a world where HPL's creatures are real and WWII didn't happen and the US and Germany are allies. Americans are a little too chummy with Nazis but that winds up being the least of Dan and Emily's problems.

Carter and Lovecraft have their hands full in this one, with Mr. Weston, Nazis, German cultists, the Necronomicon, and the prospect of figuring out how to undo the events of Carter and Lovecraft. The zero point energy project eventually sees them wind up on a remote island and that's where things really get cracking.

In the gulf not unlike the void between stars between the first book and this one, I'd forgotten how much I like these two characters. The banter between them is the star of the show for me. It's interesting that they're coping with the new status quo in different ways. I'd also forgotten just how slick Jonathan Howard's prose is at times.

I don't want to give away too much. Suffice to say, After the End of the World was just as good as Carter and Lovecraft and now I medically need to read the third installment. Four out of five stars.