Billy Lovecraft Saves the World

This is one of those books that I would have raved about on Twitter if I could have stopped myself from reading it long enough to do so. Instead, I plowed through the pages as if they were going to be erased from my Kindle before I could finish. I had so much fun reading Billy Lovecraft Saves the World that I'm beginning to think I enjoy Middle-Grade Fantasy and Horror above all other genres and subgenres.

I also sort of wish I had saved this book for October. It's the perfect read for that time of year since it's a giant nod to H.P. Lovecraft, the king of the weird tale. It's also the perfect book for any fan of H.P. Lovecraft to give their kid as an introduction to his brand of Horror. There are only a few tense, mildly frightening moments that the majority of Middle-Grade children could easily handle while also discovering the world and creatures H.P. Lovecraft invented. Who wouldn't want their kids to find out the awesomeness of the classic works of genre fiction?

The greatest part of Billy Lovecraft Saves the World is that I never once had to forcibly suspend disbelief. I was fully immersed in the story and didn't come back up for air until the end of the last page. If you're at all a fan of Middle-Grade Horror or H.P Lovecraft, you have to read this book.

A boy with a lot on his shoulders.

There are two ways to look at this book. The first is to assume the author is playing it straight, and that this is a book for young readers that happens to involve H.P. Lovecraft's concepts instead of the more generic fantasy elements in the likes of Harry Potter. The other is to see it as part of the Lovecraft mashup trend of recent years, in which writers like Nick Mamatas and others cross Lovecraft with other writers or genres, like the Beats, Hunter S. Thompson, etc.

I started writing with the assumption that the book was indeed an attempt to do a middle grades book for kids that happens to be about the Cthulhu Mythos (in this case, more about Nyarlathotep, but anyway). I found myself gradually shifting to the second.

I'm a long way from 12 years old so I can't judge how well this would play with a hypothetical younger audience. It's trying to be more slangy and modern than the Harry Potter books, with a diverse young cast of characters, but the dialogue doesn't always ring true and few of the characters are ever really developed all that much.

So think of it as a mashup between the kids' books about kids with problems (dealing with dead parents, racism, social exclusion, bullying, etc) with a Lovecraftian novel. (And not just Lovecraft, there's some Twilight Zone in there, too.) The tone's too light and the challenge too easily defeated to be truly Lovecraftian (not a spoiler -- check the title). On the kids' books side, it seems to be ticking boxes at times. The prose is functional, much more to the breezy end of the breezy/purple prose spectrum. And yet the story moves, and I can visualize it actually working as a fun movie aimed at kids, if we lived in a world where kids were familiar with the mythos.

It's a fun read for anyone who likes to see how H.P. Lovecraft's influence can be twisted into unexpected new shapes, and much more enjoyable than I expected.

(Not the kind of book my library buys, but if there are sequels, they may end up in my personal collection.)

Billy is a very likeable kid who picks a bunch of friends with mad skills and awesome nicknames. He lives in an amazing Victorian house with a very high-tech security system that keeps him safe. With a full library, research labs and numerous occult artefacts in his basement and an awesome observatory, his house is pretty much everyone’s dream to have. I wish I had this book when I was about twelve years old. The story has a lot of humour in it, is filled with action, some Latin, and has a whole universe of monsters to be discovered.

Even though I enjoyed this book very much, there were two things that bugged me just a little bit. The kids are all supposed to be about twelve years old, but they definitely act older. I would’ve made them at least fifteen years old just to make it more realistic. Secondly, it took me a bit to figure out who was who and what was what. There are a lot of (not-so-easy) names and descriptions of humans and non-humans that it is a bit confusing at first. On the other hand, the book can be seen as an introduction to Lovecraft’s universe as it made me extremely curious to read more about the Cthulhu mythos, so it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

All in all it was a very good read, and I wouldn’t mind if this would become a series. Recommended for H.P. Lovecraft fans and really just anyone who likes to read a fun story full of action and mythical/alien creatures.

Much, Much More Than Expected

From the cover, blurbs and summaries I expected this to be just an H.P. Lovecraft "tribute" aimed at middle graders and featuring a crowd of reluctant geek/nerd adventurers racketing around chasing and being chased by monsters with Lovecraftian names and descriptions. While I guess that's technically true, this book is so much better conceived, crafted, cast and written that that ends up being an unfairly dismissive and incomplete description.

The conceit here is that twelve year old Billy's parents were secretly the world's greatest Lovecraft scholars, and the Lovecraftian world of the Cthulhu mythos, the Necronomicon and so on is very real. They were dispatched by a Shoggoth and their last communication with Billy is a plea to carry on their work and avenge them. So far, so good. But, Billy needs help, because he was never privy to their secret Lovecraftian hidden lives and has no idea what to do or where to start. Who does he turn to? Why the geeky Dungeons & Dragons-playing outcasts at his school's nerd table. And this is where it gets interesting.

The author writes great middle grade characters. These kids sound and feel real and substantial. (They also feel older than 12, but that lets readers step up a bit without harming the narrative.) They are smart, observant, talented, funny and completely self-aware. They are the nerds by choice and inclination and are proud to march to their own drummer. Geek/nerd gamer as mensch is an interesting approach. Even as the plot becomes more fantastic; even when Billy takes the gang on a tour of the family home subbasement and its complete collection of Lovecraft artifacts; even as the monsters multiply and the threat grows, the heroes stay grounded and real and add a huge element of plausibility and believability to an otherwise outrageous tale.

This is enhanced by the fact that our author doesn't just "name drop" familiar Lovecraft angles. This isn't a knock-off or a rip-off, but a carefully streamlined introduction to Lovecraft-style fantasy, horror and adventure. It is a middle grade down-size, but one that has been accomplished with care and a certain amount of elegance. Also, sometimes older readers forget that modern middle graders may not recognize much of the Lovecraftian world. Here, even a newbie will pick up more than enough to follow the story, (and may develop an interest in reading more Lovecraft).

Billy narrates the tale and he is a well-written and balanced central figure. His narration is matter-of-fact and not terribly dramatic, but that serves as a nice counter-point to the action and keeps the book from being frantic or hyper. He is not just a sketch or a "type" and he displays a good deal of depth for a middle grade character and his voice comes across as honest and engaging. I could see him being a very strong and appealing draw for a wide range of readers. The squad of gamers is composed of kids with reasonably well-developed and distinct personalities and talents, and they pull their weight as strong characters.

So, excitement, light horror, action, good writing, engaging characters and a solid Lovecraftian foundation. That's a nice find.

Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.