Synopsis
The first in a new range of novels of eldritch adventure from the wildly popular Arkham Horror; an international thief of esoteric artifacts stumbles onto a nightmarish cult in 1920s New England.
Countess Alessandra Zorzi, international adventurer and thief, arrives in Arkham pursuing an ancient body freshly exhumed from a mound in Oklahoma, of curious provenance and peculiar characteristics. But before she can steal it, another party beats her to it.
During the resulting gunfight at the Miskatonic Museum, the countess makes eye contact with the petrified corpse and begins an adventure of discovery outside her wildest experiences. Now, caught between her mysterious client, the police, and a society of necrophagic connoisseurs, she finds herself on the trail of a resurrected mummy as well as the star-born terror gestating within it.
Review
THE WRATH OF N’KAI by Josh Reynolds is the first of the Countess Zorzi series of the Arkham Horror seires. I’m not a player of the Arkham Horror card game but I am a huge fan of the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole. I love the Call of Cthulhu RPG, video games, and even used to have a pair of Cthulhu slippers. One complaint I’ve always had about the fiction for the franchise, though, is the fact that it tends a little too much to the cosmic horror over the pulp investigations.
The premise is that Arkham, Massachusetts is the center of a vast number of supernatural happenings. The Silver Twilight Lodge is at the heart of many of them but it is hardly the only occult secret society in the medium sized New England city. You don’t need to be familiar with the card game to enjoy the many characters who show up in the book, as I wasn’t, but I suspect that the cameos that do happen will tickle fans.
The Wrath of N’Kai follows sophisticated and beautiful thief, Countess Alessandra Zorzi, as she is hired to steal a mummy recovered from the middle of Utah. The Countess has no interest in the occult and only believes she’s going to steal it for a rich eccentric who does. Unfortunately, for her, she swiftly finds out that the supernatural is real with an undead wizard named Zamacona that insists she complete her mission even when gangsters steal the mummy before she can.
Josh Reynolds creates an incredibly vivid Arkham and by the end of the book, I knew most of the power players in town as well as the local landmarks. The supporting cast really does bring the town to life and I was particularly fond of Pepper Kelly, a young female taxi driver pretending to be a man and who becomes the Countess’ local guide as well as sidekick. Their working class background contrasts heavily with the Countess’ elite infiltration.
The antagonists of this story work extremely well as Zamacona is a terrifying figure who hates the Countess for petty reasons she doesn’t understand (he’s a 15th century conquistador who doesn’t like independent women–especially if he’s attracted to them as a creature that cannot “perform”) and always brings weight to every scene. Carl Sanford, local wizard, casually plays every side against one another to increase his magical arsenal. There’s also the local gangsters who are way, way over their heads.
(I admit to a certain bias toward this book since one of the characters is named Phipps and I wonder if it’s a reference to me due to my role in the Cthulhu Armageddon books)
If I had to recommend the text of the book versus audiobook adaptation, I would recommend instead the Graphic Audio dramatic presentation version of the book. Graphic Audio does a fantastic job of presenting the many characters and their voices in a way that resembles the old radio shows of this time period. Any version you want to pick up are probably going to be enjoyable, though.
If you like a sexy capable female protagonist who is up against zombies, gangsters, and evil cults then this is definitely the book for you. The 1920s time frame is utilized well and we have hints of things that might not be accepted by the time period (like Pepper being closeted and the Countess not caring). It’s a great adventure novel, a great horror novel, and a great Cthulhu Mythos novel all in one.
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