Aconyte Books’ exploration of the world of Arkham Horror begins in fine style with Josh Reynolds’ Wrath of N’Kai, an entertainingly dark tale of a gentlewoman thief getting more than she bargained for. Countess Alessandra Zorzi has been commissioned to travel to Arkham, where a recently-discovered ancient American mummy is to be displayed, and steal it. What sounds like a relatively simple job, however, is complicated by the presence of an investigator from the insurance company underwriting the exhibition, and the dawning realisation that there’s more going on than meets the eye in both Arkham’s criminal underworld and its wealthy upper class.
What seems at first to be building up to a heist story quickly turns into much more of a mystery, as Alessandra’s plans are scuppered by the arrival of others who whisk the mummy away before she has the chance to make her move. The investigator – Abner Whitlock – is quickly established as an antagonist, but while he fixates on Alessandra and dogs her steps making life difficult, he’s only one of her problems. In order to complete her assignment and mollify her mysterious, unhappy client she needs to locate the thieves and re-steal the mummy, but she’s soon caught between Whitner’s suspicions and competing parties who want the mummy for very different reasons and are prepared to go to lengths to achieve their own objectives. All she has to call upon are an old friend and the dubious assistance of an Arkham cabbie named Pepper.
Of course Alessandra isn’t without her own skills, strengths and expertise, not to mention the revolver she keeps in her clutch. She’s very much the type to use charm and persuasion where possible, but isn’t averse to the judicious application of a little violence if the situation calls for it – in other words she’s a lot of fun to read about. As she and Pepper search for the mummy they explore the dangerous sights, sounds and smells of Arkham, providing an engaging introduction to the setting and drawing a vivid picture of this noir-ish town full of speakeasies, gangsters, underground tunnels and lurking monsters. Characters, setting and plot, all are written with typically dry humour, proving the perfect setting and subject matter to suit Reynolds’ style, as he draws with considerable relish upon not just the expected Lovecraftian influences but classic horror/adventure film and literature too.
Despite the Arkham Horror label this is more occult fantasy than outright horror, its pulp stylings perfectly suited to the 1920s America in which it takes place. The setting is heavily built upon the Lovecraftian mythos, but here that provides the backdrop to an evocative, entertaining mystery/adventure which stands on its own whether or not the reader is aware of Lovecraft or Arkham Horror already. For all the obvious supernatural elements – it is a mummy story, after all – it’s interesting watching Alessandra gradually come to terms with the idea that she’s involved with something otherworldly, and there’s considerable scope for following her subsequent journey into the demi-monde. Take away the monster(s), however, and you’d still be left with an enjoyable mystery to untangle, the sort of enjoyable, character-driven, personal-stakes story that Reynolds writes consistently well. It’s great fun, and hopefully not the last we’ve seen of Countess Alessandra Zorzi.
Wrath of N’Kai is due out in September in the US and October in the UK. Many thanks to Aconyte books for an advance copy of this novel, in exchange for an honest review.
See also: my Rapid Fire interview with Josh Reynolds
