I am a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft and the more modern fiction that pays homage to him and to his creations. This book was a fun read and if you're a fan of Lovecraft I certainly recommend adding That Which Should Not Be to your reading list.

A framing story surrounds several shorter and quite chilling first person narratives of supernatural or other-worldly events as these story-tellers strive to convince their skeptical listener that monsters do exist. They are not just sharing these tales because they wish to scare this traveler who has found himself in their company---there is a purpose because dark forces are at work to trigger events that threaten the safety of the planet.

This novel struck all the right chords with me. A heady brew steeped in legendary monsters, demons, black arts, profane books, and Cthulhu mythos, this novel unfolds with the atmosphere of a timeless Hammer film---if Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft combined their talents to write the script. Talley really pulls this one off masterfully. It is easy to see why it got Bram Stoker Award attention. The stories are compelling and the language and texture of the prose makes it easy to forget that this book wasn't written 100 years ago.

Highest recommendation. One of my favorite books of the year.

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This is an excellent Lovecraftian novel. A large portion of the book is devoted to a series of stories-within-the-story, an approach I wasn't expecting but was thrilled by nevertheless. These stories all add to the overall narrative, and they build together, with many connecting threads, toward an eerie and adventure-filled denouement. I highly recommend this book to any and all Lovecraft Mythos aficionados. ( )

Great Lovecraftian story! ( )

That Which Should Not Be is a novel that heavily borrows from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Set at Miskatonic University, the hub of all things supernatural and the occult, Carter Weston is given an assignment by his professor, Dr. Thayerson, to retrieve a book that controls the inhuman forces that control the world, the Incedium Maleficarum. When he arrives in Anchorhead, he meets a group of men at a tavern who share their own supernatural stories. They are old tied to the Old Ones, the Elder Gods who once ruled the Earth and await to return one day. These stories are tied into the overall narrative of the story and a plot to resurrect Cthulhu and the lost city of R’yleh.

I have to confess that I’m not much of a fan of H.P. Lovecraft, which is sacrilege in the horror community. However, I am a big fan of Brett Talley, who I consider to be the best up and coming author that the genre has to offer. He managed to spellbind me and enwrap me in a tale in a way that Lovecraft never could. For me, Lovecraft’s failings are due to his arcane language, poor dialogue, unrealistic characters, and stories that all sound the same. This novel suffers from none of these things. The writing is top notch. The characters are well-crafted. The plot was well-designed. For a debut novel, this was a terrific effort and really shows what Talley is capable of producing. Buy this novel. Read this novel. You will not regret it.

Carl Alves – author of Conjesero ( )