Cosmic horror writer Scott R. Jones delves into R'lyehian spirituality and predator with perfect camouflage
STONEFISH by Scott R. Jones, published by Word Horde
AS A MODERN COSMIC HORROR WRITER AND EDITOR, YOU'VE STRUGGLED PUBLICLY WITH RECONCILING LOVECRAFT'S INFLUENCE ON THE GENRE WITH... THE ISSUES. WHAT ABOUT THE MYTHOS STILL COMPELS YOUR ATTENTION, AND WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TRAITS IN MODERN COSMIC HORROR?
Honestly, I think "the issues" remain resonant today, for what are obvious reasons if you've paid any attention to the current state of the world. That aside, though, if there's a perennial philosophy attached to the Mythos it is, for me, one of awe first and foremost, but an awe tempered by knowledge of our own insignificance (something I think we could all do with a touch more of in our daily lives—see my auto-ethnographical work When The Stars Are Right: Towards An Authentic R'lyehian Spirituality). The monster-gods remain fun and fresh, because after all their abominable traits are factored in, they are in a very interesting way, a little bit of us. I have a transhumanist kink in my world view: could we be something, if not actually better, at least more novel? The Great Old Ones point the way to that state.
YOU WROTE WHEN THE STARS ARE RIGHT AS A SINCERE SPIRITUAL INTERROGATION OF THE CTHULHU MYTHOS. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO DO THIS, AND WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM A BITTER MATERIALIST'S PULP EXISTENTIALISM THAT COULD LEAD TO A FULFILLING PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY? I'M DEAD INSIDE. HELP ME.
At the core of it, I think I was at a point in my life and my Lovecraft fandom association where I was just really tired of the fall back to Howard's materialism/atheism on the part of critics and a certain breed of fan. Especially since so much of the work reads as protesting too much. For me, and I think a lot of others, that mystery and awe found in the Mythos approaches something like religious terror, and I figure if it roars and walks and eats like a god... I dunno, probably a god? Or at least so close to a god as to make no difference. And gods are, above all, interesting filters for approaching reality. But also I found that, thanks to Howard's mania for completeness, he seemed to have endowed many of his critters with a basic skeleton of spirituality that benefits from examination and expansion. With WTSAR, I've basically nailed my theses to the door of the EOD and am now awaiting response.
TELL US WHAT YOU CAN ABOUT STONEFISH, YOUR CURRENT WORK IN PROGRESS?
What if there was a predator with perfect camouflage. What if it could disguise itself as everything that exists, an entire reality. What if you learned that the people who created this predator regularly slummed it on the thing's skin. Their agenda is one of harvest, and chaos, which they experience as novelty. It's their party but we do all the crying. It's a Gnostic apocalypse story with elements of cryptozoology, information and simulation theory, body horror, rogue tech millionaires and mentally damaged AIs. Also, it's breaking my head open, so maybe throw in some shamanic whoohoo there, too. Is there any more quintessential modern cosmic horror protagonist/victim than being a Canadian next door to Trump's America? Right now? No. But I'm hoping there will be, and soon. This narrative needs deep editing and I hope Those Who Sit Above In Shadow are on the job. More soon...
