Bonus Crossover of the Week (RIP Rick Lai)

Autumn 1866

THE TOMB OF THE VEILED PROPHET 

Anis-ed-Dowleh, the Shah of Persia’s favorite wife, shows Haji Abdu, the Daroga of the Secret Police, the corpse of a handmaiden allegedly murdered by Erik, the court illusionist. Erik mentioned to the Shah’s spouse he had been trained to kill with the Punjabi lasso by the deposed Maharani of Pankot. Haji Abdu and Erik discuss the rebel leader Mokanna, whose cult was led by Abd Dhulma after his death. Erik shows the Daroga a map he acquired in the mountain citadel Yolgan, which has the words, “The Lord of the Empty Abode,” “The Lord of Illusion,” and “The Lord of the Fourth Axis” written on it. Mokanna appears to the duo, saying they have resurrected him by summoning the Three Avatars of Yog-Sothoth. Mokanna names the sorcerers of Lemuria and Attluma, including Thulsa Doom, Kathulos, Rotath, Mardanax, and Descales, each of whom performed the Black Litany to infuse their souls with the Torch Fire of Nug. Erik’s nom de guerre is derived from Erlik of the Dark Star, whom Mokanna describes as a minor entity eclipsed by the cosmic splendor of the Lord of the Fourth Axis and his twin spawn, Nug and Yeb. Mokanna evokes the Moon of Yian, saying Nug demands a Red Offering in exchange for bestowing his Torch Fire upon Erik. 

Short story by Rick Lai in Tales of the Shadowmen Volume 12: Carte Blanche, Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, eds., Black Coat Press, 2015; reprinted in French in Les Compagnons de l’Ombre (Tome 20), Jean-Marc Lofficier, ed., Rivière Blanche, 2017. Haji Abdu is from Sir Richard Francis Burton’s poem “The Kasîdah of Hâjî Abdû El-Yezdî.” He is also mentioned in Philip José Farmer’s authorized Doc Savage novel Escape from Loki. Lai conflates Haji Abdu with the Persian from Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. Erik is the title character of that book. Pankot is from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Mokanna is from “The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan,” the first of four poems in Thomas Moore’s collection Lalla-Rookh, as well as Sax Rohmer’s The Mask of Fu Manchu. Abd Dhulma is from G. G. Pendarves’ “Abd Dhulma, Lord of Fire.” Yolgan is from Robert E. Howard’s El Borak stories. The Lord of the Empty Abode is the title of Yog in Robert E. Howard’s Conan story “Shadows in Zamboula.” “The Lord of Illusion” and “The Lord of the Fourth Axis” are stories by E. Hoffmann Price. Here, the three Lords are all avatars of Yog-Sothoth, one of the Great Old Ones of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Attluma and Descales are from the works of David C. Smith. Thulsa Doom is from Howard’s Kull tale “The Cat and the Skull.” Kathulos is from Howard’s “Skull-Face” and “Taverel Manor,” the latter completed posthumously by Richard A. Lupoff. Rotath is from the Kull story “The Curse of the Golden Skull.” Mardanax is from Lin Carter’s Thongor novels. Nug and Yeb are from various Lovecraft collaborations: “Out of the Aeons” (co-written by Hazel Heald), “The Mound” (coauthored by Zealia Bishop), and “The Last Test” (co-penned by Adolph de Castro). The Black Litany of Nug and Yeb is from Joseph S. Pulver’s poem of the same name. Erlik of the Dark Star is from Robert W. Chambers’ The Dark Star. The Moon of Yian is from Chambers’ “The Maker of Moons.” The Red Offering is from Lin Carter’s Cthulhu Mythos story of the same name. 

As I wrote on Facebook yesterday, RIP my friend Rick Lai, an amazing human and writer. In the 1980s, he wrote articles expanding on the Wold Newton concepts of Philip Jose Farmer and continued it after the Wold Newton websites began appearing with Win Scott Eckert’s in 1997. He broke into fiction writing beginning with the story “The Last Vendetta” in the first TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN anthology, and consistently turned out quality work. I am honored to have had my first published story in close proximity to his contribution in the last TALES. I was constantly in awe of the depth of his knowledge and retention of pop cultural details, and I genuinely believe he was a genius. We also shared a love of Spaghetti Westerns, which he drew from often in his fiction. I’m in shock right now, and I am deeply saddened that I will never see him again. FarmerCon this year will be bittersweet without him.

Crossover of the Week

Autumn 1928

THE GHULISTAN AFFAIR 

The Kurd Ali al-Ghazi meets with a Texan. Ali, who tried to scare off an American expedition to Shahr-i-Zahr a few years before, says, “Honestly, I reckoned Jim had his eye on them since they came by way of the Levant, and King would intercept them when they headed into the Khyber Pass.” The Texan says the expedition’s dragoman would never have willingly led them into the Land of Ghouls. Ali asks the Texan if he’s ever heard of the Leng Plateau, and gives him greetings from Sonora, who has a brother who has trouble walking and sells his fever-dreams to a pulp magazine called Cleft Hooves or something similar. He also mentions Aga Khan and Shah li-Zahr. The Texan mentions the Gorge of Ghosts. The members of the expedition included a former Foreign Legionnaire, a man with a camera, a young man who had wild stories about a village in Hungary they visited, and a poet who was engaged. Ali brings up Kara-Shehr, and the two discuss Clarney. The Texan asks which of the expedition said the name Ghulistan. Afghanistan was known as Afghulistan before the Flood. The Texan once fought someone named Konaszevski. 

Short story by Sam Inabinet in Pickman’s Gallery, Matthew Carpenter, ed., Ulthar Press, 2018. Ali al-Ghazi (or el Ghazi) is a disguise used by Robert E. Howard’s character Kirby O’Donnell. The Texan is another of Howard’s heroes, Francis X. Gordon, aka El Borak. Shahr-i-Zahr is meant to be Shahrazar from the Kirby O’Donnell stories “Swords of Shahrazar” and “The Treasures of Tartary.” Shahrazar is also mentioned in the El Borak story “Blood of the Gods.” The Land of Ghouls and Ghulistan are from the El Borak story “Three-Bladed Doom” and Howard’s Conan story “The People of the Black Circle.” Afghulistan is from the latter story. Aga Khan is Baber Khan from “Three-Bladed Doom,” while Shah li-Zahr is Shalizahr from the same story. Ivan Konaszevski is also from “Three-Bladed Doom,” as is the Gorge of Ghosts. Jim and King are James Schuyler Grim, aka Jimgrim, and Athelstan King from Talbot Mundy’s novels. The Leng Plateau is from H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos stories. Sonora is Steve Allison, aka the Sonora Kid, who appears in both his own series of stories by Howard and the El Borak tales. Sonora’s brother is James Allison, the wooden-legged hero of a series of stories by Howard dealing with reincarnation. “Cleft Hooves” is a reference to the magazine The Cloven Hoof from Howard’s John Kirowan story “The Children of the Night.” The Legionnaire is Randolph Carter from Lovecraft’s Dream Cycle. The photographer is Richard Upton Pickman from Lovecraft’s “Pickman’s Model.” The young man is Justin Geoffrey from Howard’s “The Black Stone.” The poet is Edward Pickman Derby from Lovecraft’s “The Thing on the Doorstep.” Kara-Shehr and Steve Clarney are from Howard’s “The Fire of Asshurbanipal.” Edward Pickman Derby married Asenath Waite in early 1929, a few months after they met, so this story likely takes place in late 1928. 

This crossover is one of hundreds included in my book Crossovers Expanded: A Secret Chronology of the World Volume 3, to be published by Meteor House! All three volumes are AUTHORIZED companions to Win Scott Eckert's Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World Volumes 1 and 2!

Crossover Cover: The White Jade Ring

This collection includes the story “The White Jade Ring.” It is mentioned Francis X. Gordon and Steve Allison (aka El Borak and the Sonora Kid, respectively) recently had a “war with the Si-Fan.” The reference to the Si-Fan, the criminal organization controlled by Dr. Fu Manchu, reinforces Gordon and Allison’s inclusion in the CU.

Crossover of the Week

May 1938

THE IRON PHANTOM

            Richard Benson learned hobo code from a man named A-Number One. Nellie Gray and Smitty get into a fight with two men, one of whom is short and apelike, the other well-dressed and wielding a sword cane. Benson goes to the offices of the Classic newspaper seeking information. The editor expresses surprise that Benson came to them rather then the Times or the Planet. Benson asks a Classic reporter named Burke about his interview with inventor Elias Martinson. Martinson at one point was working on a mechanical man, but complications caused him to seek the aid of another inventor, Charles Link. Benson later tells Nellie and Smitty that the men they fought are actually in the same line of work as they are, and that their battle was the result of a misunderstanding.

            Short story by Matthew Baugh in The Avenger: Roaring Heart of the Crucible, Nancy Holder and Joe Gentile, eds., Moonstone Books, 2013. A-Number One is from the movie Emperor of the North. Nellie and Smitty’s opponents are Monk Mayfair and Ham Brooks, two of Doc Savage’s aides. Clyde Burke, besides being a reporter for the New York Classic, is also one of the Shadow’s agents. The New York Planet is the newspaper that employs Foster Fade, “the Crime Spectacularist,” who appeared in three stories by Lester Dent in All Detective Magazine in 1934. Elias Martinson is meant to be the unnamed inventor from Robert E. Howard’s unfinished El Borak story “The Iron Terror.” Charles Link is the creator of “Eando Binder’s” (Earl and Otto Binder) robot Adam Link.