Songs of Carcosa was highly imaginative storytelling, along the lines of adventure and pulp. Enjoyable and immersive, from an author whose voice seems a solid fit for this.

This is the second book that I've read in the Arkham horror series and I love the Eldritch horror mixed with pulp fiction/noir leanings of the series. I am also a sucker for recurring characters in a series that are seen in different books in different capacities. Alessandra Zorzi, a thief trying to right wrongs, returns home to Venice to steal back an artifact and help her friend get rid of her nightmares of Carcosa. I love how her background was expanded on as we met her cousin and The Cavalier. Alessandra is against humans and non-humans in the grip of a god but never falters or runs away. I found all of the characters compelling and enjoyed how they played off one another. SONG OF CARCOSA was the perfect amount of gritty and magical as the characters navigate the twists and turns of Venice and the cult that heralds the arrival of the King in Yellow.

Having previously read Josh Reynolds Akrham Horror novel The Wrath of N'Kai I was already somewhat familiar with the character of Countess Alessandra Zorzi, a femme fatale thief who has a history of stealing magical and mystical artefacts for the small community of rich and powerful people who have an obsession with the occult. It was in that book that Alessandra learned that her old life wasn't the safest, for her or others, and that led her to changing her ways somewhat, going after occult artefacts to keep them away from her old clients instead of supplying them to them. It was also that book that saw her teaming up with her protégé, Pepper.

However, that's not the only book that paves the way for Song of Carcosa, as the anthology novel Secrets in Scarlet is also somewhat required reading too. This book contains several stories that introduces readers to the Red Coterie, a group of powerful, and impossibly old, individuals who go after artefacts and power in order to make themselves stronger. Whilst they're a group, they're not completely unified, and most act on their own towards their own ends; and as such they prove to be an unpredictable lot, whose actions you can never really count on knowing. Whilst you don't need to read either of these books to be able to enjoy Song of Carcosa if you have you'll be going into the novel with a solid foundation for the things to come.

The book focuses on Alessandra and Pepper as they arrive in the city of Venice, a location that's tied to the Red Coterie . Pepper has been plagued by strange dreams, dreams of an impossible city that doesn't exist. Fearing for the young woman's sanity, and life, Alessandra is hoping to find a way of helping her in Venice. Unfortunately, them arriving in the city also brings them into the attention of powerful individuals who aren't afraid to exploit the two women for their own ends.

Much like with The Wrath of N'Kai, this entry in the Arkham Horror series is putting strong women front and centre, and Alessandra is the determined, strong willed, and capable woman readers will remember. Set in a time where women were not given the chances and opportunities they are now, and in a place that touches on the rising fascism in Italy at the time, Alessandra is often having to put herself in danger in order to prove she's worthy of the respect of the men around her. Thankfully, Reynolds is always able to have her rise to the occasion, and even when things are getting to their worst Alessandra is a wonderfully powerful protagonist.

Venice has been used in some previous stories in the Arkham Horror line, and it's been hinted at that there's more to this city on the water than first appears. Water, and the things that hide beneath the surface, have been a big part of the mythology that Lovecraft developed, and thus Venice feels like the perfect location to bring into this world. The idea that there's something dark and terrible beneath the city, that it's a magnet for the horrors of the world, takes an already interesting place and dials that up to eleven. I really wanted the book to spend more time exploring this new corner of the Arkham Horror world, and whilst it does do this I would have loved to have even more of it, and would be more than happy to see Reynolds return readers here again in the future. Just the fact that we've ventured so far outside of the traditional New England setting marks this as an interesting read, as some of the best entries in the franchise so far have done so.

If you were a fan of Alessandra in her previous stories and want more from her this book is definitely going to appeal to you. And if you're looking for interesting new expansions on the universe, and the exploration of a place that's very different to the titular Arkham and its surroundings then Song of Carcosa is not a book that you're going to want to sleep on.

Just now, Pepper Kelly isn't quite sure who she is. Usually, she's the assistant of reformed thief Alessandra Zorzi, traveling the world in search of occult artifacts. But other times she's Camilla, lover of Cassilda and resident of the twin-sunned city of Carcosa. As time goes on, the boundary between these two worlds begins to blur. And if Alessandra can't acquire the Zanthu Tablet soon, all hope for Pepper is lost.

Thus, the two venture to Venice, where an artist is preparing to stage a new production of the infamous King in Yellow. Allies and enemies shift roles almost as much as the players in the play itself, and battles take place in the street and in Pepper's mindscape. As the performance approaches and King's reign becomes ever-more inevitable, Pepper has a revolutionary and dangerous idea that could either save or doom them all.

In this house we love and respect Josh Reynolds, and Song of Carcosa continues that admiration. This take on The King in Yellow and its mind-bending story is a fascinating one, leaning into just how it influences its reader... but, more importantly, how a reader could potentially influence the play itself. The characters are weird and wonderful, and the story leans into its source material without leaning on it. Even if you haven't read these characters' previous outing, it's a fantastic read for any fans of eldritch horror and historical adventure.

This was genuinely *delightful*. I've read a lot of good IP fiction, and I've read a lot of bad IP fiction, and this is simply up there with the best. (It may benefit from the IP being Arkham Horror, so there's plenty of room to write just a rollicking Cthulhu Mythos story without necessarily needing to know the game's specifics).

I'm a big fan of the Hastur-related stories, and Josh Reynolds definitely knows his sources here. So many of the original stories contribute to the DNA here -- I picked up a lot of a Repairer of Reputations, the Yellow Sign, River of Night's Dreaming, and An Inhabitant of Carcosa -- but it manages to nevertheless feel completely original and just fit in perfectly with what already exists.

The adventure was fun -- an intriguing mystery, great pacing, and lots of action and twists and turns. Just extremely readable, never lagged, and the story itself was fun and multi-layered!

It's also queer as hell -- which is important for a Hastur story! I tend to be more critical of those without any. (And yes, in the original stories, this is because of attempting to cultivate an air of taboo, decadence, and moral decay -- but like any of these stories, reclaiming them means taking that and simply taking the more interesting horror elements while making these characters still exist). Really loved having such an interesting nonbinary character in the POV -- super appreciated that.

ALL the characters were extremely good, in fact. I was interested and invested in all of them, from brassy Pepper to cool and confident Alessandra to the self-absorbed Thorne to the enigmatic Chevalier. I really can't wait to read more with these characters -- I'll have to check out both the earlier novel that has Alessandra and Pepper in it, and probably other of the Arkham Horror line as well!

A review of “Song of Carcosa”
Written by Josh Reynolds with cover art by Dan Strange and published by Aconyte books.

First off, as always, thank you to Aconyte Publishing who provided me with a preview copy of this release to review. Per Aconyte’s site…

An occult thief takes on a sinister society threatening to tear the fabric of this world apart, in this daring noir-thriller from the bestselling world of Arkham Horror

Countess Alessandra Zorzi, reformed thief and acquirer of occult artifacts, faces her greatest challenge yet as she searches for an elusive artist in possession of the powerful Zanthu Tablet; the only thing that can stop the strange psychic malaise afflicting Alessandra’s assistant, Pepper. The countess’s quest takes her to the crooked heart of Venice, where an eerie organization is planning a grand performance that will engulf the city in chaos. As Pepper slips into an inescapable alien world, Alessandra must defeat powerful forces to save her friend. One wrong move could bring the curtain down on them all.

I really enjoyed this release, but bear with me while I explain why I am deeply biased on this review. With each of Mr. Reynolds’ entries in the Arkham Files IP, he has further refined the corner of the setting he is drawn to with his creation, Countess Alessandra Zorzi. Song of Carcosa marks Mr. Reynold’s third novel, in addition to his contribution to the Secrets in Scarlet collection, which has given my fellow readers the story of the renowned acquisitionist and her protégé, Pepper Kelly. Debuting in Aconyte’s first entry in the Arkham Files universe, 2020’s Wrath of N’kai, Zorzi has now managed to be the first of the Aconyte investigators to make the leap from the publishing line to FFG’s newest entry in their game line, The Feast of Hemlock Vale. The release of FFG’s Arkham Horror LCG was when I personally became intrigued with Arkham Files setting. That interest directly led me to start mapping the chronology of the different entries in FFG’s game line, which in turn got me to the point of launching a site to host that information and reaching out to Aconyte to do book reviews like this. 

In 2016, back in the days before the Dunwich Legacy campaign was fully released, the LCG consisted of the Night of the Zealot intro campaign and the stand-alone adventures Curse of the Rougarou and Carnevale of Horrors. Players did not have the same broad choice of scenarios that are available to them now and due to those early days of playing the same set of scenarios repeatedly I have had dozens of attempts at those early options. Carnevale of Horrors was brutal in its initial release with the limited card pool as players were tasked with saving innocent revelers from around Venice from the likes of Don Lagorio, Elizabetta Magro & Salvatore Neri. The partygoers were assured safety by the player successfully escorting them to the Abbess Allegria Di Biase, all in the hopes of preventing the rise of the mighty Cnidathqua. The mechanics of the scenario laid out the stakes but there was no explanation for the player of how these characters came to be in this situation or why they chose to work together, or in opposition to, each other’s goals. Fast forward 8 years and Mr. Reynolds has chosen to dive into what is going on in Venice with a fabulous entry in the life of the Countess that leans into secrets, conspiracy and family staged in the City of Masks. The resulting book is the most well executed translation of the Arkham Horror IP into a fleshed out story that Aconyte has released. Picking up shortly after the conclusion of Shadows of Pnath Mr. Reynolds sends his cast directly to Venice. With the city acting as a character in and of itself readers are taken on a tour of docks, secret shops, church sanctuaries, villas, and grand mansions as the reader learns about how Carcosa and itself is laying siege to the city on the water. 

Song of Carcosa is not the first Aconyte book to deal with the mythos surrounding Carcosa, that honor goes to 2021’s Mask of Silver by Rosemary Jones, but it is a unique take that I loved. Both tales show the sanity crushing delirium caused by exposure to the King in Yellow but Song of Carcosa sets itself apart by taking the characters, and readers, into the insanity that is Carcosa proper. Again, Mr. Reynolds has teed me up to enjoy this entry in the Arkham Files, as my favorite campaign in the LCG is “The Path to Carcosa” story, which deals directly with all things Carcosian. Part of the charm of the Carcosa portion of the mythos, for me, is its fluid nature. Different authors, game designers and readers can have different interpretations of what is actually happening within the story arc. Mr. Reynolds goes out of his way to make this clear within his narrative, and in doing so helps demonstrate how dangerous the situation is for his characters as some start to loosen their grip on what reality contains due to growing exposure to the madness surrounding them. 

With that conflict acting as the spine of the story Mr. Reynolds weaves in strands from his prior Arkham books, playing with yet another of my favorite aspects of the IP as a result. The focus of the aforementioned collection, Secrets in Scarlet, the Red Coterie are a global influence within the setting and put things in motion for this story. Although Mr. Reynolds is returning to ground covered in his prior books he makes sure to add enough to each thread to continue engaging the reader. For the Coterie that means gifting readers with exposure to the mononymous, Thorne. To his credit, Mr. Reynolds maintains the tone for the character, first established by Lisa Smedman in Secrets in Scarlet, while also shedding light on just how mercurial they are. The Countess herself also continues her ongoing growth. When Alessandra was first introduced in Wrath of N’kai she was an acquisitionist of occult tomes who viewed her clientele as marks with too much imagination and money. Over the course of her starring role in Mr. Reynolds three books, she now fully understands what she is up against, has surrounded herself with allies and developed genuine friendships, something the character would have found needless at the start of her journey. As I have enjoyed reading this growth, Mr. Reynolds has at the same time slowly revealed hints cluing readers in to the details of Alessandra’s youth and the involvement of her parents with the mythos. Song of Carcosa goes a long way to providing more details, many of which Alessandra was unaware of herself, in terms of the Zorzi family’s involvement with the mythos while setting up further revelations in future releases. Mr. Reynolds obvious love of the City of Venice combined with his enjoyment of the Arkham setting meet in Song of Carcosa to make a fabulous mythos noir yarn that repeatedly hit some of my favorite notes in my favorite IP. 

I hope you enjoyed my look at “Song of Carcosa”. If you would like more updates about the history of Arkham, its residents, and the events tied to the area please check out @arkhamhistorian on Twitter/X and bookmark this site for future updates. If you have any questions or wish to request specific content, please use this contact form. 

Best regards

Dude in progress

It is safe to say I adore the Arkham Horror series be it games, tie in books, game books (excited about that future release) I love it. The only thing or rather people I love more is Alessandra Zorzi and Pepper. This time the duo return but in hopes of finding a way to stop or help Pepper’s current nightmares and visions that seem to be growing worse.

For a slight change of scenery the Countess and her assistant end up in Venice and of course there is more shady organisations and eldritch horrors waiting. I have to say I adored this adventure. The horror was creeping and slow and seemed to always be waiting on the wings but it gave a sense of unease and uncertainty throughout.

The story, as always with Reynolds, is tightly woven and contains numerous twists and turns within. We have a bit of everything and Reynolds makes it work. A touch of magic, a bit of horror, and then of course real historical events which add a touch of realism. If you are fans of the game, the wider Arkham Horror fandom, Lovecraft or just a really good pulpy adventure with horror at it’s heart this is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for an eARC copy of Song of Carcosa by Josh Reynolds.

First and foremost, I was SO excited to read this as I am really big into the Arkham Horror board games and lore. I haven't gotten to read others in the series yet, so I am happy that Song of Carcosa was my first Arkham Horror novel.

It's no secret that cosmic horror plays a huge role, especially when it takes you on a quest to stop the horror from stopping the strange and unknown from going after your own. Just like the game, the plot is certainly slow burn, and that is something I enjoy. It makes the everything is not okay feeling in the pit of your stomach grow in just the right amount until the very end. Josh Reynolds does a wonderful job creating the world and keeping the Arkham lore intact.

Every Arkham horror book I read becomes my new favorite and this one is no different. I loved the pacing and location which felt more different than the typical setting for an Arkham book. The whole story around carcosa is simply the coolest thing ever. It would be really cool to see the place of carcosa being explored more in future Arkham stories.

If you love cosmic horror, look no further than Song of Carcosa. While based off Chamber's King in Yellow this new telling is full of surprise. A must read for fans of Love craft and Arkham Horror. This title can be read as a stand alone without having read other Arkham titles

A fun pulp adventure. Maybe the horror elements could have been played up more. Great cast of characters and locales.

Josh Reynolds does a great job in bringing the Arkham horror elements to this book, it had a strong concept that I enjoyed a lot about the series. It still was something original and that the characters felt like they were supposed to be in this world. I enjoyed the plot of this book and how it worked in this series. It had a great overall concept and was written perfectly for this type of book.

"An occult thief takes on a sinister society threatening to tear the fabric of this world apart, in this daring noir-thriller from the bestselling world of Arkham Horror.

Countess Alessandra Zorzi, reformed thief and acquirer of occult artifacts, faces her greatest challenge yet as she searches for an elusive artist in possession of the powerful Zanthu Tablet; the only thing that can stop the strange psychic malaise afflicting Alessandra's assistant, Pepper.

The countess's quest takes her to the crooked heart of Venice, where an eerie organization is planning a grand performance that will engulf the city in chaos. As Pepper slips into an inescapable alien world, Alessandra must defeat powerful forces to save her friend. One wrong move could bring the curtain down on them all."

I just love the ever expanding worlds of Arkham Horror.

Arc Copy...Even though I haven't played (yet!) Arkham Horror yet...very much aware and delighted the narrative will deal with the "King in Yellow" expansion themes. Also good-exotic change pace to have the action moved to Venice from the usual Arkham setting of Massachusetts. Atmosphere felt...yes exotics 1930s Venice theater scene vibes mixed with something very sinister is going on and building!

And thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Aconyte Books for this adventure set in the city known as the Queen of the Adriatic, where evil lurks in the shadows, the canals hold more than fish, and a new reality is trying to come through.

Christopher Moore wrote that "Everything in Venice is just a little bit creepy, as much as it's beautiful." The city that seems ready to float away, of age and beauty, replete with the strong odors of fish and damp. Of gondolas poled by handsome drivers, where children will steal from distracted tourists. Add to this an aura, a feeling not of sunny days and sipping wine by lagoons, but sounds of madness, a sense that things are not right in the Eternal City of Water. Dark forces are congregating, various sects, cults and magicians, for reasons they know not why. A relic, a play, or maybe the end of everything. Into this eldritch mess comes our heroes, one an ex-theif, seeking to help her companion. A companion who is drifting further and further into a lost city, that only the mad have returned from. Song of Carcosa is another entry in the Arkham Horror series, by Josh Reynolds featuring some of his previous characters in a grand adventure that might sink a city, or drown all our souls for eternity.

Countess Alessandra Zorzi has given up her thieving lifestyle, stealing from those who know about the secrets that should not be discussed, about things who we should not name, for fun and profit. A recent turn with an old angry spouse's attempt to destroy the world has given Zorzi, a change in attitude and interests. Her companion Pepper is not doing well, dreaming of a city, that does not exist, one that is said much in Venice, but by those soon to be sent to asylums. Zorzi is tasked with finding a key for a person versed in magic that could help Pepper. However there are many people in Venice, including a few old enemies and some older more complicated once friends. Aided at times by man wearing a crimson mask, and also one step behind, Zorzi must find away to help both Pepper, herself, and maybe the world.

Another grand adventure from author Josh Reynolds, one of the few writers I can count on to make my mood change for the better when I start reading him, no matter how bad the day. Reynolds has a very good grasp of what makes these stories work, a bit of magic, some explanation, and a lot of what the heck is going on here, what is that. I enjoy the fact that these stories are starting to branch out from borders of good old Massachusetts. The inclusion of real events, the rise of Fascism in Italy under Mussolini, leading to a nice fascist punch out seen, helps too. Grounding the stories, even about giant elder gods, with real events helps the story. Countess Alessandra Zorzi has been in a few other stories and usually that wouldn't matter, but reading the previous book might help readers keep track of what is going on, as this is a bit of a sequel. There is a lot going on, with a few different sides, but Reynolds does his usual excellent job of keeping it all together.

Recommended for fans of the game, Lovecraft stories, or those who really enjoy rousing adventure stories set in yesteryear, with a diverse group of characters. a lot of fun and well worth reading.

Hey all! Fair warning you need to have a taste for slow horror for this one, but the interpretation of Hastur and the region is beautifully done and the Countess is a fun protagonist. Thanks for the Arc NetGalley, and cheers!

I'll have to preface this by saying I'm really a huge fan of Josh Reynolds and the Arkham Horror universe. Pepper has been haunted by visions of Carcosa and her friend Alessandria takes her to Venice to retrieve an Artifact that she believes will help.
Reynolds did an absolutely stellar job adapting the King in Yellow into a theatrical play in the Arkham Horror universe. This is a book where the setting and the plot were really much better than the story. The entire time I was reading this I kept thinking that not much was actually happening. I was not a fan of the characters with the exception of Alessandria, and they all kept being referred to by multiple names which made it a bit hard to get into at first. At one point a character referred to another character by their last name and then their first name, in the same sentence.
I also felt like this book would have been 100x better without the overarching Scarlet Keys storyline. But, this is still worth a read for fans of Arkham Horror or the King in Yellow.

Song of Carcosa feels like a much longer book than it actually is, and it took me a few tries to get into it. The characters - and there are many of them - feel restrained, like the prose isn't allowing them to fly free within their own story.

There is a cursed play referenced - The King in Yellow, which is at the center of a book of the same name by Robert Chambers. The play is rumored to drive people mad, and a similar malaise is affecting characters in the story, including Pepper, the assistant to aristocratic Alessandra Zorzi, who decides to investigate before Pepper's mind is completely lost.

Alessandra is a wonderful character, and she and the Venetian setting were the highlights of this convoluted book for me. There is a larger battle coming, but I won't be following along.