Blending elements from cosmic horror, dark fantasy, and magic-school mysteries while putting a smart contemporary spin on Lovecraftian terrors, Cottrell’s fiction debut centers on Ellen Logan, a student possessing psychic abilities who moonlights as a fortune teller at the local occult bookstore to pay her way through Miskatonic University, a place of higher learning devoted to the occult and other supernatural phenomenon. Ellen’s life is turned upside down when her friend, Stephanie, is found dead, presumably from falling from the top of the campus’ clock tower. When it comes to light that Stephanie was researching a horrible accident in a long-forgotten mine, Ellen must work with her broodingly attractive, psychic-hating professor to unearth buried truths—all as she strives to hone her psychic powers and find a way to handle the harrowing cries of the doomed miners themselves.The plot focuses on the supernatural, with ghosts, possession, Lovecraft’s “Dreamlands,” and long-dead miners in an intriguing mix. Still, Cottrell does wonders giving Ellen a natural, up-to-date voice, freshening up the familiar mythos. Unlike doom-and-gloom heroes of many works in the Lovecraftian vein, Ellen is quick to disbelief and ready to stand up for herself, even going so far to call her art history professor (one of several characters who seem to be related to Lovercraft’s a own) a “prick” to his face. Confident in her actions yet uncertain of her past, she ventures into the unknown with a gusto rare for those facing cosmic horror.
With a faculty advisor to Miskatonic’s psychic student organization, and her doting Uncle Joshua (who harbors mysteries of his own), Darkness Below shows that “light can be dark. Unclean.” But it also demonstrates, as Ellen and Professor Carter hunt down lost tomes, face unspeakable dangers, and investigate weird rituals, that darkness need not be overwhelming. Ellen’s an arresting guide, and readers who relish this milieu will be eager for the promised followup.
Takeaway: A college student faces Lovecraftian horrors and mysteries in this winning series starter.
Great for fans of: Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, Ruthanna Emrys’s Winter Tide.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
