Syndicate's Volume III explores shared world of dark storytelling

PANAMA CITY — Reading usually is a solitary activity, but you might not want to venture too far from others without leaving a trail when engrossed in The Syndicate's "Adventures in the Arcane: Cthulhu Edition," the third volume in the anthology series.

"Our first volume was created solely by the Syndicate, and for Volume II, we issued invitations to writers we knew. For Volume III, we opened story and art submissions to the planet, which brought us Tim Taylor, a successful sci-fi writer based in the U.K., as well as four new artists, a new local voice and a New Orleans-based horror author," said Syndicate member and author Tony Simmons.

The latest 185-page anthology, the "Cthulhu Edition" officially debuts at the ninth annual Panama City Creative Con — Sept. 22-23 at the Marina Civic Center — founded by Syndicate member Jayson Kretzer. While Creative Con is for all-ages, these tales are for adults only.

Volume II, released in July 2017, featured paranormal thrills with characters resurfacing from Volume I (August 2016) in the old-fashioned pulp anthologies. Volume III brings back familiar beings — or is that your mind playing tricks on you?

Just ask "Jester," apprentice to wolf-shaman Waylon, who was first introduced to readers in Volume I by Syndicate member S. Brady Calhoun — or Taylor's Jimmy Corrigan.

Simmons' Capt. Gideon Argo is back with the Flying Zombies to fight the "Blood Beast From Beyond" — a battle that transpired in the '30s.

"I'm really happy with my Flying Zombies piece, although it expanded from a short story to a novella in the writing process," Simmons said. "It reveals a tragic adventure that took place before the events of my novel, 'The Lost Lemurians.' It was inspired by a Lovecraft poem ('Fungi from Yuggoth') and a short story by Robert E. Howard ('The Black Stone')."

A foreward from Syndicate member Mark Boss sheds light on the dark world of Cthulhu (don't worry; nobody can pronounce it).

Cthulhu Mythos, as explained by Boss, is a shared world of horrific sci-fi stories of gods and aliens on Earth — a world initially created by Howard Phillip Lovecraft. Though Lovecraft died in 1937, other writers began writing their own stories within the dark world. This is the latest mission of the Syndicate authors — to contribute their own stories within this Cthulhu edition.

Hence, "Cthulhu Edition" guest writers Tim C. Taylor, F.P. Calabretta, Nathan Simmons, Anthony S. Buoni and Ainslee Meadows build on Lovecraft's tradition of embracing other's creativity to enhance the shared world. While Lovecraft's view of this world was influenced by his tragic real-world experiences, elements of "hope" were introduced by other writers, such as August Derleth.

"I was so pleased when Nathan's story made the cut," Simmons said of his son. "I had excused myself from that decision, for obvious reasons, so I'm really proud to share space in this collection with him. He brings a welcome lighter touch and a bit of the absurd into what could have been a very dark mix, while telling a thrilling story that I think will stay with you, especially if you're a fan of a certain secret agent with a license to kill."

Artwork by guest contributors Jason Godwin, j(ay), Herb Kalenberg, Jason Miracle and Andrew Pate and Kretzer (who also illustrated the cover) gives the reader an entry point into picturing this alter universe, but don't limit yourself to their interpretations — even some characters doubt the validity of what they are seeing.

"We decided to run a Kickstarter campaign this time so our contributors could make a bit of money," Simmons added. "We didn't break any records, but I consider the effort a great success, as it pre-sold dozens of copies before the edition ever went to press. We list our supporters at the end of the collection."