Secrets in Scarlet

Every single Arkham Horror title is a hit for me including this one. What I really loved about this, was it is a collection of short stories. Each one pulls you into that Lovecraft, gothic, and cosmic horror atmosphere. Even if you don’t know anything about Arkham Horror, this will be a great read. I can’t wait to have all of the new Arkham horror physical copies.

First of all I would like to thank the Publisher for sending me the ARC.

This book deals with a collection of tales with a pinch of horror and gothic. It is part of a book series “Arkham Horror”. The stories are nine:
-The Man in the Bubble: a sort of organization tries to secure different magical and alien artifacts which could cause problems to humanity. In particular, commissioner Taylor investigates about the Prism.
-City of Waking Dreams, set in Shangai and in London. Inspector Li Flint is in search of a certain Lady with The Red Parasol, who steals art in exchange for opium.
-Brother Bound, the story of two brothers Desi and Javier. The first one is worried for the health of the second one, seen that he is working until the bone for his family. A story tied to the cut of the cane and its brutality but at the same time with violent magic.
-Honor among thieves, the story of two twin sisters Milagros and Rosa who steal to survive after the death of their parents. This time they have to steal something form the Corregidor fashion collection at the Palacio Errazuriz, but something is not like usual.
-A forty grain weight of Nephrite, Kymani Jones in search of a sky disc of forbidden colors called the Bi which brings dismay and destructions wherever it’s taken.
-Strange Things Done, Rex Murphy is a reporter who has to do a story about the poet Robert Service and for that is going to Alaska but he finds himself involved in something strange.
-In Art, Truth, tied to the muslim religion.
-Crossing stars, Haresah Izem is a warrior, a strong one. Her father taught her that power is everything. She in love with Razin, a young handsome man of her tribe. They start a mission to rule the word while something evil is waiting for them. But this is only the story in the story told by a patron to Luci Diallo at University of Barcelona. Why?
-The red and the black
My favourite are Honor among Thieves, it gave me vibes of Six of Crows. A melange of mystery, sisterhood, horror and magic; Crossing Stars, which reminded me of We Hunt the Flame, the same atmosphere. I liked also the Man in the Bubble, especially because of the presence of this sort of foundation that collects magical and odd artifacts.
In general, I recommend this book to people who like H.P. Lovecraft as author and have a taste for horror vibes.

I really enjoyed the previous books in the Arkham Horror, so I was excited to reading this anthology novel. It was beautifully done with interesting stories. They all had great concepts and I loved reading each one.

THE MAN IN THE BUBBLE by David Annandale is a great story done by a great writer, I enjoyed going through this. CITY OF WAKING DREAMS by Davide Mana I loved the use of different connections. BROTHER BOUND by Jason Fischer had a great noir element that I enjoyed a lot. HONOR AMONG THIEVES by Carrie Harris might have been my favorite story in this book. A FORTY GRAIN WEIGHT OF NEPHRITE by Steven Philip Jones I enjoyed but really didn't stick with me. STRANGE THINGS DONE By Lisa Smedman had a great writing style. IN ART, TRUTH by James Fadeley might be my third favorite book. CROSSING STARS by MJ Newman was my second favorite book. And lastly was THE RED AND THE BLACK by Josh Reynolds was a strong ending to the anthology. Overall this was a great read.

We arent in Arkham anymore.

Secrets in Scarlet was edited by Charlotte Llewelyn-Wells and is a collection of stories based in Arkham Horror LCGs upcoming expansion featuring stories from familiar faces such as Josh Reynolds and David Annandale, as well as many newcomers.

A secret organization seeks to control keys that will allow them to control a dark power, but they arent the only ones searching for them, and they may not even be the good guys. Secrets in Scarlet draws elements from pulp horror, Raymond Chandler detective stories, and grand heists to create stories that would fit perfectly being listened to from a 1920s radio drama.

Each of these stories does a great job of feeling fresh and unique to each other story in the collection and combines Lovecraft, Indiana Jones, and Oceans 11 to create a globetrotting adventure with diverse locations and an equally diverse cast.