Brian Keene

Nick Mamatas

A hilarious, shocking, terrifying thrill ride across the American landscape, The Damned Highway pays homage to the gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson and the uncanny terrors of H. P. Lovecraft! Horror legend Brian Keene (The Rising) and cult storytelling master Nick Mamatas (Move Under Ground) dredge up a tale of drug-fueled eldritch madness from the blackest depths of the American nightmare. On a freaked-out bus journey to Arkham, Massachusetts, and the 1972 presidential primary, evidence mounts that sinister forces are on the rise, led by the Cult of Cthulhu and its most prominent member--Richard M. Nixon! * Brian Keene is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner. * Nick Mamatas has been nominated for Bram Stoker, International Horror Guild, World Fantasy, and Hugo Awards. *

Damned Highway: Fear and Loathing in Arkham

Sarah Sammis

The Damned Highway by by Nick Mamatas and Brian Keene mixes together Hunter S. Thompson, H. P. Lovecraft's monsters and Watergate. Thompson, reeling from his unintended fame from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas gets caught up in a plot that involves the invasion of monsters that hinges on the re-election of Richard Nixon.

The book is written in first person, with Thompson as the narrator. His first person observations are written in a voice that wobbles between something similar to Thompson's actual writing style and Lovecraft's Gothic horror.

For me, Thompson's voice seemed forced. It didn't flow. There was too much emphasis on making it as wacky and moody as possible. There wasn't any room for Thompson to take a breadth — or the reader.

Maybe a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Call of Cthulu mashup would have worked. Tossing in Richard Nixon, though, was a distraction. It was one element too many.

Damned Highway: Fear and Loathing in Arkham

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