Lucius Galloway is flying high. He has finally written a hit book, he’s won a prestigious award for it, and now he’s been offered a research position at Harvard for the summer. For anyone, this would be an amazing set of achievements, but for a gay black man in the 1920s, it feels like Lucius has won the lottery. But things aren’t quite as perfect as they seem. Every night, Lucius dreams of an ancient city lost deep underwater. While the city is beautiful and intriguing, something sinister lurks at its center and the dreams are wearing Lucius out. And then there’s his Harvard project, the further into the project he gets, the more he sees danger all around him. As the horror of his dreams start to bleed into his waking world, Lucius worries that he’s losing his mind. Is he a crazy old man, or is it something more? Find out in Carrie Harris’s The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway, an Arkham Horror novel.
[Warning: Spoilers for this story below! Note: While I am reviewing this book independantly and honestly, a copy has been provided to me by Aconyte books.]
Lucius Galloway’s visions lead to his success… and downfall
Lucius has been having nightmares about an ancient drowned city for quite some time. Being a writer, Lucius processes his unsettling dreams the only way he knows how, by writing about them. His poetry about this doomed city is a hit. After years of struggling, he’s finally being recognized for his work.
His partner, Rudi, throws him a big party to celebrate, and it’s there that he enters the next stage of his success. One of the party guests, an old friend of Rudi’s from Arkham, tells Lucius about a project that he thinks will be right up his alley. A friend of the guest is working on translating a newly discovered ancient text. While she is great at the technical translation, she’s looking for a poet to help capture the meaning of the words and bring the text to life. It’s only a summer project, but it will forever give Lucius the prestige of being a Harvard man.
Lucius is both honored to have been asked and reluctant to take the job. For one thing, it will mean leaving his partner, Rudi, behind for the whole summer. Harvard does offer housing for Lucius, but in 1920 there’s no place for a gay couple on campus. However, in true love’s fashion, Rudi refuses to let Lucius pass up such a distinguished position and convinces him to head to Harvard.
When Lucius first arrives, he’s ecstatic. Helen, the woman he’s working on the project with, is welcoming, and they get along well. He’s still dreaming of the drowned city every night, but it’s nothing a little coffee can’t fix. But the more he works on the project, the stranger things seem to get. He starts losing time, he feels like he’s being watched, people seem to be following him. Then his nightmares start leaking into his waking world. Lucius is worried he’s losing his mind. He should say something to someone, but he’s worried they’ll confirm he’s going crazy and lock him away.
Then he begins to notice similarities between the city described in the work he and Helen are translating, and the city of his dreams. What could all this mean? He’s been dreaming of that city since long before the Harvard project began. Now afraid to even sleep, Lucius starts to really lose his grip on reality, or maybe not. Just what is the sinister entity lurking in the center of his dream city? What does it want from him? And does it even matter, after all, none of it is real…it can’t be real…it isn’t real…right?
An Arkham Horror not set in Arkham
The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway is another Arkham Horror novel not set in Arkham. It doesn’t even have characters that we originally met in Arkham in it. Harris only has her story make the most tangential contact with Arkham possible. The person who sets Lucius on his path in the beginning is from Arkham. Then at the end, Lucius heads to Arkham to find his partner Rudi, who has gone there looking for answers to his own nightmare problems.
But Harris doesn’t need to set her story to Arkham to capture the spirit of the Arkham Horror novels. Her story fits in perfectly in tone and subject. And with Lucius heading to Arkham at the end, we can see that it ties into the larger picture of danger in Arkham.
And the story itself is a great story. Watching Lucius slowly come unraveled is a harrowing journey. Instead of being a creature thriller, Harris has created a slow-burn psychological horror in The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway. It’s an Arkham Horror, so of course we know that there really is an eldritch terror to be afraid of. But at the same time Lucius is sleep-deprived, he is stressed out, he could just be paranoid.
Lucius’s slow descent into madness is a master class in psychological horror that I really enjoyed. And his resilience and courage in the face of the unknown is a lesson in the perseverance of humanity. I loved Lucius as a character, and I loved his journey as well. I’m glad that Harris hints that Lucius will be returning in future installments. I need more of his quick wit, solid skepticism, and steady courage in my world.
The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway is another Arkham Horror hit
I have been following the Arkham Horror series for quite a few years now. It quickly became a favorite series of mine and has remained so throughout different stories, characters, and authors. The overall tone manages to stay very consistent. Spunky, witty, courageous characters dominate the pages. Greedy villains believe that only they are special enough to have unfathomable power. The heroes face mind-bending encounters with ancient evils and save the world time after time.
My rating for this book: 8/10
Arkham Horror offers an unsettling escape into adventure, brushes with tantalizing and terrifying truths bigger than we can comprehend, and just the right balance of humor to make it all palatable. Harris has followed this formula to a tee, creating endearing new characters to explore the eldritch horrors of a hidden world with. The Forbidden Visions of Lucius Galloway is a great weekend escape that horror fans will love. Check it out wherever you buy books now.
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