Return of the Ancients: Unruly Tales of the Mythological Weird

A goddess incarnate drives her worshipper to a glorious destruction in 1880s Italy. Archaeologists in 1940s Persia discover a maddening secret in Tiamat’s tomb. In 1990s Britain, an avowed sceptic is lured into a bloody initiation to the cult of Mithras. Ancient tales of mythical gods and monsters are embedded deep in the world’s cultures, and as weird fiction developed, a haunting sub-genre emerged in which these eternal beings – and their power to wreak havoc and enthral mortals – remained alive in sacred ruins, cursed relics and the hushed whispers of their followers. Delving into the rich lore of Greek, British, Norse and Egyptian myth and through lost pantheons from Carthage to Mesoamerica, Katy Soar has unearthed fourteen strange stories of beasts and deities tyrannizing the modern world. Offering classics and rare finds by Stephen Baxter, John Wyndham, Flavia Richardson and more, this collection also includes notes on the mythical figures of each tale.