Monsters in the Bush

Seven tales-including 'Lovecraft in Lockup, ' the sequel to Lovecraft's Iraq-are here to pay homage to military life and lunatic cosmic dread. Malaki Marsh, corporal in the Marine Corps, has brought a bit of Ipswich to Onslow Beach. Armed with arcane know-how, he's on the verge of summoning a swimmer from the deep-but whose ill fate it may bring not even he can tell. Recon Marine, daring leader, lunatic extraordinaire, Cornelius Van Cleave seems to live for only two things: the beloved Corps and climbing with his hands and teeth up its bloody ranks. But there are fallen stars, abductions, and dark magic during Desert Storm all standing in his way. Ronald Ragsdale, veteran turned congressman, would like nothing better than to unsee his past. But none could forget the horror he encountered while in the jungles of Vietnam. His one and only trip to the VA leaves him spilling his guts to a skeptical shrink, though she may not remain doubtful for long. There is the Iraqi, Al-Sufi. Along with his moronic brother, he's high-tailing it out of Iraq, off to a new land, to the United States of America, where, if they get there, a greater banquet awaits than seen in their centuries-spanning lives. Esoteric rituals. Strange powers harnessed. A disarmed military policeman, out to solve the case of a lifetime, and more. Creepy, well-crafted, rife with dark humor, and teeming with determined characters, Monsters in the Bush is a collection of military horror like no other.