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Mark Cassell
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In the Company of False Gods - Lovecraftian Steampunk Horror: a story of two worlds Kindle Edition

by Mark Cassell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
When commissioned to build a clockwork construct, wheelchair-bound Attacus doubts his abilities. Once powered up, his creation escapes and runs amok, destroying more than just the town he calls home. Hunting his deadly automaton forces him to confront his past.

He had no idea his creation would take him to the threshold between worlds.

And soon he finds himself ...

In the Company of False Gods



From Mark Cassell, author of the best-selling supernatural horror novel The Shadow Fabric, comes a Lovecraftian steampunk novelette.

"Reminiscent of the social science fiction writings of Tanith Lee and H.G. Wells, Cassell's story is rife with imaginative technical detail." - Five-star reviewer.

Interview with the author:

What is your favorite subject to write about?

MC: I’ll always continue to write about what’s beyond the veil of our everyday lives. That’s most likely why my stories tend to be about normal people thrown into unusual situations, taking them into a darkness both inside themselves as well as out of their comfort boundaries.


Associated publishers:
Burdizzo Books
Corpus Press
Crystal Lake Publishing
Dark Terror Publications
EyeCue Productions
Future Chronicles
KJK Publishing
Lafcadio Press
Matt Shaw Publications
Scimitar Press
Severed Press
Shadows at the Door Publishing
Sinister Horror Company
Sirens Call Publications
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  1. Print length
    50 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 29, 2017
  4. File size
    4.4 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B075KYQF27
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Herbs House
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 29, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.4 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 50 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Mark Cassell

Mark Cassell

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Mark Cassell lives on the south-east coast of the United Kingdom with his wife and many animals. His jobs have included baker, lab technician, driving instructor, actor, and was once a spotlight operator for an Elvis Presley impersonator.

As the author of the best-selling Shadow Fabric mythos, he’s written under several pen names with over 150 stories published in magazines and anthologies. Though his passion remains embedded in dark fantasy and horror, he’s written steampunk, fantasy and sci-fi, and regularly crosses the blurry lines between genres.

Most recently he’s seen publication in the children’s market. In particular, a Would You Rather game book series that has proven popular, and a successful range of pirate activity books. Mark often says how the “Pirate Thing” is a latent interest that will always astonish him.

A proud addition to his bibliography is through Caffeine Nights Publishing with the horror novel, Parasite Crop. Since signing that contract, he remains humbled in the knowledge he now shares the same publisher as one of his literary heroes from the late-1980s, a bygone time when he sneakily read novels at the back of school classrooms.

Incidentally, Mark never got caught.

~

More about the author can be found at www.MarkCassell.co.uk

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
21 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • fraidofthedark
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mechanised horror
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    If you're reading this it's because your interested in buying this novella. You're looking for confirmation that's it's worth reading, it's good and maybe that the storyline falls within your genre (which I'll guess is horror surprisingly). You want to know what others think of it, what I thought of it.

    Ok, now we've agreed why you're here, here's my advice. Stop procrastinating and buy this book. It's great, superb, unique, imaginative, descriptive, and twisted. This book is all of those things combined into two words "Mark Cassell."

    Mark is leading where others sadly stopped on the 15th March 1937. Stepping into a world of horror few have the technical writing ability to pull off, Mark creates images in your mind that spawn straight from beyond. He could be a sorcerer seeking to stimulate enough brain synapses to rip through time and space, to let the others in.

    Read this at your peril, but read it!
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  • Rthienes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Steamcraftian Horrors
    Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    As steampunk has become a new genre of distopian/Victorian science fiction, I have never before seen it rivited so seamlessly with Lovecraft's visions of eldritch terror from the dark dimension. Where Lovecraft spun a new mythology with the Ancients, Cassell takes it one step further. Mark Cassell has taken the hand of popular culture and set it ever so gently into the hand of one of the fathers of modern supernatural horror.
    Replete with automatons and mad scientists, In the Company of False Gods gives you a splinter of time where the mechanical and metaphysical collide.
    A true treat!
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  • MarkMJ Green
    4.0 out of 5 stars Lovecraftian Steampunk Horror
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2018
    Even if I wasn’t already a fan of Mark’s work, there were three words that when combined together really piqued my interest, and they were:
    Lovecraftian. Steampunk. Horror.

    Three of my favourite things combined? Why thank you very much Mark; that sounds awesome.

    The story itself focuses on a man named Attacus who is well known across the world as a constructor of mechanical, well…constructs. Attacus lost his legs in an accident that involved one of his creations and has been feeling his enthusiasm somewhat dampened by his failures within his craft.
    Attacus is approached by a wealthy individual known as Lady Greyheron who wants to hire him to craft her an automaton unlike anything seen before thanks to its unusual power source that she has extracted from a portal that she has created.

    Naturally as one would expect when dealing with mysterious portals that lead to unknown realms it’s not too long before everything goes wrong.

    The easiest way to describe what occurs (for those who like comparisons) would be to say that if you could imagine the mechanical construct run amok and amalgamating all in its path from animated feature Roujin Z (or South Park’s Trapper Keeper 4000 episode) and then introduced Shub-Niggurath’s mum into the mix, you’ve got a good idea of where things are going.

    As usual I really enjoyed the story and Mark’s style leant itself well to the genre mash-up with some interesting characters and creations thrown into the tale.

    Admittedly the story is rather short and I did find that to be slightly detrimental to the piece simply because there was so much more that could have been explained or developed that it left me wanting more from the tale and I really wish it had been fleshed out into more of a full length novel as there is a lot of material here to work with but the short nature raised many unexplained questions.
    Again this is mainly because I was enjoying it so much that I wanted to know more about the world, the setting, the characters and so on. Even the constructs from the zoo were a fascination for me that I would have liked to know more about; presumably they were crafted from non-ferrous materials but how where they programmed to display emotions such as panic?

    The story is enjoyable and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of Mark’s work or for those who want to try something a little different – how can you not be drawn in by those three words? Lovecraftian steampunk horror is a great idea that I hope Mark delves into more in the future because this was a great read, it was just that for me there needed to be more of it as it felt a little like a preview piece for a larger novel, rather than the final product.

    Minor griping aside though, I really enjoyed the tale and would happily read more stories set in this universe that Mark is creating because not only is it enjoyable and well written, it’s also a blend of genres that I don’t think I’ve encountered before and for that alone it’s certainly worth buying.

    Oh and as a side note, I’d recommend listening to Mechanix by Megadeth and The Thing That Should Not Be by Metallica for a bit of background music.
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  • Lyndsay Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Rife with Imaginative Technical Detail
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Although I have dabbled in the steampunk community as a costumer and cosplayer, enjoyed steampunk movies and PC games, I've not read much fiction that could be considered steampunk. This tale describes itself as "Lovecraftian Steampunk Horror" and that is a perfectly apt. I usually scoff at the overuse of the "Lovecraftian" but the dark creature and cosmic nature of this story merit the term. Reminiscent of the social science fiction writings of Tanith Lee and H.G. Wells, Cassell's story is rife with imaginative technical detail. I could easily see this action-packed story adapted into a PC game or animated series.
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  • Yvette A. Vivier
    5.0 out of 5 stars Master Author
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I love the writings of Mark Cassell. Ready for your new material. He is the same category as Stephen King.
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  • M Aldeburgh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the world of Steampunk Horror
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2017
    I really loved this tale, it had everything: the metal gadgets and mechanical inventions, airships with balloons (dirigible), pre-electricity Victorian-esque setting, mixed with dark horror, some gore, and a paranormal twist. Not many can combine all those elements with a fast paced, suspense filled story that keeps you attention to the very end.

    With strong characters like Attacus & Greyheron, both of whom are at a disadvantage with not being fully physically able, yet perfectly capable, the reader catches a glimpse of the inside world of mad scientists and inventors.

    Mark Cassell has a gift at being able to place the reader in the midst of the story without them missing a beat, and letting the background unfold along the story. Written in first person, this little tale delivers a lot. I would definitely recommend it.
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  • Raymond
    4.0 out of 5 stars Steampunk Horror
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020
    Steampunk isn't my favorite, but this short story was really good. I love the way the cosmic entity was stopped from entering this universe. I also love the way Attacus started to change at the end.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • M Aldeburgh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the Steampunk Horror genre.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I really loved this tale, it had everything: the metal gadgets and mechanical inventions, airships with balloons (dirigible), pre-electricity Victorian-esque setting, mixed with dark horror, some gore, and a paranormal twist. Not many can combine all those elements with a fast paced, suspense filled story that keeps you attention to the very end.

    With strong characters like Attacus & Greyheron, both of whom are at a disadvantage with not being fully physically able, yet perfectly capable, the reader catches a glimpse of the inside world of mad scientists and inventors.

    Mark Cassell has a gift at being able to place the reader in the midst of the story without them missing a beat, and letting the background unfold along the story. Written in first person, this little tale delivers a lot. I would definitely recommend it.
    Report
  • Jean-Simon Brochu
    1.0 out of 5 stars Unfinished
    Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    It's a nice teaser for a book. I don't know why I was expecting a book. It starts to get interesting at the end... Half an hour in...
    Report
  • Adrian Shotbolt
    3.0 out of 5 stars Steampunk Vs Lovecraft!
    Reviewed in Australia on December 18, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I wanted to try something a little different and different this certainly is. I've never read any Steampunk before and the added Lovecraft elements sounded interesting. I loved the second half of the story, where all Hell breaks loose and a path between the fabric of space and time is ripped open, unleashing all manner of tentacle goodness. The Steampunk thing didn't really float my boat. Still, this is an interesting mash-up of genres.

    3/5 clockwork limbs from the Grim Reader.
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  • Pat McDonald
    5.0 out of 5 stars Where horror meets steampunk, superb!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    My first real steampunk read so wasn’t sure what to expect. It was an explosion of imagery and one of those books you try to visualise. Excellent use of imagery and very well written, love this author’s style. Whilst this is a novella, as other reads by Mark Cassell you get a taste of his other work at the end which leaves you wanting to read other things and I always find it a lure! Whilst I am familiar with steampunk images I really didn’t know what to expect and my visual trips into steampunk were based on my background knowledge of these images. Tempted? Always by Mark Cassell who writes so well, and by the subject, you bet! Pat McDonald British Crime Author
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  • Sophie Hall
    5.0 out of 5 stars "The mechanix, quite frankly, are incredible."
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    [Contains small spoiler] Lovecraftian Steampunk horror sums up the themes of this novella perfectly. It gives no indication though of how well written and engaging the story is. There is such a pleasing cadence to Mark Cassell's writing which invokes the grinding of cogs and grittiness of steampowered, and otherworldly powered, automatons. Would highly recommend giving this, and his other works, a read.
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