Asmodee Entertainment have announced that Aconyte Books, the fiction imprint of global games group Asmodee, has secured a multi-year agreement with tabletop RPG masters Chaosium to create and publish brand new novels in their Call of Cthulhu game settings Regency Cthulhu – the first the work of award-winning author Cari Z – and Cthulhu by Gaslight.
Call of Cthulhu is the revered roleplaying game of investigation and horror set in the 1920s. Inspired by the arcane fantasy fiction of HP Lovecraft and other writers who have added to the Cthulhu Mythos over many decades, this is the first time official licensed fiction has been set in Call of Cthulhu’s acclaimed Victorian and Regency settings.
Regency Cthulhu, launched earlier this year, sets the action in the late 18th Century England, where the masked balls and the society calendar are fronts for sinister cultists to further their own dark conspiracies.
The first Regency Cthulhu novel, Secrets & Sacrifices by award-winning author Cath Lauria, aka Cari Z, is due for release in April 2024, and available to pre-order.
In this opening adventure, the indomitable Cassandra Wright goes in search of the cruel nobleman who drove her father to the grave. The secrets she uncovers, however, threaten to drive her to the brink of sanity.
Cath Lauria is a talented Colorado-based author with a long track record in fantasy, SF, suspense and romance, including Marvel Comics tie-in “Heroines” novels such as Silver Sable: Payback and Black Cat: Discord – and owns an unusual, large collection of edged weapons.
“I am so excited for this!” Cari commented on Twitter earlier this week. “Pride and Prejudice, meet the Elder Gods, I’m sure you’re going to have a great time together.”
The first Cthulhu by Gaslight novel will follow in summer 2024, revealing sinister forces threatening the very heart of terror-struck Victorian London. More information on this and future titles will follow in due course.
Aconyte’s Publishing Director Marc Gascoigne said, “As long-time fans and players of the Call of Cthulhuroleplaying game, we’re delighted to be able to collaborate on publishing novels in these fabulously imaginative settings. Let’s face it – Bridgerton with extra tentacles and Sherlock Holmes facing off against shoggoths – what’s not to love? Our mission to bring game worlds to life with new and untold stories makes these two series a perfect fit for the Aconyte range.”
Jeff Richard, Chaosium’s Creative Director, said, “We are so excited to be working with Aconyte on these stories. We can’t wait for our fans to get a chance to read new Call of Cthulhu novels!”
Aconyte Books is the publishing arm of Asmodee Entertainment, a platform of global games publisher and distributor Asmodee, a member of the Embracer Group of companies. Their mission is to extend Asmodee’s intellectual properties into novels and comics, TV/film, location-based entertainment, and consumer products, working closely with Asmodee Boardgames and their digital divisions.
As well as novels from the many worlds of Asmodee’s games, Aconyte is also extending its catalogue with key partnerships, including several ranges of novels set in the worlds of Marvel Comics and Ubisoft’s computer games.
Aconyte’s novels are published in trade paperback and ebook format, and audiobook editions are currently under discussion. Distribution to the book trade is through Simon & Schuster, and to tabletop gaming stores by Asmodee.
Chaosium Inc was founded by visionary game designer Greg Stafford in 1975. The roleplaying games RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, Pendragon, and Basic Roleplaying – as well as such classic board and card games as White Bear & Red Moon (later called Dragon Pass), Nomad Gods, Arkham Horror, Credo, and Mythos all originated at Chaosium.
Over the years, Chaosium has won so many awards that we have actually lost count, including more than thirty ENnie Awards since 2014.
• Pre-order Secrets and Sacrifices by Cath Lauria here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
When Cassandra Wright’s father was accused of murder her whole life fell apart, leaving her with no prospects, no money, and a broken engagement. But Cassandra always suspected foul play. Five years later, she’s determined to discover the truth.
With her childhood friend Thomas reluctantly acting as her new husband-to-be, Cassie must talk her way into the home of her former fiancé, who she’s convinced knows more than he ever let on. Once inside she’ll have to navigate the pitfalls of polite society while attempting to dig deep into her father’s life.
There are dark, twisted secrets lurking in the shadows, and Cassie must unravel them before they can consume her.
Cath Lauria, aka Cari Z, is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She writes award-winning LGBTQ fiction featuring aliens, supervillains, soothsayers, and even normal people sometimes
Cari has published short stories, novellas and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on AO3 as CariZee, and on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth. Follow her blog to read her serial stories, with new chapters posting every week.
• Head to aconytebooks.com and asmodee-entertainment.biz for more information
• Learn more about Chaosium at chaosium.com
• Cari Z is online at authorcariz.com | Facebook | Twitter
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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