The history of The Thing in the Moonlight is probably well known to all assiduous Lovecraftians; it is one of those glorious might-have-beens in HPL’s canon. The story is a dream fragment included in a letter from HPL to Donald Wandrei in1927; the text is available online for free (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Thing_in_the_Moonlight). Since it became widely available it has piqued the imagination of mythos authors, starting with J. Chapman Miske in 1941. Only James Ambuehl could possibly list what all the other posthumous collaborations were.

Which brings us to Trolley 1852. Using The Thing in the Moonlight as a foundation, Edward Lee has crafted a novella with an unusual slant. Trolley 1852 depicts a story written by HPL for a magazine of erotica. Previously, Trolley 1852 was available only as the limited edition hardcover from Bloodletting Press, with only 300 signed and
numbered copies, running $50 from Horror Mall; it sold out quickly, like most of Lee's books. My copy is #285. In all respects it is a lovely production, although there were a few letter substitution typos that were jarring. There is no slipcover but the wonderful interior artwork is by Alex McVey; sample his work at http://www.alexmcvey.com/. In particular, the full color painting showing the coachman is a stunning example of Lovecraftian art. Deadite Press has now given us an affordable edition. I think the cover is by Alan Clark, who also did the cover for The Insswich Horror. Page count is 110 with text starting on page 5.

I don’t know much about Edward Lee; other Lovecraftian regulars have said he mainly produces schlocky gross out horror and slasher stuff (Family Tradition with John Pelan), which is decidedly not to my taste. Whatever else, he sure is prolific. He wrote a sequel to The Haunter of the Dark, The Haunter of the Threshold (which has the coolest lettered edition ever, bound in snakeskin but completely
unaffordable).

The novella starts with HPL slowly starving in Providence, living with his aunt, when he unexpectedly receives a $500 commission from F. Wilcox soliciting him to write a piece of pornography. He cannot refuse for such a princely sum. The result is Trolley 1852, written under the pseudonym Winfield Greene (one fun thing about the book is the namedropping that takes place). Morgan Phillips is an
impoverished editor in NYC at the time of the Great Depression, searching hopelessly for his sister, Selina, who vanished into the city years ago. When he is about to give up his quest, he chances into Robert Erwin, a worker at his company, who tells him about an amazing brothel only accessible by Trolley 1852. Thinking his sister may have been forced into prostitution, Phillips accepts and climbs aboard for what starts as a dream-like journey that descends into nightmare. The trolley wanders through the city, outside of time, collecting male passengers. At the brothel, the men are allowed free congress with the prostitutes, wo collect their spent condoms for some
nefarious purpose. It turns out the ancient queen of a cult, Isimah el-Aheb, is collecting human semen for a group of entities called the Pyramodiles, who exist outside if all dimensions, and are breeding a race of servitor thoggs with slightly human aspect to conquer the world in a feast of psychic misery. Selina has been chosen as the special favorite of el-Aheb (this name is cleverly derived backthinking from HPL’s original).

There is a quite a bit to enjoy in this book. The initial language and imagery are wonderful HPL pastiches. Much of the descriptions of HPL, and the sex scenes with the protagonist, are playfully humorous, although the language of the prostitutes was rather modern (I think) and also did not work well maintaining the Lovecraftian mood (“Bye Mr. Big Dick. There goes the cream wagon.”). When Phillips sneaks back on the trolley to follow his sister, and uncovers the secrets of the place, he sees his sister having forced group sex with the thoggs. More deviance follows. Well, I don’t like schlocky sex scenes, particularly with giant rutabagas. The more gross out it became, the further it wandered from HPL’s style. After the story was completed,
we go back to HPL’s hard scrabble room and his benefactor is revealed to be a benefactress, Francine Wilcox, whose interest was attracted by HPL’s story, and we have a nice humorous ending.

HPL hints around about mythos sex in The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Dunwich Horror. Other authors (Robert Price included) have been more explicit. In fact, Eldritch Blue was derived from the subjects of love and sex in the mythos. Edward Lee raises the bar on explicitness. I didn’t care too much for that part of the book even if achieved te aim of grossing me out, but the rest of the language and the concept were really good. Try to read a copy if you can. ( )