<p>This fifth short story collection by acclaimed weird fictionist Jonathan Thomas presents more of the scintillating fiction that Thomas has displayed ever since the publication of <em>Midnight Call and Other Stories</em> (2008). Thomas, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, has artfully utilized both the past and the present of his native region for tales that tease out the latent terrors of New England. &ldquo;Young Goodman Brown,&rdquo; set in the 17th century, presents a brilliant fusion of themes found in the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne and H. P. Lovecraft. Continuing the Lovecraftian theme, &ldquo;Shed a Tear for Asenath&rdquo; exhibits the diary of Edward Derby, the doomed husband of Asenath Waite in Lovecraft&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Thing on the Doorstep.&rdquo; Moving up to the present, &ldquo;Plenty of Irem&rdquo; reveals what an employee of Kingsport Community College discovers at the dubious Mugford Museum. In &ldquo;Gone to Doggerland,&rdquo; photos of a recently deceased old lady show her with the dreaded &ldquo;Innsmouth look.&rdquo;</p><p>Other tales take us across the ocean to England, where the unearthing of a primitive dagger spells doom (&ldquo;Ritual Damage&rdquo;); an American tourist in Bath finds that ancient Roman &ldquo;curse tablets&rdquo; may still be endowed with supernatural power (&ldquo;Vade Mecum&rdquo;); and another American visitor encounters a fetching young woman who may or may not be a &ldquo;bodacious ghoul (&ldquo;Cups of Memory&rdquo;).</p><p>Throughout his writing, Jonathan Thomas has displayed a pungent satirical wit, sureness of technique, and innovative horrific motifs that have placed him among the premier writers of weird fiction today. This collection can only augment his lofty reputation.</p>