Mr. Cannyharme: A Novel of Lovecraftian Terror

By Michael Shea

The story takes place in the 1970’s San Francisco Mission District and involves Jack Hale an aspiring author who works as a hotel clerk and part-time drug dealer. The hotel has seen better days and is now a flop house for the elderly, drug addicts and sex workers.

Jack becomes involved with a biker / drug distributer named Cuzzens who has given Jack a large amount of crank (meth). Along with a pill addict, Brittney, and prostitute, DeeAnn he attempts to disentangle himself from the influence of Cuzzens and his pimp associates, and a monster he calls Mr. Cannyharme who lives in the hotel.

Shae’s characters have a gritty tarnish to them that I found fascinating and disturbing. There’s a thread of paranoia that winds through the story. You’re continuously questioning who is a friend and who is a threat. Characters who appear to be allied to Jack and DeeAnn have dark intentions.

I found themes from Shae’s work very much in line with Philip K. Dick’s fiction as he addresses these questions:

What is reality?

Did this just happen or is my interpretation of experience faulty? (view spoiler)

How much is Jack’s and Brittney’s experience of life twisted by their drug use?

Being a fan of Lovecraftian horror, I wouldn’t readily classify this as “A Novel of Lovecraftian Terror” but see it as cosmic horror. If you enjoy Lovecraftian tails, you’ll probably enjoy this as well, but be ready to experience some graphic horror and violence. There’s a lot to this book and I’m finding it a challenge to process. It’s well worth a read.

NOTE: I was lucky to have watched Lovecraft e-Zine’s YouTube podcast of an interview with Linda Shea and several authors who knew Michael Shae and are proponents of his work. It makes a very nice aperitif with reading this novel.