"A Pleasure in Madness" is a short story by American author C. J. Henderson, and forms the final chapter in the Arkham Detective Agency series begun with "The Idea of Fear".
Synopsis[]
After the events of the disastrous Pabodie Expedition described in At the Mountains of Madness reached the outside world, the US government established a research facility in the Antarctic with the goal of investigating the catacombs concealed beneath the surface.
After many decades of governmental restriction, a delegation of scientists from Massachusetts' Miskatonic University are invited to lend their expertise to the expedition, with Frank Nardi accompanying the group as security. However, unknown to all, the facility has been infiltrated by an ancient enemy with its own designs on mankind. Nardi and one of the other scientists, Professor Knight, are able to put a stop to the scheme and destroy the facility, but are driven insane in the process.
Characters[]
- Frank Nardi, former New York cop turned Private Detective.
- Professor Piers Knight, curator at the Brooklyn Museum, New York.
- Harold Clemmens, president of Miskatonic University, Massachusetts.
Publication History[]
"A Pleasure in Madness" was written by C. J. Henderson before his death in 2014, but did not see publication until the release of Arkham Detective Agency, edited by Henderson's friend Brian M. Sammons, in 2017.
Mythos Connections[]
- The primary antagonists of the story are the ancient Shoggoths created by H. P. Lovecraft himself.
- The main setting for the story is the subterranean city described in At the Mountains of Madness.
- Miskatonic University and some of its faculty are featured, and the Pabodie Expedition, William Dyer and Danforth are all made mention of.
Gallery[]
The Arkham Detective Agency Series
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| "The Idea of Fear" • "Cruelty" • "The Nest of Pain" • "Slaves for the Slaughter Sect" • "Call and Response" • "Miskatonic Contradance" • "Family Tradition" • "Light a Candle, Curse the Darkness" • "Il Segno Giallo" • "Echo of a Distant Scream" • "Closure" • "Witch Fire" • "Bonanza" • "Reeling Back" • "Those Folk Below" • "She Wore a Trench Coat" • "Clear the Air" • "A Walk in the Shadows" • "A Pleasure in Madness" |