Cult of the Spider Queen is a Cthulhu Mythos novel by American author and editor S. A. Sidor. It is the fifth volume of the Arkham Horror Fiction series. It was published on December 7th, 2021. It is a standalone novel. Paperback, digital and audio editions were released. It was adapted by Graphic Audio into an audio production with an entire cast of voice actors.
Overview[]
| “ | An ancient horror deep in the Amazon jungle spins a web of nightmares to ensnare adventurers, explorers, and their souls in this skin-crawling Arkham Horror novel of cosmic dread. When Arkham Advertiser reporter Andy van Nortwick receives a mysterious film reel in the mail, with a simple note: "Maude Brion is very much alive!", he steps onto a path which will lead him to the brink of madness. Brion, the famous actress and film director, vanished a year ago on an ill-fated expedition into the Amazon rainforest, delving into the legend of the Spider Queen. Thrilled by the prospect of his big break, Nortwick swings the funds to launch a rescue mission. He gathers a team of explorers and a keen folklorist to bring back Brion and cement his reputation. But deep in the Amazon jungle, the boundaries between intrepid adventurers, dreamers, and deranged fanatics blur inside a web of terror. |
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| ~ Publishers description |
Synopsis[]
Andy Van Nortwick is a cub reporter working for the Arkham Advertiser when he steals an unmarked package that reveals former silent screen star turned director, Maude Brion, is still alive. She disappeared in the Amazon searching for the elusive Spider Queen supposedly worshiped by natives. What follows is a dark and steamy trip with female adventuress Ursula Downs as well as an untrustworthy crew. Human greed and treachery prove as much an impediment as the forces that hail not from this universe.
Characters[]
- Andy Van Nortwick: A reporter for the Arkham Examiner who interviewed Alden Oakes from The Last Ritual. Stealing a package not meant for him, he sees his chance to become a big reporter in arranging an expedition to rescue Maude Brion. However, he quickly finds himself over his head.
- Iris Bennett Reed: A female anthropologist who lost her husband on a previous expedition to try and find the Spider Queen. She manipulates Andy's desire for fame to fund a second expedition. She alone suspects that the Spider Queen may not be of this Earth.
- Maude Brion: A silent screen star turned adventuress, she ventured down to the Amazon to create a documentary about the mythical Spider Queen. Disappearing and presumed dead, an unmarked film reel indicates that she, in fact, survived.
- Ursula Downs: The famous Explorer card from the Arkham Horror game. She is the world's greatest adventuress and the one that Iris Bennett Reed hires to head the expedition.
- Jake Williams: The companion to Ursula Downs and her closest ally in exploring the world. He is more cautious and conflict averse than her, frequently warning her against rash action.
| Anthologies & Collections The Devourer Below • Dark Origins • Secrets in Scarlet • Grim Investigations Novellas Hour of the Huntress • The Dirge of Reason • Ire of the Void • The Deep Gate • To Fight the Black Wind • Blood of Baalshandor • Dark Revelations The Dark Waters Trilogy Ghouls of the Miskatonic • Bones of the Yopasi • Dweller in the Deep The Lord of Nightmares Trilogy Dance of the Damned • The Lies of Solace • The Hungering God The Countess Zorzi Trilogy Wrath of N'Kai • Shadows of Pnath • The Song of Carcosa Stand-Alone Novels Feeders from Within • The Sign of Glaaki • The Last Ritual • Mask of Silver • Litany of Dreams • Cult of the Spider Queen • The Deadly Grimoire • Lair of the Crystal Fang • In the Coils of the Labyrinth • The Ravening Deep • The Bootlegger's Dance Artbooks The Art of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos • Welcome to Arkham Gamebooks The Darkness Over Arkham |