Shoggoths in Bloom by Elizabeth Bear

“Shoggoths in Bloom” is a 2008 science fiction novelette by Elizabeth Bear. It is about a college professor who is researching a dangerous and ancient sea creature off the coast of Maine.

What is a Shoggoth?

Well, it’s not a flower, that’s for sure. Sadly, I must admit that I didn’t know what a Shoggoth was before reading this story. I’m a little bit embarrased, because after looking the term up on Wikipedia I discovered that they are fictional monsters in the Cthulhu Mythos. I feel that I should have know this, since H.P. Lovecraft is a staple among early science fiction and horror story authors. Oh well, now I know – and anyway it didn’t affect my review of the only Lovecraft story I have reviewed for this site. Learning about Shoggoths did give me a desire to read more of his stories though!

A Cold and Wet Job!

Anyway, “Shoggoths in Bloom” is a story about Harding – a professor that has come to Maine in the 1930’s to research Shoggoths that are “blooming” nearby. It is believed that they are not dangerous when in this state, so Professor Harding takes advantage of the situation to collect some samples and attempt to determine if they have any pharmacological uses. He gets his samples alright, but they turn out to be very strange and lead to a discovery that is not only amazing but could change the course of history as well!

My Two Cents…

First off, this isn’t a very science-fictiony story – it is more of a retro-horror story done in “Lovecraftian” style. I’ll give Ms. Bear credit though, it does feel like you really are reading a Lovecraft story from the early 1900’s – and that is awesome! “Shoggoths in Bloom” is also a bit heavy on scientific jargon, and moves at a rather slow pace. However, I quite enjoyed it and really liked the detailed descriptions of the Shoggoths. A fun read – especially if you like old Cthulhu stories. And if you like Elizabeth Bear’s writing style be sure to check out her bibliography at Amazon.com.

Stats:

• My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
• Page Count: 14
• Word Count: 7,788
• Originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2008.
• Read “Shoggoths in Bloom” online for free at Elizabeth Bear’s web site.
• Awards:
• Winner of the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.
• Placed 2nd in the 2009 Locus Poll for Best Novelette.

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