Synopsis "Mon Dieu Cthulhu! The d'Bois Escapades Volume One (in English)"
This first anthology volume of Mon Dieu Cthulhu! contains the first two adventures, The Crystal Void (Illustrated Version) and Feast of the Dead.The Crystal Void.The year is 1810 and as Napoleon's marshals chase Wellington's expeditionary force through Portugal to the lines of Torres Verdras, the dashing if rather dim French Hussar Gaston d'Bois is astonished to encounter the love of his life. But the fragrant Odette is soon swept away, abducted, before d'Bois can consummate his passion by the Marquis Da Foz, a ruthless and sadistic Portuguese noblemen. The hot blooded Hussar is soon in deadly pursuit, but can d'Bois save both his true love's virtue and his own life and who, truly, is the mysterious British ally, Major Seraph, who comes to his aid? What strange horrors lurk within the shadows of Da Foz's ancient Moorish fortress and can the heroic duo foil Da Foz's dark machinations, defeat his unnatural underwater allies, rescue the delightful Odette and ultimately prevent the opening of the dreaded Crystal Void?The illustrated version of The Crystal Void features splendid period woodcut-style illustrations by artist Michael Poole, bringing new life to the story which was originally told in the Seraph Chronicles Volume 2."Great story, interesting characters, lots of sword and musket action, and the potential for future stories in an underutilised setting." - Sci-fi and Fantasy ReviewerFeast of the DeadIt is 1810 and as autumn turns to winter, Napoleon's Armee Iberian settles down to its winter siege of Wellington's "accursed earthworks" at Torres Vedras. After his exploits in the adventure of the Crystal Void, dashing French Lieutenant, Gaston d'Bois, returns to the XIIIth Imperial Death's Head Hussars and given his first independent command: leading a detachment of these "thieves on horseback" into the Spanish interior, in search of intelligence, supplies and plunder.After a bloody skirmish, d'Bois and his troopers are forced to take refuge to the Monasterio de St Cloud, an ancient ruin standing at the crossroads of this war-ravaged land, which now serves as a field hospital to soldiers of all nations. There, he encounters the unworldly Doctor Malfeas and the beautiful but fierce nurse, Mademoiselle Brockenhurst, who seem to offer temporary respite from the harsh realities of war.Yet this former house of the holy holds many outré secrets and d'Bois faces fresh battles on all fronts. In his own ranks against the surly, disgraced Sergeant Sacleaux, his resentful second-in-command, and externally, by a hostile countryside where every hand is turned against him. Yet most sinister of all is the malevolent mystery which lies at the heart of the Monasterio itself, an ancient and terrible enigma which threatens both the lives and souls of all who encounter it.Alone, deep behind enemy lines and beset on all sides, can d'Bois survive his first real command and prevent the horrible unravelling of the feast of the dead?"An epic, swashbuckling Napoleonic adventure expertly blended with chilling Lovecraftian horror" - Sci-fi and Fantasy Reviewer
