Images of the camp built by Robert Scott and his party on Ross Island, Antarctica in 1911. In January Scott, Edward Wilson, H. R. Bowers, Laurence Oates and Edgar Evans set out for the South Pole. They reached it on the 17th, only to discover that a Norwegian, Roald Amundsen, had already been there for weeks. All five died on the way back to the camp; three, including Scott, only 11 miles from their destination.

The buildings remain very much as they did in 1913, when they were abandoned. No evidence has been found of either shoggoths or long frozen alien lifeforms.

The Ghosts of Antarctica: Abandoned Stations and Huts [Dark Roasted Blend]

I was mired, neck deep, in the enthralling content of BibliOdyssey when I came upon this wonderful Cephalopod illustration, taken from Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 under the command of Captain George S. Nares and the late Captain Frank Tourle Thomson. Prepared under the superintendence of the late Sir C. Wyville Thomson and now of John Murray, which is a fifty volume publication of the scientific reports of the HMS Challenger which sailed between 1872 and 1876 for a total of 70,000 miles. Documented within are a multitude of species of marine life from around the world, many of which were discovered by the scientists aboard the Challenger.

Considering the travel involved there is also considerable space devoted to the various ports which the crew visited and the local fauna, as well as the native populaces. Among the accounts in the two volume summary, printed in 1895, is this gem:

“King Thackery of the Fiji Islands of the Pacific was converted to Christianity, but had earlier cut out a victim’s tongue, and then proceeded to eat it in his victim’s presence, before eating the rest of him. Most of the other people encountered were less disturbing.”

The Challenger’s Haul [BibliOdyssey] : Library of 19th Century Science

As my week has been busier than most, I’m sorry to say I simply haven’t had the time to finish the 11th, and nearly final part of “Trois Freres.” Yet fear not, fellow Lovecraftian nihilists! I bring to you instead a sneak peak at the follow-up tale to “Trois Freres,” the prologue to “Goodnight, Antarctica”!

“Goodnight, Antarctica” follows the disastrous International Expedition to the Elder Ones’ Antarctican cities on a last-ditch effort to search for any hints of how the Elders beat and imprisoned Great Cthulhu and its fellow-kind in R’Lyeh millions of years ago. Continuing the tradition of the first story in using “real life” personages (such as myself) as narrators or major figures in the tales, the leader of the International Expedition and primary viewpoint character for “Goodnight, Antarctica” is none other than well-known dark fantasy/Lovecraftian author and professional paleontologist (and Official Homegirl of the author), Caitlin R. Kiernan. Continue Reading…