Flame Tree Fiction

Take weird horror storyteller H.P. Lovecraft's terrifying and malevolent creation Cthulhu, and mix with the fantastical scope of Greek mythology; and what do you get? A uniquely-imagined epic adventure, with vivid storytelling and powerfully atmospheric artworks. I'm talking about the graphic novel Apollo, written by Erik von Wodtke and illustrated by Douglas A. Sirois.

Stepping out of reality and into a world full of mischievous fairies, fantastic backdrops and spooky settings, Jasmine Beckett-Griffith’s art transports her viewers into a world where anything is possible.

'Cthulhu Mythos' is a term originally coined by August Derleth and has since come to represent the overall shared characters, themes and elements from the works by H.P. Lovecraft, his protegés and other writers influenced by him. It's an intertwined universe that spans across several fantasy fictions without being explicitly detailed or made relevant by the plot.

It's fair to say Matthew Lewis's 1796 novel is a challenging read. Even for a book so old, it's not so much the language that is hard to digest but the shocking detail in which Lewis paints a saintly figure's fall into depravity. Though religion has come be to inexorably tied to gothic fiction, The Monk is really one of the first novels that didn't shy away from the often disturbing elements of faith, and the shocking repercussions of straying from such a strict path. That is what is so interesting and compelling about this book: how religion, a universal and identifiable part of many people's lives, can be manipulated and exploited into a tale that transports us away from the security of what we know, and land us into a terrifying world of desire and bloodshed.

Book Cover Artist

Whelan's work has graced book covers from novelists like Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Michael Moorcock, Poul Anderson and, most famously, Anne McCaffrey, bringing both author and artist unassailable respect among fantasy devotees. He has also won countless awards and accolades for his work, which he describes as ‘communication’, in a sense being an intermediary between the author’s words, vision and intention and the expectation and understanding of the reader or viewer. This viewpoint means that the symbolism of his work is as important as the actions and events that make up the subject matter.

On a quest to experience the mythical, mystical, magical and macho all at once? Look no further than to the works of fantasy artist Ken Kelly. A work by Kelly is an invitation into the wonderful world of imagination, of warriors and dragon art, as he offers viewers a direct route into faraway places and primal battlefields that burst at the seams with vivacity.

'I have been fascinated by dark, mysterious and magical fantasy worlds since I was a child.' (Anne Stokes)

The world of Gothic Art: a mysterious realm of darkness, filled with infinite possibility; a realm in which beauty can be discovered in the most obscure, unpredictable places.

Cris Ortega produces phenomenal and mesmerising gothic fantasy art and steampunk art on a variety of subjects, but in many cases depicting women, around whom an air of beauty, mystery, emotion and magic can be built. The Spanish-based digital artist has had her work featured widely in all sorts of publications, book covers and posters, as well as in video games.

Another creepy story from Robert E. Howard, this one from Weird Tales, February 1928. Howard wrote a series of supernatural stories, heavily influenced by Algernon Blackwood, Arthur Machen and H Rider Haggard.