Mon Dieu Cthulhu!: it’s a rather strange title, but what does it actually mean?
Well, it’s one I’ve coined to describe a world of swashbuckling adventures set during the Napoleonic Age as ordinary men and women take on the supernatural forces fuelling war in Europe.
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It could literally mean My God, Cthulhu! as in the giant octopoid god, he’s a coming! More sinisterly, it could also mean My God Cthulhu, as in I acknowledge you as my deity. Fun, huh?
How Mon Dieu Cthulhu Began
The world of Mon Dieu Cthulhu! was in part inspired by Achtung! Cthulhu, Chris Birch’s awesome TTRPG which I’ve worked on almost since it launched way back in 2012. I have written fiction and adventures for the game during its Call of Cthulhu era, and laterally ascended to the dark throne to be its creative lead when it relaunched as a 2d20 TTRPG in 2021.
While I love Achtung! Cthulhu’s world war II setting and exceptional HP Lovecraft/mythos crossover, I also yearned to explore other eras throughout history and create a universe of my own.
The Napoleonic Age always had immense appeal. It’s a world of swashbuckling adventures, epic battles, glory and honour, amazing uniforms, impressive moustaches, bodice-ripping passion, witty banter and repartee and is largely unexplored as a setting. What if I crossed all those elements with Cosmic Horror, the Cthulhu mythos and supernatural action? The potential seemed intriguing.
I’ve always love Napoleonic books, TV shows and films too. Bernard Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe, Hornblower, The Duellists, Sergei Bondarchuk’s epic 1970 Waterloo movie (we won’t mention Ridley Scott’s more disappointing recent effort) and even later influences like George McDonald Fraser’s Flashman, Arthur Conan Doyle’s Brigadier Gerardand Sherlock Holmes… they all fed into my concept for this new setting. With a French hero, it’s also a little inspired by my love of Franglais, the curious mangling of English and French so beloved of Private Eye which offers some real humorous comic potential.
The Adventures of Gaston Dubois
The Crystal Void, was a first foray into this intriguing world, an adventure set during the height of the Peninsular War in 1810. There, dashing if rather dim French Hussar Gaston Dubois of the Imperial 13th Death’s Head Hussars encounters the fair Odette, the love of his life. But before the pair can consummate their new-found passion, she is abducted by a ruthless Portuguese nobleman for nefarious mythos-related purposes.
The hot-blooded hussar is soon in deadly pursuit and is joined in his quest by a certain mysterious Major Seraph, one of Wellesley’s gallopers, who some fans will remember from The Trellborg Monstrosities. Without wanting to give too many spoilers, the duo combine to thwart the nobleman and his loathsome underwater allies and prevent a cataclysmic event. It’s during this first mission that the dashing Dubois’ eyes are also first opened to the malevolent forces which bend and shape the destiny of the Napoleonic Age.
It was a real romp and immense fun to write and convinced me it would make an ideal setting for a new series of fictional adventures. I have to warn you though, this is not a literal and exhaustingly authentic version of Napoleonic times with every last brass button and gold epaulette lovingly recreated with unnerving accuracy. Rather it is a world which aims to capture the spirit of that age, the dash, the elan, the glory, honour and long lasting appeal of this most fascinating historical period.
Although it’s been a little while since the last book, Feast of the Dead, I’ve now returned to the series in earnest with a new novel, Shadow of the Serpent, which releases on October 3rd and I’ll be launching it in person with a live appearance at the Innsmouth Literary Festival on September 28th (why not come along, say hello and get a book signed?!).
Join The Fight Against the Menace of the Mythos!
Shadow of the Serpent begins a major new narrative arc for Mon Dieu Cthulhu which I’ve dubbed the Eternal Struggle, a meta story which underpins the battle for Europe and beyond during the Napoleonic Age. You’ll get a first teaser of this in the prologue of the new book as a malevolent force awakes to fuel the flames of war.
Work on the sequel, Keeper of the Hidden Flame, is well underwaywith a release date scheduled for 2025. Being a game designer as well as a writer, I couldn’t help but wonder what might happen if this universe extended beyond the book into the world of table top roleplaying games—perhaps even a skirmish type wargame? Plans are underway on the first of those and once Serpent has launched, work begins in earnest.
It’s exciting times ahead and I hope you’ll join Gaston Dubois, Major Seraph and a host of other fascinating characters on their journey. It promises to be a wild ride and a fun one.
Let’s face it the malevolent forces of the mythos aren’t going to defeat themselves without your help!
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