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Sleep of Reason! Though the train trip to Boston for Thomas Bode was uneventful, the destination serves otherwise. Arriving at the hospital bedside of Fiona Carlisle, Thomas' varied attempts to stir Fiona from her presently comatose state in the days that follow prove to be a lesson in futility. Weary and fearing his efforts, literally, falling on deaf ears, Thomas embraces the welcome respite of sleep. But, it is there, deep in his subconscious mind and the sea of dreams, that answers to his questions begin to surface — answers scarcely spoken, yet revealed by Fiona, herself! |
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After learning of Phillip's mysterious disappearance from the home of Miss Jennifer Addison, and finding no mundane, straightforward solution, Thomas Bode pursues more incredible possibilities and avenues of inquiry. Fearing his friend has been 'Spirited Away' by a supernatural force, Thomas seeks guidance from Madam Zabim, a spiritual medium of exceptional repute. The extraordinary events that play out only confirm his suspicions (and fears), leading him to Boston, and a fateful meeting with Fiona Carlisle! |
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"From the Desk of Thomas Bode." Phillip has gone missing! Now, it falls upon Thomas Bode - occult scholar and confidante of Shandler's letter-writing campaign - to shed light on his friend's sudden vanishing act. Thomas' findings lead him to Providence and Phillip's last known whereabouts - an antiquities shop whose caretaker relays her recent encounter with Phillip - a startling tale of meanderings, madness, and mysterious disappearances. |
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Back home in Providence, Phillip Shandler finds time to rest, recover from, and recollect on his ordeal (and the strangeness) in Wyoming. But, no sooner does the stress and chaos recede, Phillip finds his troubled thoughts straying towards the Necronomicon in his possession, and the profane and forbidden knowledge lurking behind its black, leatherbound cover. With each turn of the page, Phillip's obsession grows and so, too, does his lingering dread - a paranoia that festers in his mind of Simon Carlisle, The Cult of the Risen God, and a sleeping menace soon to awaken! |
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Phillip Shandler's harrowing exploits in Fairfax come to an explosive - and terrifying - conclusion! Determined to retrieve the stolen Pnakotic Manuscripts, Phillip makes one final, desperate shakedown of the Webber compound. Rummaging through the dilapidated residence, his search leads him to a second floor book depository - and a fateful encounter with the previously deceased Simon Carlisle! |
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Fear! It's the one thing that grips Phillip Shandler in an icy embrace as he desperately yearns to put Fairfield (and the dreaded memories of the Webber Farm) in his rearview mirror. But, fear has a sneaky means of wriggling its way back - for Phillip, it takes the form of Hank Webber, his morbid little son, and the ghastly thing in the barn! And, just like his memories (and fear, for that matter), they just won't go away until he's dead and buried! |
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Fear & Loathing in Fairfield! With little support from the local authorities, Phillip Shandler takes matters into his own hands, tracking down his assailant - Hank Webber - to a decrepit farmhouse on the far skirts of Fairfield proper. However, a cursory search of the ramshackle property uncovers a far more ghastly and hideous secret - some-thing he could scarcely have imagined! |
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Digging further into the ill-fated history of Lastbridge and the Fellowship of the Risen God, Phillip Shandler unearths both a deepening mystery intertwined within the tentacles of Nyarlathotep and the ghosts of a tragic past. His continued research leads him to borrowed passages from the Pnakotic Manuscripts, an unprovoked encounter with a brutish Fairfield resident, and audience to a hellish choir of the dead! |
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Storm of the Century! A chill wind blows through Fairfield, Wyoming, as Phillip Shandler's continuing investigations into Simon Carlisle and the tragic fate of the Fellowship of the Risen God leads him to Lastbridge - or what remains of it. Ravaged in the wake of a terrible storm, the last, known refuge of the cult was ripped from the face of the earth, leaving little but memories and folktales. However, events of the past yet haunt the residents of nearby Fairfield, as locals speak of spectral visions, ghostly encounters, and a dark tome called The Necronomicon. |
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With the shadow of winter lingering, Phillip Shandler takes refuge in his work, delving deeper into the history (and mystery) of Fiona Carlisle and the events leading to her present, comatose state. What his research uncovers chills him to the marrow — disturbing accounts of scandals, suicides, and the general madness that runs through the Carlisle lineage, not to mention the resurgence of the Fellowship of the Risen God, a dark cult with intricate and uncanny ties to The Silver Moon Society and the dread lord, Nyarlathotep! |
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When a Stranger Calls! Back in Arkham, Phillip Shandler ruminates over the chilling events of the past couple weeks and his expanded research into Nyarlathotep. Plagued by uncertainty, Phillip's only escape from the lingering dread that prevails him is (restless) slumber and the promise of Fiona Carlisle in the Dreamlands. Fiona rewards his anticipation - but "Simon", a nightmarish entity that shadows her, makes his presence known in an impossible (and disturbing) way! |
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Simon says… Join Us, or Die! His St. Louis escapades behind him (though not far from his mind), Phillip Shandler welcomes the respite provided by the train back to Boston to gather his thoughts and reflect on his latest happenings - and of the compelling woman of his dreams, Fiona Carlisle. But, his repose is fleeting, at best, when an inquisitive, young traveler draws his attention: a girl named “Simon” with deep, dark eyes, a piercing smile, and words of warning and ill-tidings for our intrepid investigator! |
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Phillip Shandler’s harrowing escapades in St. Louis continue! Determined to ferret out the whereabouts of his missing friend, Thomas, Phillip revisits the Silver Moon Society’s estate for a more thorough investigation of the premises. His further scrutiny uncovers not only Thomas, but also the underpinnings of evil rooted deep in the Society’s core and an ancient, alien malevolence that bodes dire consequences for humanity! |
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Fear and loathing in St. Louis! When Thomas Bode's routine correspondence grows suspiciously absent, Phillip Shandler's concerns are substantiated as he arrives in St. Louis to discover his old friend missing, his home a shambles. Upon ransacking the residence, Phillip uncovers a disconcerting revelation and a hint to Thomas' whereabouts, leading him down a path to the devious machinations and deep, dank, rancid heart of The Silver Moon Society. Click Here to read Chapter 4 in PDF format! |
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Upon further investigating the disappearance of a student at Miskatonic and her connection to the dreaded Nyarlathotep, Phillip Shandler is visited by a nocturnal intruder with a penchant for disaster and dire consequences! Click Here to read Chapter 3 in PDF format! |
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Strange dreams and even stranger bedfellows plague Phillip Shandler! A surreal jaunt to Ulthar, the city in the Dreamlands, and a chance encounter with a hauntingly beautiful maiden leads Phillip beyond the ethereal vistas of sleep and the darkened streets of Arkham, to the chilling embrace of Boston and a destined meeting, literally, with the woman of his dreams - Fiona Carlisle! Click Here to read Chapter 2 in PDF format! |
How do you measure fear? Is it in the rapid-fire pulse of an adrenalin-kicked heartbeat? Or the temperament of the bone-chill crawling ‘cross your spine? Or the number of follicles that prickle your goose-fleshed skin? Or the elapsed pause between anguish-choked breaths? Or the ear-splitting decibels of a terror-pitched scream?
Multi-award winning author and fantasy maven Monte Cook knows, and it is through his fictional transcripts, “The Shandler Chronicles,” that he measures it by. Published exclusively in Game Trade Magazine in 2003-05, “The Shandler Chronicles” introduced readers to intrepid occult investigator Phillip Shandler, taking us on a case-by-case, fright-fraught tour of 1930’s Arkham, Miskatonic U., and all-points preternatural. Through his storied accounts (culled from Shandler’s personally penned narrative), Cook embroiled us in foul and fiendish sorts and supernatural shenanigans. From the insidious trappings of the Necronomicon and the all-encompassing malevolence of Nyarlathotep, to the ethereal steps of Ulthar, city of The Dreamlands, and the labyrinthine intrigue of The Silver Moon Society, Shandler served as our guide (with a nose for the unnatural and profane) to a ghastly, ghoulish world ripped straight from the maniacal meanderings of H.P. Lovecraft, brimming with diabolical denizens, misanthropic monstrosities, and tentacled terrors.
Now, GTM has clawed open the archival gates, dug deep, and dusted off these vintage manuscripts for a new generation of readers. Revisit these classic Chapter grabs (32 in all), and check out the newest Shandler tales ["The Star of Unseen Stars"] from original scribe and progenitor Monte Cook.
Click Here to read Chapter 1 in PDF format!