No one but August Derleth could continue the Cthulhu Mythos cycle after the death of its creator, his friend H.P. Lovecraft. In a comprehensive fusion of Lovecraft's fearful myth-pattern, Dr. Laban Shrewsbury pursues his arcane investigations into the unspeakable secrets of the Ancient Ones to the drowned city of R'lyeh, where the ancient god Cthulhu waits dreaming.