30 Jan 2013
Staff Writer
Emily Bentley / Staff Writer
While being assigned to travel to America to find his employer’s missing workers, Jim Cunningham must go to the Innsmouth’s Arkham Inn, a shadowy, cursed town just north of Boston.
Three employees had already disappeared while in Arkham and Cunningham is sent to figure out why, in this science-fiction thriller written by pre-English senior Ian Nafziger.
What began as an English assignment for Nafziger, became his first published book titled “The Plague of Innsmouth.” The novella is 60 pages long and self-published. Digital copies are currently available on Amazon for 99 cents.
“I took it very seriously and had fully intended on publishing it,” Nafziger said of his assignment. “Lovecraft’s work influenced the present, past and future of horror and science-fiction and has generated much inspiration because of it. I wanted to be able to honor him as well as putting my own spin on the town.”
His work was inspired after H.P Lovecraft’s novel “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”, and centers around what would have happened to the town after the novel ended.
The novel is short due to Nafziger’s belief that people do not have time to read a full-length novel anymore.
“What I’ve interpreted is that the novel is becoming a dying form,” Nafziger said. “People don’t have the free time to sit and read through a whole book, which is why the novella and the short story are dominating.”
The book also features the graphic art of UNT students.
“I saw Ian’s add about looking for a graphic artist in the RTVF building,” said RTVF senior Brittany Branch. “ I emailed him my portfolio and he ended up picking me because my work was the most realistic.”
Nafziger said he is enjoying the debut of his novella and would like to move to Providence, R.I., after he graduates.
“It’s the fourth-oldest city in America and it was where Lovecraft lived his whole life,” Nafgizer said. “It’s also establishing itself as the creative capital of America. I want to live in that atmosphere and have that as a community to grow in.”
He will continue to write and is currently working on more short stories.
Students who wish to read his work may order a digital copy on Amazon or head to the restaurant Banter on Thursday to hear Nafziger read his novella.
