Series · horror

Arkham Horror: The Dark Waters Trilogy

by Graham McNeill

The Arkham Horror: The Dark Waters Trilogy series by Graham McNeill has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Ghouls of the Miskatonic (2011).

Books
3 books
First published
2011
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Ghouls of the Miskatonic (2011) — then read straight through in publication order.

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Book 1:

    Ghouls of the Miskatonic

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghouls of the Miskatonic
  2. Book 2:

    Bones of the Yopasi

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bones of the Yopasi
  3. Book 3:

    Dweller in the Deep

    Novel

    Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dweller in the Deep

About the Arkham Horror: The Dark Waters Trilogy series

A Lovecraftian tie-in trilogy set in Fantasy Flight Games' Arkham Horror universe, following Miskatonic University professor Oliver Grayson as he uncovers a cult conspiracy tied to the awakening of Cthulhu itself. Ghouls of the Miskatonic opens the investigation in Arkham, Massachusetts; Bones of the Yopasi pushes the search into Central American ruins as the scope of the threat widens; Dweller in the Deep brings Grayson and his allies to the story's climax, deliberately synchronized by McNeill to unfold as a different perspective on the same events as H. P. Lovecraft's original short story "The Call of Cthulhu."

It's cosmic horror played fairly straight -- creeping dread, forbidden knowledge, and a protagonist whose expertise (ancient languages, esoteric scholarship) is as much a liability as an asset -- rather than the pulpy action of McNeill's Warhammer work, and it's a rare example of him writing in someone else's established mythos rather than Games Workshop's.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Dark Waters trilogy?

Three: Ghouls of the Miskatonic (2011), Bones of the Yopasi (2012), and Dweller in the Deep (2014).

What order should I read them in?

Publication order, which is the only order -- it's one continuous investigation following the same protagonist, Professor Oliver Grayson, throughout.

Is this connected to Graham McNeill's Warhammer fiction?

No -- it's set in Fantasy Flight Games' Arkham Horror universe (itself derived from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos), entirely separate from McNeill's Black Library work.

Do I need to know the Arkham Horror board game to read this?

No prior knowledge of the game is required -- the trilogy stands on its own as Lovecraftian horror fiction.


Reading order last verified .