"Elysia"

by Brian Lumley
Originally published 1989

DeMarigny and Moreen have returned to Borea after three years.  Their quest for Elysia has been a bust, but DM's managed to earn himself a nickname ("The Searcher") throughout the universe for his fruitless quest.

Meanwhile, in Elysia, the Elder Gods summon Crow to a meeting.  Apparently bored with watching DM look around for them aimlessly, they want to use him for something, and want Crow's help.  Why Crow would be hesitant, given that he's been willing to let DM bop hopelessly around the universe for three years, but what the hell... meanwhile, the Elders dispatch four messengers to do something unclear.  Oh, and did I mention that The Stars Are Right?

Armandra contacts the winds, hoping to help DM find his way (why didn't she try this before???).  She becomes aware of a gaseous, sentient entity named "Ssssssss" floating around the universe, calling to the Elder Gods.  Maybe it knows directions?  DM and Moreen fly off to meet with it.

Crow sends a holographic image of his wonderful self into the Time Clock to meet with DM.  First he explains he's strapped for time, then rambles into a long and pointless bit of theorizing about Great Thoughts.  And he manages to say hi to Moreen.  He suggests that DM:
          Try looking in the Dreamlands for directions
          Talk to Ssssssss
          Look for Exior K'mool, a sorceror of Theem'dra (in the Primal Lands).  But, oops, Crow doesn't know how to find him. 

Then he mercifully leaves.

DM and Moreen find Ssssss beyond the "Red Medusa" nebula, where he/she/it is being eaten by Hounds of Tindalos (they can eat gas?).  DM drives them off.   

DM heads off to Ulthar and a meeting with Atal.  During dinner, a bird arrives with a message - David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer are being held prisoner by Gudge the Pirate,

a non-human gloop-monster in a cloak, who has David and Eldin tied to crosses over a volcanic pit. 

DM rushes off to meet with Zura of Zura (yes I said "Zura of Zura") and Lath the Termite Queen to help him rescue David and Eldin.  They arrive just in time to drive off Nyarlathotep.  The pirates are wiped out, and DM, David, Eldin and Moreen go to visit a tree.  The tree points them to The Curator, a robotic museum guide, who directs them to Exior K'mool.  Off they go, just in time to rescue Exior from Nyarlathotep, who has taken the form of a slime monster.

Exior, having informed DM that he is actually his ancestor, hooks him up with Ardatha Ell.  They lead him to Andromeda, where a Child of Azathoth lies waiting.  The Child detonates, and the blast sends DM to Elysia.

Showdown time! All the Cthulhu baddies have been following DM all along, hoping he would lead them to Elysia. Crow faces off with Tentacle-Face, then detonates another Child of Azathoth which he just happened to have around.   The Cthulhu baddies are banished from the universe (or some such) for a billion years.  The Elder Gods will make a new Elysia on a distant star, and everyone will live happily ever after (for a billion years, at least!)

Well, it's over at least.

Look, what can I say about a story as goofy as this?  It's coherent, but never involving.  At times it's flat-out comical.  Mostly, there's a sense of "let's-wrap-this-up" going on.  One gets the sense that Lumley was tired of the game - he'd already moved on to the Necroscope books years earlier - and just wanted to put paid to it.  No surprise that he's said he has no plans to revisit these characters.