H.P Lovecraft

[Pigs on the Wing]

It has come to my attention (via the search menu) that there is no H.P Lovecraft thread. Blasphemy! But seriously he is probably my favourite horror writer of all time, any thoughts?

[StephenKingman]

It has come to my attention (via the search menu) that there is no H.P Lovecraft thread. Blasphemy! But seriously he is probably my favourite horror writer of all time, any thoughts?

Nope. only that i really should try and read some more traditional horror authors....even the book on Edgar Allen Poe is gathering dust above me....

[Pigs on the Wing]

Oh god it's great stuff, you should read it for sure

[PainKillerIndy]

Just finished Call of Cthulhu and all I can say is that it's different for sure. My sister recommended At the Mountains of Madness I'll check it out soon.

[FNAWrite]

Very stylized and atmospheric.

"Mountains of Madness" may be my favorite, I think because of the amount of detail.

I have several volumes of his work, which I don't particualrly read anymore, although I used to reread a lot. Coincidently, I plucked one off the shelf in the last week or so, but ended up not cracking it open. It still is sitting on my desk, so maybe...

You have to figure there must have been something there as so many authors picked up on and continued the "Cthulu mythos", several making a good living out of it.

[Kelhanion]

There is magic in his work but it must be read in a certain mood, with certain expectations. Preferably in a language not your own, so that the obscure accents of the rambling townsfolk are as incomprehensible as possible. Reading Lovecraft should take time, his work is not something to be devoured on a bus ride but to be digested late at night, alone, in a dark season, when the stars are right.

The horror is there. First, the protagonist confesses that he has seen things that can't be explained. Then he explains them, even though they are unexplainable. The horrors - unspeakable. The smells - unnatural. The shapes - non-euclidean. The conclusions - unreachable. Only that they are still there, have always been and will always be. Are they malevolent? No, they are worse. They are indifferent. We are insignificant.

Seriously, go read some Lovecraft, all of you!

[Deyvion]

I opened this thread because I just recently came to hear about H.P. Lovecraft from the TV show Supernatural. From reading the posts here I actually became quite interested in reading his books. Any suggestion which one to start with?

[Kelhanion]

Any suggestion which one to start with?

I would agree with FNAWrite and suggest "At the Mountains of Madness". It is in my opinion one of his most atmospheric stories and the settings in Antarctica are wonderfully described.

Another favourite of mine is "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Innsmouth is a very depressing locale, in a good way, and you really get the feeling of being unwanted in the middle of something horrible.

Another tactic is to start reading his shorter stories, but I would recommend on starting with one of the longer ones (like the two above) so that you can get better "in" the lovecraftian universe.