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Post by geoffrey on Mar 15, 2011 19:48:37 GMT -6
H. P. Lovecraft wrote scores of short stories over almost three decades, and I have read them all. I often find myself re-reading some of Lovecraft's stories.
Today it struck me that the only Lovecraft stories I still read and re-read are the following seven, written over the course of nine years towards the end of Lovecraft's life:
"The Call of Cthulhu"
"The Colour out of Space"
"The Mound"
"The Whisperer in Darkness"
At the Mountains of Madness
"The Shadow over Innsmouth"
"The Shadow out of Time"
While there are other of Lovecraft's stories that I have enjoyed, I simply never reach for them. When I want to read Lovecraft, I do not bother with those of his stories that I find markedly inferior to the above seven.
And for what it is worth, I consider At the Mountains of Madness to be Lovecraft's masterpiece.
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monk
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 237
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Post by monk on Mar 15, 2011 20:15:25 GMT -6
What's your criteria for being a "fan"? You seem like you enjoy the dude's writings.
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Post by geoffrey on Mar 15, 2011 20:19:33 GMT -6
I merely meant the subject line as a joke/attention-getter. I'm a fan of the 7 stories listed, but not so much of Lovecraft's other stories.  |
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Post by Morandir on Mar 15, 2011 20:44:14 GMT -6
While I agree that all those stories are indeed great, I think my favorite is "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." The first section is Lovecraft's Ode to Providence, made all the more interesting to me after my visit there last summer. Reading that allows me to relive a wonderful summer afternoon spent touring HPL's home turf with my wife, so it has some personal significance.
Beyond that, I love the idea of raising up the dead from "ye salts" to learn eldritch secrets, so much so that I'm including it as a magic sub-system in my next campaign. The whole story is just incredibly evocative, and I enjoy the twin narratives of Joseph Curwen and his descendant.
And yeah, Mountains of Madness is incredible. I'm disappointed that del Toro's film version has been scrapped.
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Post by talysman on Mar 15, 2011 20:56:37 GMT -6
I agree that those are pretty good stories, except Innsmouth (which, for some reason, I have yet to read...) I also love "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath", which is probably the one I think about the most. I'm pretty fond of other dreamlands stories, and, like Morandir, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. But as far as re-visiting any of them... I haven't, not for several years now. I blame this mainly on most of my stuff always being in storage and not having a portable computer/e-reader any more, so I can't really relax and read anything at the moment.
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Post by kesher on Mar 25, 2011 16:43:38 GMT -6
I'll add to the chorus for Charles Dexter Ward. That was the first Lovecraft I ever read, in the (I think) Penguin edition with the Christopher Whelan cover art, so it's anchored in my heart.
However, Geoffrey, ol' H.P. would probably pretty much agree with your choices as to what he'd written up to that point that was worth reading...
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Post by pessimisthalfling on Apr 16, 2011 5:06:34 GMT -6
I'd add "Dagon" to your list. Even though it is an early story, it is a precursor to all of his best stuff.
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Post by Finarvyn on Apr 16, 2011 8:19:59 GMT -6
I find that I like the concept of HPL more than most of the actual stories. Something about Lovecraft's word choices and way of phrasing things just makes it a tough read for me.
I like Robert E Howard's horror/mythos stories a lot better because of REH's writing style.
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Post by pessimisthalfling on Apr 16, 2011 9:55:56 GMT -6
I find that I like the concept of HPL more than most of the actual stories. Something about Lovecraft's word choices and way of phrasing things just makes it a tough read for me. I was going to say exactly the same thing this morning. HPL is kind of like Phillip K. Dick to me: I really like the IDEA of him and the possibility of the concepts he explores rather than the actual stories. That being said, even though I've grown tired of the fiction, the author still fascinates me. H.P. Lovecraft was such an amazing man! Way more interesting than what many want to remember him. Reading his letters and other biographical documents quickly dispels the image of the weird recluse and reveals a funny and intelligent man who was very much of his epoch (even though he wanted to be from an earlier time) who left us way too early. Lovecraft was a deep thinker who preoccupied most of his thought with literature, philosophy, science and history. Not only are his letters more interesting than most of his stories; they also reveal how witty the dude was. |
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Post by doublejig2 on Dec 3, 2018 19:18:30 GMT -6
While I agree that all those stories are indeed great, I think my favorite is "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." The first section is Lovecraft's Ode to Providence, made all the more interesting to me after my visit there last summer. Reading that allows me to relive a wonderful summer afternoon spent touring HPL's home turf with my wife, so it has some personal significance. Beyond that, I love the idea of raising up the dead from "ye salts" to learn eldritch secrets, so much so that I'm including it as a magic sub-system in my next campaign. The whole story is just incredibly evocative, and I enjoy the twin narratives of Joseph Curwen and his descendant. And yeah, Mountains of Madness is incredible. I'm disappointed that del Toro's film version has been scrapped. Agree with the Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Also would add The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. |
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Post by Zenopus on Dec 3, 2018 22:10:22 GMT -6
I read Charles Dexter Ward for the first time about 5 years ago or so and greatly enjoyed it. It's one of his longest; long enough that the version I read was a stand alone paperback (though slim). There are some similarities between the farm compound of Curwen the "wizard" outside Providence and the tower of Zenopus outside Portown. As I wrote on my blog in the Holmes Manuscript series: zenopusarchives.blogspot.com/2015/02/part-46-zenopus-built-tower.html |
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Post by doublejig2 on May 6, 2020 16:45:26 GMT -6
Cyclopean
Walk with me across the plateau of Leng
Strange with antiquity but don’t disturb a thing
Across this old land pale and forgotten
An hoary priest presides his brain cold and rotten
In the Shadows of Kadeth
All hope will wilt and fade
In the Shadows of Kadeth
Your dreams will be unmade
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Post by thegreyelf on May 7, 2020 5:57:33 GMT -6
I'm alone in this, but I'll read Herbert West: Re-Animator over and over and over again. I love that particular novella.
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Post by asaki on May 7, 2020 13:00:17 GMT -6
I read Charles Dexter Ward for the first time about 5 years ago or so and greatly enjoyed it. It's one of his longest; long enough that the version I read was a stand alone paperback (though slim). I must be the only one who didn't like that one that much. I love most of his stories, but some of them are just pages upon pages of history lessons, and my attention starts to drift.
At least I think that's the one I'm thinking of...
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Post by Porphyre on May 7, 2020 14:49:01 GMT -6
I very much like The Very Old Folk.
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Post by Vile Traveller on May 7, 2020 17:02:02 GMT -6
I find that I like the concept of HPL more than most of the actual stories. A bit like Call of Cthulhu - which in my experience always descends into slapstick or dynamite/ tommygun/ car chase madness. |
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Post by thegreyelf on May 7, 2020 18:41:27 GMT -6
I mean, you can recognize the contribution an author made to a genre without being a fan of that author. It's like Led Zeppelin. Nobody can deny what they did for hard rock music or the influence they had on what would become heavy metal. But Christ, I can't stand that man's voice.
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Post by cometaryorbit on May 7, 2020 23:14:02 GMT -6
I'm glad you mention "The Mound"! It seems to get less attention since it's a "revision" piece (though actually 100% written by Lovecraft), but it's IMO one of his better written pieces, and one of the creepiest to me. I've always read the people of K'n-yan to be well along the path to becoming "like the Great Old Ones", a human society which has been thoroughly eroded and transformed by 'entropy'.
And I agree Mountains of Madness is the best Lovecraft story. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2020 23:55:57 GMT -6
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Post by Vile Traveller on May 8, 2020 4:13:40 GMT -6
It's like Led Zeppelin. Nobody can deny what they did for hard rock music or the influence they had on what would become heavy metal. But Christ, I can't stand that man's voice. He blasphemes!  Quick, someone burn a 1965 Fender Stratocaster in sacrifice to the Rock Gods before they send Hotblack Desiato to rain sonic destruction upon us all! |
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Post by thegreyelf on May 8, 2020 5:06:22 GMT -6
It's like Led Zeppelin. Nobody can deny what they did for hard rock music or the influence they had on what would become heavy metal. But Christ, I can't stand that man's voice. He blasphemes! Quick, someone burn a 1965 Fender Stratocaster in sacrifice to the Rock Gods before they send Hotblack Desiato to rain sonic destruction upon us all! If you burn a '65 Strat for any reason, you and me are going to have words  . |
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Post by Vile Traveller on May 8, 2020 8:20:58 GMT -6
He blasphemes! Quick, someone burn a 1965 Fender Stratocaster in sacrifice to the Rock Gods before they send Hotblack Desiato to rain sonic destruction upon us all! If you burn a '65 Strat for any reason, you and me are going to have words . You're right, it probably wouldn't work anyway. The Rock Gods don't want sacrifices that have been done before. |
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Post by doublejig2 on May 8, 2020 13:37:46 GMT -6
Suppose logos is what one must lose in order to experience cosmic horror. The degree of loss as loss of weightedness also declares corresponding experiences of weirdness and horror. These relationships abound in Lovecraft's writings. It's what his language is about, and seduction.  |
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Post by stevemitchell on Jun 22, 2020 9:43:55 GMT -6
I recently re-read The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, in the annotated version from the University of Tampa Press. I thought it held up very well. And someone could make a very interesting dungeon based on Dr. Willet's wanderings beneath the Curwen-Ward cottage.
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Post by geoffrey on Jun 22, 2020 11:16:44 GMT -6
A personal update after 9 years:
I rarely read H. P. Lovecraft anymore, and when I do it is one of the following two stories:
"The Music of Erich Zann"
"The Colour out of Space"
Instead of reading Lovecraft himself, I instead typically read his four favorite authors:
Algernon Blackwood
Lord Dunsany
M. R. James
Arthur Machen
When I read those four, I say to myself, "Ah, so this is what Lovecraft was trying to do and only partially succeeded."
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Post by Finarvyn on Jun 22, 2020 13:28:54 GMT -6
What about Robert E Howard? He's pretty much the only Mythos author I read anymore.
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Post by geoffrey on Jun 22, 2020 13:48:24 GMT -6
What about Robert E Howard? He's pretty much the only Mythos author I read anymore. I love REH. Only a week or so ago I finished re-reading all 21 of his Conan stories.  |
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Post by doublejig2 on Jun 22, 2020 15:12:41 GMT -6
Level up!  |
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Post by tetramorph on Jun 22, 2020 17:10:51 GMT -6
A personal update after 9 years: I rarely read H. P. Lovecraft anymore, and when I do it is one of the following two stories: "The Music of Erich Zann" "The Colour out of Space" Instead of reading Lovecraft himself, I instead typically read his four favorite authors: Algernon Blackwood Lord Dunsany M. R. James Arthur Machen When I read those four, I say to myself, "Ah, so this is what Lovecraft was trying to do and only partially succeeded." Where would you recommend I start with each of these? |
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Post by geoffrey on Jun 22, 2020 17:25:23 GMT -6
A personal update after 9 years: I rarely read H. P. Lovecraft anymore, and when I do it is one of the following two stories: "The Music of Erich Zann" "The Colour out of Space" Instead of reading Lovecraft himself, I instead typically read his four favorite authors: Algernon Blackwood Lord Dunsany M. R. James Arthur Machen When I read those four, I say to myself, "Ah, so this is what Lovecraft was trying to do and only partially succeeded." Where would you recommend I start with each of these? Algernon Blackwood: Ancient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories (published by Penguin) Lord Dunsany: The Gods of Pegana followed by Time and the GodsM. R. James: Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories (published by Penguin) Arthur Machen: The Three Impostors and Other Stories (published by Chaosium) |
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