H.P. Lovecraft

[Hot_Wings]

I think H.P. Lovecraft is the greatest horror writers of all time. Got any input on this?

[Anise]

Ultimate horror often paralyses memory in a merciful way.

-- H.P. Lovecraft / The Rats in the Walls

[ringbearer]

I like his stories...the greatest ...no.

[sbpollo1]

You should watch some of the old Night Gallery TV shows. There are some great Lovecraft shows.

[osszie]

I enjoyed a lot of Lovecrafts........very imaginative (and occasionally very psychological) horror.

the good news is that the copyright for much of his work expired so you can read (and download) much of it here for free

http://www.gizmology.net/lovecraft/works/index.htm

[BeardofPants]

Poor bastard.

Some good stuff.... but I prefer Poe.

[osszie]

*poor bastard*.........well, I guess so.........cancer killed him in 1937.

Anyone interested in starting to read him I would recommend the Cthulhu Mythos tales -

THE NAMELESS CITY
THE FESTIVAL
THE COLOUR OUT OF SPACE
THE CALL OF CTHULHU
THE DUNWICH HORROR
THE WHISPER IN DARKNESS
THE DREAMS IN THE WITCH-HOUSE
THE HAUNTER OF THE DARK
THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH
THE SHADOW OUT OF TIME
AT THE MOUNTAIN OF MADNESS
THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD

Each can be read alone, this is the order in which they appeared in print.

[Draken]

Ah the good old Cthulhu mythos. That was what was best about Lovecraft, dreaming up a universe that was so bleak and malignant and hopeless for mankind. Used to love playing Call of Cthulhu in my younger years, is that still in print?

I went through a phase of picking up any Lovecraft book I could get, managed to get quite a few of the old 1960s Panther paperbacks- wonder if they're worth owt now?

He has his flaws but he created a terrific mythos, and for that reason I'd rather read him than Poe.

[osszie]

Yep the Call of Cthulhu (RPG) is still in print (Chaosium Publishers) I think It's in its 6th edition now and as popular as ever........the amount of source material available is quite staggering

Used to play a lot of it myself something very gratifying about creating a character that you know is doomed from the start, made a change from all those spangle AD&D "supermen"

I certainly agree that Lovecraft had his flaws.......using a thousand words where sometime a hundred would have done (long winded so an' so) but for pure creativity not many in the genre have come close.

Brian Lumley (a more "modern" writer) probably came the closest with his Necroscope/Vampire world books...........but then Lumley has also added his own stories to the Cthulhu Mythos so maybe I'm a little biased

[Draken]

CoC source material would be more staggering yet if anyone ever published all the research I did into the period! The amount of time I used to spend on that game! There were some interesting guns around that I used to like to add to the game - tiny little .2" "velo-dog" one-shots, a flat self-loading "palm pistol" that came disguised as a Gauloise case, big Webley "man stopper" revolvers (forget the exact calibre but it was over .5"and there was only room for five chambers), .410" shotguns disguised as walking canes, 10-bore shotguns, "Destructor" bullets to increase shotgun effect at range...talk about mis-spent youth!

But back to thread - read one Lumley mythos book (The Burrowers Beneath?) and enjoyed it but never got around to reading any others. Some authors are better guardians of the mythos than others. Derleth probably did most to keep interest up after HP's death but he was clueless, bless him. Introducing still greater "gods" that would fight a "war in heaven" with the mythos gods and be the salvation of mankind utterly missed the point of it all, in my opinion.

[osszie]

Brian Lumley's Cthulhu mytho's works are available in Omnibus Editions 1&2 (although there is possibly a 3rd available now).

Have you never read the Necroscope books draken? As a Durham lad you should.......Brian Lumley was born and raised in Horden and much of the early part of Necrosope is based there (named Harden in the books).....tis pretty cool to walk around the coast near the town and see the places he writes about......some of it is even based in Crimdon Dene

Ah......Poor August Derelith.......Lovecraft created an amazing Universe and then beautifully kept most of it hidden from his readers.......just the occasional hint of the madness and choas of the "powers of the universe".......never explaining......alway's keeping it hidden from us.........Derelith on the, on the other hand, continued the creative process, and tried to shove it down our throats in a way more suited to a comic book style than the dark narrative of lovecraft.

IMO Derelith got it wrong........very wrong.......Lovecraft made a point several times that his invented races were alien(s) in every sence of the world......and that we were powerless it stop them in their grand designs, if they even bothered to notice us at all, there plans and thoughts were so alien to us that it sent many of his "heroes" mad........we were helpless pawn in the struggle for power that we could neither comprehend or prevent.

Derelith wouldn't accept that we would come out second best in this universal struggle........so he invented gods that would come to our salvation.........as you said he missed the point..totally

That's a lot of guns!........We played our campaign of 'Cthulhu in '20s England so our characters were lucky to get there hands on an old army officers pistol and a couple of 12-bore .......the campaign did move in The Dreamlands.....so the lack of guns did'nt really make a lot of difference in the end

[Draken]

Well I never knew that - funny as I once wrote a scenario wherein the Lambton Worm was found to have been a Cthonian...it was pants, so I'll spare you the details!

I liked bringing in the alternative weapons to reward clever players - I liked the subtleties of the concealed small calibre weapons and encouraging players to use less firepower but more intelligence (when dealing with human cultists at least - when you get to meet the Byakhee it's time to blaze away with shotguns at point blank!).

[Khamûl]

*bump*

I've heard a lot about Lovecraft, so I bought a book with a collection of his stories today. I really enjoyed The Rats in the Walls and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the stories.

[Jabberwock]

I've read a lot of Lovecraft's stories and for me there is something so artificial and distracting about his writing style that it evokes nothing remotely like 'cosmic' horror. The tales are also so freaking colorless and lifeless that they bore the pants off you with their emptiness. That being said, I do remember enjoying them at one time (like age 14). His early tales are not much more than second rate copies of Lord Dunsany, who was a far superior writer, even in the horror vein, though there are few examples of Dunsany's forays therein.

[Khamûl]

I must admit that his writing style is a bit verbose at times, but I still find it enjoyable. And his favorite word is "antediluvian".

[Draken]

Wow quite a bump...

I would never say Lovecraft was a great (or even good) writer - but I would always say that the bleakness of his alternative universe is unique, and the feel of his stories hold true to that bleakness - hence I don't find them the least bit boring.

Khamûl - don't forget "eldritch"!

[Khamûl]

I don't think I've come across "eldritch" yet, since I've only read a handful of stories. I'll be on the lookout for it.

[Nautipus]

H.P. Lovecraft is my favorite writer. *poor bastard* indeed. He died because they took too much fluid from his cancer-ridden abdomen, poor guy. He is unique among writers in that almost none of his more popular creations are humanoid, or even reiniscient of anything earthly. I really appreciate that.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

You just like Cthulhu for his tentacles, don't you?

[Nautipus]

Actually, he's one of my least favorites. I favor the Elder Ones, and their whole back story.