H.P. Lovecraft
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Topic: H.P. Lovecraft
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Subject: H.P. Lovecraft
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 14:32
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Hello PA members,
I have read the Wiki Biography of Lovecraft so will start to read some books of him, but i have a question:
¿Which book do i have to start?
Thanks for your help  -------------  |
Replies:
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 15:29
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His work is mostly available in compilations I think because it's short stories. The only works of his that are novel-length are The Shadow out of Time, At the Mountains of Madness, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. The last one is great, but I might warn that it's quirky fantasy rather than his usual horror/sci-fi stuff even if it's set in the same "verse".
------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 15:36
| I am a big fan of HPL, and have read all his works. As TM said in the above post, he was a writer of short stories rather than novels - much like his spiritual mentor, Edgar Allan Poe. Personally, I find his shorter works better than his longer ones, with the exception of the stunningly beautiful The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. My favourite work of his, however, is the terrifying "The Call of Cthulhu", one of the best horror stories ever written - I remember that, after reading it, I had trouble falling asleep at night, and that without having to resort to gore and other such nastiness. |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 17:47
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Toaster thanks for your answer, i read somkething about The Mountains of Madness and looks interesting, might even buy that, what your opinion?
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Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 17:49
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Raff: Thanks! that work that you cited: The Call of Cthulhu here in México is found on a thick book called "The Myths of Cthulhu", did you suggest that i could start in this?
And what's your opinion about this: "Beyond the wall of Sleep" ------------- |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:00
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Alberto, many of those books named after "The Myths of Cthulhu" are in fact collections of stories written by other authors as a tribute to Lovecraft after his death. I have read a few of them, and in a few cases the stories were quite good, though not on a par with the originals. However, I suggest you look at the table of contents before you buy anything, and make sure the stories are by Lovecraft himself. If you want to know more about the author, here's his Wikipedia entry in English: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:04
Ok Raff i will check the link you provided to me thanks!
BTW perhaps i will start with the mountains of madness, what's your opinion about?
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Raff wrote:Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:10
| Personally, I think At the Mountains of Madness is weaker than other shorter stories by Lovecraft, but I know other people who absolutely love it. I would rather recommend you get a good collection of his short stories, possibly placed in chronological order. |
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:36
At the Mountains of Madness is much more overtly science-fictiony than his other stories, probably because the main characters are natural scientists, which makes it a bit of an oddity but I don't mind that even though it's a bit "drier" than something like The Colour out of Space. Yeah, I guess it ends up being more exposition than storytelling which is actually what makes a lot of sci-fi not work that well as literature, so maybe my affection for it as a favourite is kinda silly! Then again, Lovecraft was generally better at big ideas than his writing. I mean, if his prose was any more purple it'd be full of Ritchie Blackmore guitar solos.  ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:42
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And Beyond the Wall of Sleep , what's your opinion? (Raff and Toaster) ------------- |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:46
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Just found something for you.... http://%20www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html - http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html I'm not a big fan of reading stuff on a computer screen, but you could give it a try before you spend any money on a book. As regards "Beyond the Wall of Sleep", here's the Wikipedia entry (attention spoilers!): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Wall_of_Sleep_%28short_story%29 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Wall_of_Sleep_(short_story) |
Posted By: Toaster Mantis
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:49
It's okay and a long time since I've read it, but when I hear the title I think of the Black Sabbath song before the Lovecraft story. ------------- "The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:54
Thanks a lot for these links...  ------------- |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 18:59
Me too...  ------------- |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 19:11
^just read my signature 
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Posted By: dude
Date Posted: January 19 2009 at 23:02
| im a fan of Lovecraft and agree generally with the comments here but you might want to try William Hope Hodgson too, "Carnacki The Ghost Finder And "The Night Land" for a start |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 06:39
| In the essay Lovecraft wrote on Supernatural Horror in Literature you'll find lots of great recommendations for further reading. I'm not a big fan of Hodgson, though, while I find Algernon Blackwood's stories to be really gripping and well-written. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 06:50
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How about August Derleth too? Co-wrote several stories/novellas with HPL & also contributed many of his own to the Cthulu Mythos. ------------- 
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 10:11
Yesterday a friend of mine reccomend to me that author, i will search after read some Lovecraft stuff
Thanks
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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 10:30
| Personally, I think Derleth is not that great a writer, and his take on the Cthulhu Mythos often leaves a bit to be desired. I've read much better stories inspired by it than his, to be perfectly honest - but then, this is just my own opinion. |
Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 11:20
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Even Stephen King had a crack at writing on the Cthulu Mythos in his short story, Crouch End; not a bad stab at it, but nowhere near HPL of course.
Alberto - if you want a great place to start with HPL & you can get it in your neck of the woods, I'd recommend this: 
900 page leather bound collection of his best works; on Amazon.co.uk it's at a ridiculously low price too: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Necronomicon-Weird-Fiction-Lovecraft-Gollancz/dp/0575081562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232471918&sr=8-1 - Necronomicon @ Amazon Good luck (and don't forget to look behind you in the dark.....) -------------
Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Jozef
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 11:39
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Lovecraft is my favorite horror writer, along with Stephen King and Richard Matheson. The local library near my house has this anthology of his work which I read. http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232473091&sr=1-2 - http://www.amazon.com/H-P-Lovecraft-Library-America/dp/1931082723/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232473091&sr=1-2 My favorite is "The Horror at Red Hook".  ------------- 
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Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 11:52
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Jim: I agree with you on "Crouch End"... Fairly good story, though not on the same level as HPL, of course. Alberto: since your English is very good, try to read Lovecraft in the original. Many translations are not up to scratch, and his prose is anything but easy to translate anyway. When his stories were first published in Italy, the translators edited them massively, and they ended up missing large chunks. |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:02
Take note of that. thanks. ------------- |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:04
Ok Jim i take note of that and thanks!!!!! ------------- |
Posted By: Alberto Muñoz
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:07
Raff: Thanks for the compliment about my english
 .I will do to read to Lovecraft in english, i always think that a good author is preferably to read in his native language.
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Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: January 20 2009 at 12:47
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I do think that you should get your hands on a chronological comp, if only because in the earlier stories Lovecraft's prose tends to run away from him (see "The Lurking Fear" for a prime example of that). I'd say start with the shorter stuff ("Rats in the Walls" is one of his finest; if you can stand the name of his cat, of course), and work your way up the longer stuff, like "Dreams in a Witchhouse" and...crap, sorry Raff, "Mountains of Madness," which I personally found enthralling enough to finish in a day.
Then, read John W. Campbell Jr.'s "Who Goes There?" Just...just because. If you like the Lovecraft stuff, it should be an interesting (and highly underrated) counterpoint ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Goes_There%3F - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Goes_There%3F ). ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: dude
Date Posted: January 21 2009 at 23:50
| "Who Goes There?" adapted for the screen as both versions of "The Thing"(1951,1982) i good story ,good movies. |
Posted By: Windhawk
Date Posted: January 22 2009 at 00:08
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Those of you into Lovecraft may want to check out another author that influenced him; although not as influential as Poe stories like "The Cats of Ulthar" show clear signs of influence by British author http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Plunkett,_18th_Baron_of_Dunsany - Lord Dunsany ; who wrote a number of short stories and a few novels with a fantasy setting; some of which had elements of horror as well. ------------- Websites I work with: http://www.progressor.net http://www.houseofprog.com My profile on Mixcloud: https://www.mixcloud.com/haukevind/ |
Posted By: mithrandir
Date Posted: January 22 2009 at 01:09
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Dunwich and Colour Out Of Space are my favorite Lovecraft tales I also love The Gods of Pegana and Time and the Gods from Dunsany |