The Cthulu Mythos

[Pumpkin_King]

I would, but the nearest store is in Pennsylvania. A fair bit from Virginia for a few books.

I would use the online store at Amazon, but then there's that little issue of being able to pay for them...

[Dennys]

Any nearby college libraries? Or, interlibrary loan programs?

[CheddarLimbo]

The Internet is your friend.

[Pumpkin_King]

Originally Posted by CheddarLimbo

The Internet is your friend.

My goodness, indeed it is! Many thanks, CheddarLimbo!

[Lord Pyre]

There's also this one that someone showed me. I don't like reading books on the computer, so I didn't think of it until Cheddar posted that...

[DeceitfulBeauty]

-Takes a deep breath-

First off, CTHULHU.

Sorry, but that typo irked me.

H.P. Lovecraft is my favourite author. I have been a fan longer than I can recall. Back in high school I did an advanced credit honor study author study on Lovecraft and the Cthuhlu mythos. I have an evergrowing merch collection, including a few statues, one of which Necro got me. The Horrorclix Cthulhu which is amazing, a few stuffed animals, etc. SO considering no one has jumped on and being the Lovecraft freak I am, let me start...

To get into the works of Lovecraft, first establish which cycle you would like to start in. There is the Mythos, the dream cycle, and then, unrelated/related short stories. These are good to start in to get a sense of his writing style. His style is very different and may be frustrating depending on what you are used to.

I recommend starting with the Mythos. This will introduce you to the creatures and names that you are most familiar with from popular culture. The Call of Cthuhlu short story is a good place. Some other good ones include The Dunwich Horror, The Colour out of Space (Which doesn't particular fit in with the rest of the 'monsters' but is a good scifi story) The Dreams in the Witch House, The Music of Erich Zann, Pickman's Model, The Outsider, The Shadow Out of Time, The Shadow over Innsmouth, The Thing on the Doorstep, and The Whisperer in Darkness.

Most of these reference the monsters and are short enough to be read fairly quickly. Shadow out of time is longer. A good short novel would be At the Mountains of Madness. Brilliant. Also, Herbert West--Reanimator is amazing. Some very good shorter stories not related would be Cool Air, The Hound, The Cats of Ulthar, The Terrible Old Man, The Picture in the House, and The Rats in the Wall.

The Silver Key and the sequel to it are good and tie in, but are a little more in his dream cycle imo. Some other good stories that are longer would be The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Statement of Randolph Carter, a name Lovecraft often used.

DAGON is a short story that is sort of related to the deep ones in The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Thing on the Doorstep.

The strange high house in the mist is good. There are several dream stories such as Hypnos, Polaris, Azaroth, and others that are just...trippy and out there, and I just love. But these are more in his other cycle, dream-like, an alternate world. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and The Doom that Came to Sarnath are good here.

A warning for a beginner: DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THE NECRONOMICON. People have written so many books about it and in the last few years a lot of new editions, illustrations, etc. have come out. I haven't been able to check them out to see how close they come into Lovecraft's canon, but don't be one of those fools who tries to claim it is real. The Necronomicon was something Lovecraft created, wrote bits and pieces of, but never the whole deal, and it is with the mythos.

ANOTHER WARNING: Avoid Derleth if you can. If you really want to continue with what he wrote in the mythos, do so after reading all of Lovecraft. I have a personal problem with Derleth, but I have to say it is due to him that Lovecraft was brought the attention he derserved.

Some suggestions in volumes: The best I have found so far is The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre published by Ballantine/Del Rey. It is a wonderful collection including a lot I have mentioned. Waking up Screaming is a good point to start from too. Of course there are probably newer editions, etc, too.

Okay. That's it for now. Any questions, please let me know, I would love to talk more and answer. Really!

[Pumpkin_King]

Whew, exhaustive info, DB. I'll be sure to get to you with any questions I have down the road!

[DeceitfulBeauty]

Well, I'm rereading lots of Lovecraft over the break, if anyone has any other questions.