Miskatonic University Campus

So I have undertaken to read all of Lovecraft's tales along with The HP Literary Podcast, and so far The Nameless City has really struck a chord. Eerie, dramatic and powerful (perhaps because I read it aloud) it was a really absorbing tale. I really enjoy some of the "Dream narratives", like The White Ship and The Tree, and even the prototypical stories like Dagon and yes, Nyarlathotep. The fact that these stories are "half formed" only adds to the mythos in my opinion, like these figures have existed for ages and the legends there are of them are vague and eerie.

What are your favourite Lovecraft stories?

My favorite Lovecraft story is The Statement of Randolf Carter. It's quite short but packs a punch. It's got mood, it's got protagonists delving into things best left alone, it's got a creepy location, and it's got an awesome ending. Love it!

The Colour Out of Space. I love the absolute alien-ness of the alien. I love the ways it physically and mentally corrupts the land, animals, and people. A really great tale in my opinion.

I have other favorites, but I don't want to hog the mike.

The Color Out of Space is my favorite as well. Lovecraft nailed "otherness" with the colours in a way that still haunts me. Also great characters and an atmosphere of pure despair.

Pickman's Model. I want to see those paintings! The first time I read it, the surprise ending was great, and every time I've read it, it has been very stimulating to my imagination. Imagine being in the shoes of the protagonist in the story and getting a personal tour from the weird Pickman.

I really enjoyed "In The Vault" and "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward". But my favourite is probably "The Colour Out Of Space".
(I also loved Steven King's reworking of the idea in "The Tommyknockers", which is every bit as spooky as the original. Also, I'd love to see a Cthulhu/Discworld team-up, where a group of hopelessly out-of-touch wizards from Unseen University get sent out into the sticks to investigate... "The Colour Of The Magic Out Of Space.")

I have to say, "The Picture in the House", "Nyarlathotep" and "The Music of Eric Zahn" are really growing on me. Still haven't hit the big ones yet, but the "Rats in the Walls" is coming up soon!


On a related note, how many of you found Lovecraft's work to be difficult to read when first starting out? He has a rather seemingly... impenetrable writing style. Now that I have gotten used to him, I can get into his work a little more easily. But back then? Ouch!

It's got to be "The Music of Erich Zann" for me. For something a bit more controversial, I have a weird soft spot for "Polaris" just something about the imagery and the ending repetition there. I guess I find it easy to get past the Esquimaux racism is easier to get past because it isn't brought up until the end and it just seems like a crazy/silly aside. I know there is actual prejudice against the natives up in Alaska and that's a problem, but HPL was so far removed from that it just comes off as weird. Anyway, the blurring line between the past and present appeals to me.

The first Lovecraft story I read was "Statement of Randolph Carter" followed closely by "The Outsider". Partway through "Outsider" I realized how much he was doing with the dense overflowing-with-images language and started to read it aloud. Slowing down and reading that way, kind of letting the words wash over you really works, and it was how I read most of his other stories for the first time. It's also something I like doing with Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith.

I haven't read them all yet but my favorite so far is "Shadow over Innsmouth". Great on the tension.

https://www.google.com/#q=shadow+over+i ... h&safe=off

I love the stories that make me feel small and invoke a sense of cosmic terror. The Shadow out of Time accomplishes this fantastically, it's so alien, and spans an unfathomable slice of time. Chillingly delicious.