I began September’s inaugural Short Story Sunday prompty at the witching hour, cracking open my recently purchased copy of The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft.
After a bit of sleep, I continued my exploration of Lovecraft in the light of a beautiful day. One of the many reasons I love spring and fall is the option to read outdoors. It is such a wonderful experience. As I began reading I noticed that a black bird was sitting on a wire, watching me. He was soon joined by others, one at a time. If it wasn’t for the bright and shining sun I would have been convinced that I was in a remake of The Birds.
The H.P. Lovecraft stories remind me why I love gothic fiction so much. The sense of pure dread as ancient crypts are discovered, pure evil is unleashed, and madness and death walk hand-in-hand. I was thinking about these type of stories so much that I got inspired to write an article about it for Estella’s Revenge for the October issue…stay tuned!
On to the short stories:
Dagon by H.P. Lovecraft:
“I write this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more.”
Dagon is not the best story in this collection, but it is a good start. The story of a man lost at sea and his eventual discovery of an emerged land mass where horrible sea creatures exist drives the protagonist to madness. Every bit of the story is very much in the gothic tradition and reminds me of why I love 19th and early 20th century writing so much.
The Statement of Randolph Carter by H.P. Lovecraft:
A story about rare and forbidden books, a late night journey into the swamps of Florida, and the consequences of not letting sleeping evil lie.
“In the lone silence of that hoary and deserted city of the dead my mind conceived the most ghastly phantasies and illusions…”
The story is all the more eerie for it is told by a man who could only hear what was happening and had to fill in the awful details with his imagination. A very good traditionally creepy tale.
Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family by H.P. Lovecraft:
Another thing I love about these type of short stories is the titles. This is a genuinely gothic story of evil that follows a family from generation to generation. As Lovecraft exposes the madness of the Jermyn family and the events that lead up to the death of Arthur Jermyn, the reader is sucked in bit by bit into the miasma of evil. To say anything more about the story would spoil it. For some reason it reminded me of the works of Poe and there is more than a hint of the kind of behavior that always seems a bit shocking when read in a story written so long ago.
Celephais by H.P. Lovecraft:
This isn’t so much a horror story as it is a story of dreams. I found it a very interesting break in the slowly building suspense that each story had leading up to this one.
“There are not many persons who know what wonders are opened to them in the stories and visions of their youth; for when as children we listen and dream, we think but half-formed thoughts, and when as men we try to remember, we are dulled and prosaic with the poison of life. But some of us awake in the night with strange phantasms of enchanted hills and gardens, of fountains that sing in the sun, of golden cliffs overhanging murmuring seas, of plains that stretch down to sleeping cities of bronze and stone, and of shadowy companies of heroes that ride caparisoned white horses along the edges of thick forests; and then we know that we have looked back through the ivory gates into that world of wonder which was ours before we were wise and unhappy.”
Isn’t that a wonderful passage? It reminds me of much of the discussion that went on during the Once Upon a Time Challenge about the nature of stories and the need to reconnect to the readers, the dreamers, we were as children.
There is certainly an element of unquiet to this story, but it reminds me more of that which is in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere or his short story The Sweeper of Dreams.
Nyarlathotep by H.P. Lovecraft:
This is one of the beginnings of the old gods, the creatures awaiting return, the group of beings Lovecraft created as part of his Cthulhu Mythos. It is more of a fragment than a true story, but is a nice morsel, tempting me to delve into more of Lovecraft’s universe.
The Picture in the House by H.P. Lovecraft
This is an old fashioned New England haunted house story, with a Lovecraftian touch, of course. As in all haunted house stories, our hero is forced to enter a house against his better judgement and then must deal with the consequences of his entry. A rare and unsettling book also plays a part in this story. Lovecraft’s use of ancient, mysterious tomes makes his stories all the more appealing to me as they give a sense of history and depth to these short fictions. This was a good one to read in the dark of night and I really enjoyed it. It would make a great Night Gallery episode.
What a fantastic start to Short Story Sunday! I am so glad I decided that I simply had to pick up some Lovecraft to read for this R.I.P. II peril. I had read two or three Lovecraft tales in years past and this reintroduction to his world called to mind how much I enjoyed those stories when I read them.
How about you, did you delve into any short stories for this particular peril? If you have, I hope you’ll share. If you have not, there are many more Sundays between now and the end of October in which to revel in this underappreciated literary form.
I love Lovecraft. Classic stuff.
Have you ever read Robert E. Howard’s Lovecraft-inpsired stories? He does Lovecraft even better than Lovecraft does Lovecraft.
So far my only Howard stories have been his amazing Conan stories. I have one book yet to read in those before I move on to some of his other works. With this recommendation I really look forward to reading those!
you’re old enough to remember Rod Serling?.. wow! (giggle)
My brother and I used to watch syndicated episodes of Night Gallery right before episodes of Star Trek and we both loved it. I still have very distinct memories of stories in that series that just creeped me out!
I have also decided to read some short stories for my challenge. I just posted about the two I read this weekend. I am starting with Edgar Allan Poe. I will probably just read a couple each weekend (depending on how long they are) as I want to keep working on Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho, which I am really enjoying. Thanks for the post about the short stories you are reading–I may have to see if I can get my hands on some Lovecraft. I’d like to try some different short story writers!
Poe is a great person to start with. I mentioned on someone else’s site that I will be doing some Poe-specific giveaways during the challenge as he is high on my list of favorite authors and is someone whose work I like to push as much as I can. Look forward to your review on Udolpho when you are finished.
I love Lovecraft so much. I love how, even though he is from later, there really is a 19th century feel to his work, especially in the kind of language he uses. But my favourite thing about his stories is, as you mentioned, the sense of history. You really get a sense of ancientness, of eons of time holding innumerable mysteries. His stories always make me feel that they are only the tip of the iceberg, that there’s a whole world lurking behind them that we only get a glimpse of.
And after this, I really feel like fitting a few of stories in for the challenge.
You’ve hit it right on the head, Nymeth, they really do feel as if they were written even longer ago than they were. I look forward to reading many more during this cahllenge period.
Hey Carl, I just wanted to let you know I have a giveaway on my book review blog that would tie in to the R.I.P Challenge really well.
Lovecraft is so awesome!
I read two short stories for this Sunday: one by Ann Radcliffe (I always want to add an ‘e’ to the end of her name) and one my Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. I discuss them here.
Both are part of this awesome short story anthology called Witches’ Brew. I listed the table of conets here; it’s women writers over the past two hundred years.
I’m so glad you’re hosting this challenge; I’ve already started to be more on the look out for horror and gothic books, and I can’t wait to build up my collection!
I haven’t read much Lovecraft, so I’m looking forward to dipping into this collection for the challenge! Great post Carl. 🙂
Such wonderful reviews, as always! Why is it I smell a trip to library in the very near future?
My two all time favorite H.P. Lovecraft short stories are ‘Color out of Space’ and ‘Winged Death’.
I too also read Lovecraft on Sunday! I read “The Dreams in the Witch House’ and ‘At The ‘Mountains of Madness.’ from the ‘Black Seas of Infinity’ book.
Between my husband and I, I think we have almost all his published works after buying that book.
the forward by Andrew Wheeler is great too.
Hey have you heard they are going to make a new Cthulhu movie?
Oh and I have a question about my RIP challenge peril list.
If the book I am reading now from my list (Glass Books Of the Dream Eaters.) doesn’t get any better in the next few chapters can I change my list again? I am really annoyed by the writing so far and while parts are really good, it is taking the author Forever to get to the point! It got really good reviews that is why I chose it. Does it get better?
My rules are always fluid Paula, read what you want, not what you feel forced to read. Sorry to hear you feel that way about Glass Books, I absolutely love the language and am enthralled by the story…but it is one of those, like Jonathan Strange, The Thirteenth Tale, Time Traveler’s Wife, that I can see being one of those love it or hate it books. Don’t stick with it if you don’t like it as I am certain the entire book is going to be like what you’ve read thus far…its just that I LOVE books like that.
The Colour Out of Space is one of the few Lovecraft stories that I had read before Sunday and I too really like it. It is a great story and one I will reread when I get to it in this book.
Debi, at least you are being good and going to the library!!! 😉
Hey have you heard they are going to make a new Cthulhu movie? This is a huuuuuge topic and debate right not. No one really knows what the 1-18-08 movie is really about (unless something came out recently that I’m not aware of). I’ve had over 1500 hits on my blog in one day with people trying to figure out what it is.
Thanks Carl!
I love The Thirteenth Tale so far (it is the middle book of my sandwich peril); I adored Time Traveler’s Wife and have been thinking of reading Jonathan Strange next.
Hmmm, maybe I need to give this book a bit more patience.
I really do like the characters so far.
I have a question about Short Story Sunday;
Should I post my reviews of the stories I read on Sunday on my blog?
I am reading my favorite collection of Poe and also I just picked up ‘The Dark’ new ghost stories by Ellen Datlow.
P.S.
http://www.cthulhuthemovie.com
Many others are posting short story reviews Paula so I would say YES, please do. I’ve already seen reviews of short stories I didn’t know existed and want to read now.
I certainly hope nothing I said or say makes you stick with Glass Books if it is not your thing. I have seen both glowing and damning reviews of it and it really seems to be a book that some people adore and others just do not like. It all comes down to personal preference with books like this. Judging from the 200 pages or so that I’ve read so far I am loving it, but I loved it from page one so I’m probably not the best person to consult as far as whether you should stick with it or not. It is a big commitment if you end up not liking it.
I have heard rumblings about a Cthulhu movie, which would be cool if done right and handled by a director, like Guilermo del Toro, who appreciated the source material. If it is just a Godzilla-like monster movie it will really suck.
you know, i have STILL not read any lovecraft (although, ironically, i did read that graphic novel about him).
why haven’t i read any yet?!?! under what rock have i been living!? this is all the kind of stuff that i love! and all the stories sound so original.
wow.
Until Sunday I had only read two or three Lovecraft stories, JP, so don’t feel bad. But now I must tell you: Get thee to a nunnery….no, wait, I mean Get thee to yon bookstore and/or library!!! Lovecraft, like Poe, should be MUST read material for the R.I.P. Challenge.
yes SAH!
Great post, I like Lovecraft’s short stories. ‘The Mountains of Madness’ and ‘Herbert West reanimator’ freaked me out.
So far I’ve read Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein for the R.I.P. challenge and thought it was great.
I just read Herbert West, reanimator the other day. That was great!
Hi there, I started “Short Story Mondays” back in August. Just wondering if you wanted to combine them. Unless you’re set on Sundays, which is cool too, but just doesn’t work for my schedule. Anyway just a thought. As long as the genre gets more exposure, the more the merrier.
I’m hoping to include at least one of his stories in my October Horror Short Story Short Challenge.
I have a book of his stories hidden somewhere on the shelves….This will make a good reference.
P.S. I love Gothic too. I think that is what I should be writing, in fact.
You should, LK, that would be great to read!!!
I had one of those freaky blackbird experiences, recently. I went outside to photograph the birds when they blanketed my backyard and that’s when the neighborhood kitty gave me a firm bite on the leg. Real life can be so strange.
I’ve never heard of this author but you’ve made him sound unbearably tempting. Gothic books and I tend to fight each other, so I’ll have to see if I can find a genuine copy to flip through.
BTW, glad you’ve written an article for Estella!
I’ve heard of Lovecraft before but never really read him. The you quoted a lot from his works during the intro to RIP II. I saw and purchased a secondhand Lovecraft paperback titled The Watchers Out of Time comprising of several short stories. When I got home it turned out that the copyrights belong to an August Derleth. All short stories.
I really don’t know why I’m posting this. Hahaha. Maybe you know more about Lovecraft so I hope you don’t mind if I ask you whether or not what I actually bought was written by Lovecraft or by Derleth. I’ve never heard of Derleth.
From what I can tell this was either some sort of joint effort by both authors or was works by Derleth only. If you want to read Lovecraft for sure, I recommend either buying another book or taking a trip to the library.