H. F. Lovecraft(full name - Howard Phillips Lovecraft / Howard Phillips Lovecraft) was born August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents, mother Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft and father Winfield Scott Lovecraft, then lived at 454 (then 194) Angell Street. In Providence, apart from two years spent in New York, he lived his entire short life.
When Howard was three years old, his father suffered a nervous breakdown while in a hotel in Chicago (he worked as a traveling salesman), and after that he was institutionalized, where he spent five years, until his death on July 19, 1898.
After the death of his father, the boy was raised by his mother, two aunts and, especially, grandfather - Whipple Van Buren Phillips. My grandfather had the most extensive library in the city (and perhaps in the entire state), and this played an important role in shaping Howard's reading habits. He began to read and write early on his own (even earlier, he began to simply compose oral poetry). And one of the first works that he noted as his favorite and impressed him was "Tales of 1001 Nights", read for the first time by him at the age of five. It was from there that Abdul Alhazred was born, who later became the pseudonym of the author himself, and even later - the character of his stories, the author of the Necronomicon. And it is to this book that Lovecraft owes oriental motifs in his subsequent work. Also, the author was fond of Greek myths from childhood, the Iliad and the Odyssey, reflections of which we can also meet later in his poetry and prose.
From early childhood, Lovecraft was distinguished by poor health. Having practically no friends, he spent most of his time with his grandfather in the library. But his interests were not limited to literature as a profession. He seriously studied chemistry, astronomy, history (especially the history of his native state and New England). Even at school age, he independently began to publish newspapers and magazines dedicated to his scientific interests and research ("The Scientific Gazette" (1899-1907) and "The Rhode Island Journal of Astronomy" (1903-07)). They were distributed mainly among classmates and subsequent friends and associates.
At school (Hope Street High School), his interests and research are approved by teachers who replace Howard's friends among peers. And in 1906, his article on astronomy was first published by The Providence Sunday Journal. He later became a regular columnist for The Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner on astronomy. And still later in such publications as The Providence Tribune (1906-08), The Providence Evening News (1914-18) and The Asheville (N.C.) Gazette-News (1915).
Howard's grandfather died in 1904. She and her mother, experiencing financial difficulties, are forced to leave the mansion in which they lived and move into a cramped apartment at 598 Angell Steert. Howard was very upset by the loss of his home, in which he was born and which was his native. In 1908, Howard himself had a nervous breakdown, which forced him to leave school without finishing it. An attempt to get into Brown University fails, leading to an even more reclusive Lovecraft lifestyle.
From 1908 to 1913 Lovecraft practically did not leave the house, continuing to study astronomy and poetry. The way out of seclusion occurred in a very original way. While reading a lot of old "cheap" magazines, among which was The Argosy, he came across the love stories of a certain Fred Jackson. This prompted him to write an angry letter to the magazine. It was published in 1913 and caused a storm of protest from Jackson's admirers. This led to a whole correspondence in the pages of the magazine, in which many people and authors were involved. Among them was Edward F. Daas, president of the United Amateur Press Association (UAPA). It was an organization that included young authors from all over the country who wrote and published their own magazines. He invites Lovecraft to become a member of UAPA. And in 1914 his proposal was accepted.
Lovecraft begins publishing his own magazine, The Conservative (1915-23), in which he publishes his poetry, as well as articles and essays written specifically for this publication, as well as those that he sent to other magazines. There are 13 issues of The Conservative in total. The Necronomicon Press would later reprint these issues among Lovecraft's other works. Later, Lovecraft became President and Editor-in-Chief of UAPA.
Having already written fiction previously (The Beast in the Cave, 1905) and The Alchemist (1908) and now plunging into the world of amateur prose, Lovecraft takes up his pen again. , already as a science fiction writer - for the first time since 1908. In 1917, The Tomb and Dagon were successfully published. Now the main occupation and hobby of the author is prose, poetry and journalism.
In 1919, Lovecraft's mother had a nervous attack. And just like his father, she is placed in a clinic, from where she does not leave until her death. She dies on May 24, 1921. Lovecraft is very upset by the death of his mother, but a few weeks later a serious change takes place in his life - at a conference of amateur journalists in Boston on July 4, 1921, he meets a woman who will later become his wife. It was Sonya Haft Green, a Russian-Jewish woman, seven years older than Howard himself. From the first meeting, they find a lot in common in each other, and Lovecraft often visits her in Brooklyn in 1922. Their relationship was not a secret, and therefore the announcement of the wedding on March 3, 1924 did not come as a surprise to their friends. But this was a complete surprise for his aunts, whom he only notified in writing only after the marriage had already taken place.
Lovecraft moves to his wife in Brooklyn, and things are not going badly for their family - he then earns as a professional writer, publishing his early works in Weird Tales, and Sonia runs a quite thriving hat store on Fifth Avenue in New York .
But later, the store goes bankrupt, and Lovecraft loses his job as an editor at Weird Tales. In addition, Sonino's health is deteriorating, and she is admitted to a New Jersey hospital. On January 1, 1925, Sonya leaves for Cleveland to start a business there, and Lovecraft moves into a one-room apartment in one of the Brooklyn neighborhoods called Red Hook. Having many acquaintances in the city, he does not feel completely alien and abandoned. At this time, such things as “The Abandoned House” (“The Shunned House”, 1924), “The Nightmare at Red Hook” (“The Horror at Red Hook”) and “He” (“He” ) (both also 1924).
In early 1926, Lovecraft plans to return to Providence, which he has missed all this time. At the same moment, his marriage cracks, and later (in 1929) breaks up completely.
Returning to Providence on April 17, 1926, Lovecraft does not lead a hermitic lifestyle, as he did in the period from 1908 to 1913. On the contrary, he travels a lot to ancient places (Quebec, New England, Philadelphia, Charleston) and works fruitfully. At this time, he writes some of his best things, including The Call of Cthulhu (The Call of Cthulhu, 1926), Ridges of Madness (At the Mountains of Madness, 1931), Shadow from Timelessness ("The Shadow out of Time", 1934-35). At the same time, he maintains an extensive correspondence both with his old friends and with many young authors who owe their careers in this field largely to Lovecraft (August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber). At this time, he wrote many articles on politics and economics, as well as on all those subjects that continued to interest him, from philosophy and literature to history and architecture.
The last two or three years of the author's life are especially difficult. In 1932, one of his aunts, Miss Clarke, died, and Lovecraft moved into a room at 66 College Street in 1933 with his second aunt, Miss Gunwell. After the suicide of Robert Howard, one of his closest pen pals, Lovecraft becomes depressed. At the same time, the disease progresses, which will later cause his death - intestinal cancer.
In the winter of 1936-1937, the disease progressed so much that Lovecraft was admitted to the Jane Brown Memorial Hospital on March 10, 1937, where he died five days later.
Lovecraft was buried on March 18, 1937 in the family plot at Swan Point Cemetery. On a simple tombstone, in addition to the name, dates of birth and death, there is only one inscription - "I am Providence" ...
Rating of works by American horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It so happened that the top 10 included major works. Basically, these are big short stories and novels by H. Lovecraft. However, it is not entirely correct to compare the short and long prose of the author. Lovecraft's short stories, of which he wrote quite a few, are unfairly neglected. And then it dawned on me that for small works it is necessary to create their own separate rating. So, the top ten short stories by Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
If you decide to become closely acquainted with the work of an American horror writer and do not have enough time, then this top 10 short stories is perfect for you. Choose any title you like, evaluate it by a short abstract, then find the text and read it in a short period of time.
If you prefer large prose, and at the same time there is a free hour or two for long reading, then I refer to the rating of long texts:.
Before I list H. F. Lovecraft's top ten short stories, I would like to reiterate that it was difficult to make a rating from the works of Lovecraft. I perceive his work as a single array, and I re-read many texts with pleasure. Take this list not as the ultimate truth, but as one reader's opinion among thousands of possible ones.
10. Dagon
H. F. Lovecraft wrote Dagon in the summer of 1917. This is a very small story from the early work of the American writer. The first publication took place in The Vagrant magazine at the end of 1919. "Dagon" does not lose popularity today. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the work is iconic - this is the first story written by Lovecraft in the Cthulhu Mythos genre. The history and development of a gloomy concept began with him, which became the basis for all further work of the hermit from Providence.
Cover of the November 1919 issue of The Vagrant. First publication of Dagon
Later, the story is published three times (!) in Weird Tales magazine. Twice during the author's lifetime, in 1923 and 1936, and once much later, in 1951. The covers of these editions are below:
However, in the future, "Dagon" fades into the background, because. The main idea of the story Lovecraft reworked and significantly supplemented in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu". Therefore, the noticeable similarity of both works should not confuse you. It happens and it's normal.
A few words about the plot. World War I. The protagonist, being the second mate, sailed on a mail ship through little-known places in the Pacific until he was captured by the Germans. He manages to escape on a small boat, having a supply of provisions and water. The former supercargo of a mail ship sails for several days in an unknown direction, until he encounters a strange and fetid island. He makes an attempt to travel on foot and meets an unusual pillar, dotted with drawings and hieroglyphs. However, this is not the worst thing that the hero will see on an unknown island that has risen from the abyss.
An interesting and exciting story, with an original and solid plot. You can note the amazing gloomy atmosphere, which Lovecraft masterfully and with unfailing success conveyed. Therefore, Dagon, the pioneer and trailblazer of the Cthulhu Mythos genre, absolutely deserves to be included in our top 10 short stories by H. F. Lovecraft.
9. Painting in the house
And this short story, also known in other translations as "The Picture in the Old Book" or "The Picture in the House", was written at the end of 1920. The first publication took place in the summer of 1921 in The National Amateur magazine. A few years later, the story was reprinted in Weird Tales.
Cover of the January 1924 Weird Tales, which featured the story "The Picture in the House" I still remember what a terrible impression the story made on me when I first read it in silence and complete solitude. In the story, a young man travels through the remote corners of New England. While on a bike, he gets caught in the rain and decides to stay in a dilapidated house and an abandoned house.
The young man finds the book Regnum Congo, written by a traveler, in the house. He is struck by the detailed description of the cannibal butcher shop from the Congo. However, despite the dilapidation and abandoned appearance, the house has an owner.
A little later, an old man comes down to the main character from the second floor, who, with all his passion and admiration, shares his impressions of the butcher shop.
Sometimes the work of H. F. Lovecraft is divided into three large groups - "The Myths of Cthulhu", "The Cycle of Dreams" and "Death Stories". "The picture in the house" belongs to the third category.
8. Music by Erich Zann
I often heard the opinion that the story "The Music of Erich Zann" (or Zann) is a favorite among many fans of the work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. However, this also applies to Dagon and Colors from Other Worlds, which will be discussed below. The Music of Erich Zann was written exactly one year after The Picture in the House, in December 1921. It was first published in March 1922 in The National Amateur. In May 1925, the story was published in Weird Tales.
May 1925 issue of Weird Tales In the story, a student from Paris meets a deaf neighbor named Erich Zann. At night, the young man listens to how he creates strange and mysterious music. Despite his deafness, Erich Zann turned out to be a brilliant musician playing the viol. Having visited an old musician in the dark, one night, the student was to attend the most unusual concert in his life.
A short story keeps you in the clutches of the narrative throughout the text, plunging you into the viscous atmosphere of the Parisian slums, where supernatural music, as if by an invisible thread, connects the heroes with the abyss of the Abyss.
7. Hypnos
Lovecraft wrote Hypnos in March 1922. In May 1923, the story was published in the National Amateur magazine, which seems to have served as the main springboard for printing the early works of the horror master.
But only until the magazine "Weird Tales" or Weird Tales appeared in his life. The magazine, which opened the world to the works of many science fiction authors, was founded in 1923. "Hypnos" is reprinted in it already in 1924. It seems that the story did not get into the traditional monthly publication format, but into some kind of special issue in three months. The price tag, by the way, is twice as expensive as the standard 25 cents of the then Strange Stories. But there were much more stories under the cover.
Weird Tales sees the publication of the second publication of the story "Hypnos" by H. F. Lovecraft The plot of the story takes place in England. It all started with the acquaintance and friendship of the sculptor with a certain person. The two heroes lead nocturnal and unusual occult research together. However, for forbidden knowledge, the price can be too high. And now the sculptor, having penetrated the patrimony of the Greek god Hypnos, avoids sleep with all his might ... And what happened to his friend? Read the story Hypnos. One of the stories from the "Dream Cycle" is in seventh place in my personal rating.
6. Model for Pickman
The story is known under numerous names - "Pickman's Nature", "Pickman's Sitter", "Pickman's Model", "Photograph from Life". It was written in September 1926 and published in October 1927 in Weird Tales.
October 1927 cover of Weird Tales "A Model for Pickman" begins with the disappearance of a certain talented artist Richard Upton Pickman in Boston, after talking with whom the narrator for some reason disliked the subway. Pickman's work is peculiar, and despite its genius, looks like a disgusting figment of a sick imagination.
The artist invites his story-teller friend to an old house, where he paints frightening canvases. After inspecting the house and the paintings, they go down to the basement, and Pickman shows the unfinished paintings that are being worked on. The hero sees a drawing depicting a huge monster with red eyes. As he notes, a small piece of paper is attached to the easel.
Here they hear a terrible roar. The artist, having seized the revolver and left the guest in the basement studio, goes out into the darkness. Shots are fired and the loud noises stop. The next morning, the narrator discovers that he has inadvertently placed the paper in his pocket, which he saw rolled up on an easel.
After examining the picture, he understands the terrible truth. A terrible secret makes him never communicate with Pickman again, and later the artist goes missing altogether.
5. Celephais
This little-known story - one of the few in our ranking refers to the "Cycle of Dreams". H. F. Lovecraft wrote it in November 1920 and published it in May 1922 in Rainbow magazine. Already after the death of the author, in 1939, "Celephais" appears in Weird Tales.
Cover of the July 1939 Weird Tales The protagonist of the story, Kuranes, is a descendant of a noble and impoverished family. He dreams of the city of dreams, the legendary Celephais. To prolong the dreams, Kuranes begins to abuse drugs. And the brighter the dreams, the paler the reality. For him, the world of dreams is gradually becoming a real home. Indeed, in the land of dreams, Kuranes is not just a British poor man, but the ruler of a legendary city. By the way, we meet the sad King Kuranes in the story "The somnambulistic search for the unknown Kadat".
The sad story about the fabulous Celephais somehow touches the deepest strings of the soul. In this small work, big questions are raised: social inequality, love for the motherland, cravings for fabulous countries, the danger of dreams.
4. Witch's Log
The Witch's Log can be called a little-known work. It was written in collaboration with Lovecraft's student and passionate admirer, August Derleth. Unfortunately, I don't know who contributed more to the writing of the story, but I'd like to believe that The Witch's Log is more Lovecraft's work than Derleth's. At least in my personal experience, I never doubted it. And definitely "The Witch's Log" is better than many stories written by August Derleth.
However, the story was published many years after the death of H. F. L - in 1962, in one of the anthologies of horror stories that Derleth regularly published.
3. Color from other worlds
Color from Otherworlds is also commonly known as Shining From Beyond, and less so by several other titles. The story, written in the first half of 1927, was first published in Amazing Stories in September of that year.
This issue is also notable for the fact that it printed the sequel to the well-known novel by HG Wells, The War of the Worlds.
Cover of the September 1927 issue of Amazing Stories A meteorite with strange properties falls on the farmer's land - it glows unusually and does not cool down. Later, the space piece miraculously decreases in size, and then completely disappears. After his fall, terrible events begin to happen on the farm. Harvest and cattle mutate and die. The farmer's family also begins to suffer mentally and physically, but stubbornly does not leave their homes. An ominous situation is inexorably moving towards a tragic denouement.
"The Shining from Beyond" is a special story worthy of taking the first place in this rating. If not for my special love for Randolph Carter and his adventures, then it would be so.
What is its uniqueness? Firstly, Howard Phillips Lovecraft himself, according to researcher S. T. Joshi, considered The Shining from Beyond to be his best work. Secondly, the story so harmoniously combines elements of science fiction and horror literature, and this fusion of genres is so skillfully executed by Lovecraft in his unsurpassed manner, that it is impossible not to remain in awe of The Shining From Beyond. Thirdly, an excellent plot with a sauce of the darkest atmosphere of hopelessness and impotence in the face of cosmic horror, for which we so appreciate the work of the horror master from Providence.
Silver key andSilver Key Gate
So, the leaders of my top 10 short stories by H. F. Lovecraft. Two stories that I do not separate from each other - because. "Gate of the Silver Key" is an organic continuation of the "Silver Key", and is no worse in terms of plot and style.
The fact is that I appreciate all the works where the main character is Randolph Carter. He is the only hero who appears in so many works of the author - in five, and is mentioned in passing in one more.
You can read more about this in the article "Randolph Carter - an occultist on the way to the Great Work", which I published back in early 2016.
Why did Lovecraft appreciate Carter so much and transfer from one work to another? There is a simple explanation for this, which is given in the above article, and I quote:
D The point is that this character and his friends have real prototypes. Carter himself is Lovecraft's alter ego
But besides my love for stories about the busy life of occultist and dreamer Randolph Carter, there are other reasons to love The Silver Key and Gates of the Silver Key. This is a large number of philosophical thoughts that were a whole discovery for me at the time when I read these stories.
It was way back in 2006. Then I was 20 years old and I had just discovered the work of Lovecraft. The theory of multiple personalities in the universe, transcendent cosmic conversations about time and other things, the revolution of the universal wheel, and the amazing experience of Carter, where he overcame himself, his fear, and walked into the Abyss to the Ancients. It was all very deafening to my mind. And damn interesting.
But enough descriptions. Just read carefully, and be open to new experiences, rejecting skepticism. And, perhaps, you will understand what emotions I received and experience such unforgettable feelings.
Well, a few words about publications. The Silver Key was written in 1926 and published in the January 1929 issue of Weird Tales. The story "Gate of the Silver Key" was written in 1932-1933 in co-authorship. The first edition was in the July 1934 issue of Weird Tales.
In conclusion, I will say that I remember most of all those stories from which I began my acquaintance with the work of G.F.L. They made an indelible impression. Perhaps this is somewhere in the first 15-20 works read, and then the effect was no longer so strong. Some charm of acquaintance with a new hero of literature was lost for you.
Virtually unknown during his lifetime, like many classic writers, Lovecraft Howard Phillips has become a cult figure today. He became famous both as the creator of a whole pantheon of deities, including the ruler of the worlds of Cthulhu, popular in the media culture, and as the founder of a new religion. But no matter how great was the contribution to literature that Howard Lovecraft made, the writer's books were published only after his death. Now the biography of the author of many stories in the horror genre has acquired mystical details. His solitary lifestyle is one of the myths created after the death of the writer.
Lovecraft Howard: childhood
The future author of The Call of Cthulhu was born in 1890. The name of the writer's hometown is Providence, translated as "providence". It will be placed on his tombstone in the form of a prophecy: I am providence ("I am providence"). Since childhood, Howard Lovecraft suffered from nightmares, the main characters of which were terrible monsters, which later migrated to his works. One of the works, Dagon, is such a recorded dream. Researchers of the writer's work note that this story has become an example of continuity in the author's works. In "Dagon" you can see the beginnings of future works.
The greatest influence on the writer was his grandfather, the owner of the most extensive library in the state, where little Howard spent most of his time. There he discovered the Arabic "Tales of 1001 Nights", which greatly influenced his work, giving birth to one of the characters - the author of the book "Necronomicon" Abdul Alhazred. But most of all young Lovecraft was interested in astronomy, his work was even published in scientific journals. As a schoolboy, he wrote his first horror story, The Beast in the Dungeon, after which he became famous as a poet.
Leitmotifs of Howard Lovecraft
As his popularity grew, Lovecraft began to correspond with other science fiction writers. He became especially close to the author of Conan the Barbarian, Robert Howard. Their works have much in common: there are the same Old Gods, magical rituals and manuscripts. The work of Bosch had a strong influence on the writer. In 1927, he published a work on the supernatural, in which he analyzes the birth and development of a new literary movement: horror stories.
He describes the formation of Gothic prose, arguing that the human consciousness hides behind ignorance, so as not to go crazy from the inability to realize all the complexities and interconnections of the world. The author builds the plots of his works on the basis of the premise that the peculiarities of human perception of reality have no meaning for higher beings and other biological forms. This leitmotif first appears in Dagon, after which it is reflected in the most popular story written by Howard Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu, as well as in the story The Shadow over Innsmouth.
"Call of Cthulhu"
Lovecraft Howard was contacted by some researchers with the Masonic order and the occultist Aleister Crowley. The reason for this was his work, including a whole pantheon of ancient gods, described in stories and novels. The mythology created by the writer was called "Myths of Cthulhu": in honor of the deity that first appeared in the story "The Call of Cthulhu", which is neither the most important nor the most terrible in the pantheon. It was it that earned the greatest popularity among admirers of such a master of depicting horrors as Howard Lovecraft. Reviews of his books, especially with the presence of this character, are mostly enthusiastic, they arouse interest in the author's work.
Howard Lovecraft: Author's Books
What other works of the writer are popular to this day? We can safely say that the majority. Each reader finds something attractive and exciting in the various works of Lovecraft. But there are several main masterpieces among them:
- One of the best is the story "Whisperer in the Dark" - about an alien race of intelligent mushrooms. It is part of The Cthulhu Mythos and echoes other works by Lovecraft.
- "Color from other worlds", which the author himself considered his best work. The story tells about a family of farmers and the terrible events that happened to them after the meteorite fell.
- "The Ridges of Madness" is a novel, one of the central works in which the mythology of Cthulhu is present. It first mentions the alien race of the Elders (or Elders).
- "Shadow from timelessness" is another story about an extraterrestrial civilization that captured the minds of earthlings.
Lovecraft's legacy
The mythology created by Howard Lovecraft inspires Stephen King, August Derleth and other famous modern writers famous for their "creepy" works. Lovecraft's characters appear in computer games and movies. He himself is called the Edgar Allan Poe of the 20th century. Based on several books, including The Dunwich Horror, a board game about the awakening of an Ancient Evil was invented. The image of Cthulhu is replicated in popular culture, even an unconventional religious organization known as the "Cult of Cthulhu" has been created. Although it is difficult to say whether a writer of such popularity would have been happy if he had lived to this day. There is no doubt that Lovecraft's work will be relevant for a very long time.
In his home in R'lyeh, the dead Cthulhu waits and dreams...
The name of Howard Phillips Lovecraft thundered all over the world as a standard of the horror genre. Gifted with the art of belles-lettres, he wrote about terrible shadows in the corner and about what is inaccessible to ordinary mortals, but only to the elite.
His contemporaries and today's horror heroes pay their tribute to Lovecraft's stories. Like, for example, Stephen King in his story (which was even well filmed) Crouch End.
Many of Lovecraft's heroes "had the honor" of becoming mainstream, like the well-known Cthulhu and the slightly less well-known Arab who lived in time immemorial and created the Necronomicon.
Here I decided to collect all the classics of Lovecraft: those horror works that made him the very great and mighty master of the genre.
10. Dagon
Introduction to Lovecraft
A very short but maddening tale that is a great introduction to Lovecraft's style and mythology. The story revolves around a man who found himself alone in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and who was "fortunate" to meet the ancient god Dagon. Dagon, although not directly related to the Cthulhu mythos, is a great part of the theme of sea horror.
9. Outcast
A level deeper into Lovecraft's mind
Unfortunate is the one to whom childhood memories bring only fear and sadness ...
Another introductory novel that puts its hero in an old horrible mansion where he feels uncomfortable and melancholy. In the end, in order to escape his loneliness, he begins to explore the upper floors of his dwelling ...
8 Dunwich Horror
How it all started
Most of Lovecraft's stories have recurring elements such as the Necronomicon (a terrible book of evil spells), Arkham (a fictional city in Massachusetts; and if you're a Batman fan, the name will sound familiar for one more reason 🙂), and Miskatonic University, a fictional local college. Lovecraft created all of these elements in the pages of Dunwich Horror. It all started with him.
7. Color from other worlds
pinnacle of creativity
This story covers Lovecraft's perspective on many things. Its events take place not far from Arkham, already known to us, where our nameless hero decided to tell the story of the Gardner family, which was unlucky to host a meteorite as a guest, which had a fatal impact on the fate of a modest farmer.
6. Hidden fear
One of the earliest
Lurking Fear is Lovecraft's first foray into the horror genre. The protagonist, again unnamed, leads a group of people who have decided to investigate the rumor about Mount Tempest. Despite the fact that the most terrible moments here are the peals of thunder and lightning, as well as the disappearances and murders of people, it should be remembered that this is an early story by Lovecraft, which he himself cherished very much.
5. Ridges of Madness
Packing your bags...it's good
This story completely immerses us in the world of Cthulhu mythology. Miskatonic University professor William Dyer, returning from a terrifying expedition to Antarctica, made it his main goal - to prevent people from falling into this haven of horror again. The Ridges of Madness vividly describes the dark and terrifying artifacts of a lost civilization that ruled the Earth long before the advent of man. Indiana Jones nervously smokes on the sidelines.
4. Shadow from timelessness
Alter ego concept
A story about an alien race and its ability to capture the consciousness of earthlings. There is an opinion among Lovecraft's biographers that this idea came to him after watching the movie Berkeley Square. Either way, the protagonist is on the brink of insanity, which he links to Miskatonic University, Nyarlathotep, and even Professor William Dyer.
3. Shadow over Innsmouth
Cthulhu Tutorial for Beginners
The action takes place in the village of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, where the protagonist, a professor of genealogy, ended up. Here he encounters strange inhabitants who inspire fear in him. Later, he learns many terrible rumors about them from the only normal person - the city drunk.
2. Whisperer in the dark
brain games
Of course, there are many other works that are better known and more, say, “Lovecraftian”, but here for the first time it tells about the alien race Mi-go, and also here we will meet a whole collection of terms from the mythology of Cthulhu.
1. Call of Cthulhu
The quintessence of Lovecraft's stories
This is not death, which is inherent in eternal lies, and in such eternity even death can die.
Call of Cthulhu
Every fan of Lovecraft's work pays tribute to this story, which makes it number one in the list of the best Lovecraft stories. The main "proofs" of the authenticity of the existence of an ancient monster are manuscripts and a bas-relief with his image. You may notice some similarities between the ending of this story and that of Dagon. Oddly enough, at first they did not want to publish The Call of Cthulhu, but soon he received the well-deserved respect and will forever remain the standard of Lovecraft's work.
