I am not an expert on Lovecraft by any stretch of the imagination, but I am a fan. I happily discovered him in a college Horror class a few years back, and I am so glad I did.
If you are a fan of horror, and you haven’t read anything by Lovecraft, then you need to get busy. Once you delve into his crazy, mixed-up world of horror, you will find him everywhere. Lovecraft has influenced many well-known authors such as Stephen King.
My appreciation for Lovecraft has even caused me to find Lovecraftian influences in the most unlikely of places (intentional or not), for example, the time traveling scenes in The Map of Time by Félix J. Palma and in many works by Scott Sigler, such as Infected. Once you read Lovecraft, you will find his weird horror and his freaky Cthulhu everywhere. Trust me.
I recommend reading a bit about H.P. Lovecraft first. He was one strange dude, and this strangeness shines through in his work. I know I appreciated many of his tales a bit more once I knew more about the odd man behind it all.
The Internet is filled with information about anything and anyone. For Lovecraft, you can start with him on Goodreads and go to a Lovecraft site that’s pretty amazing: The Lovecraft eZine (lovecraftzine.com). Wikipedia will also give you the quick lowdown.
The book that started me on my Lovecraft journey is The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre. That title alone gives me classic horror chills!
This is as good a place as any to cut your Lovecraftian teeth. If you’re already a fan, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Lovecraft can be a bit overwhelming.
I have also read At the Mountains of Madness. This one is a full novel, and it can be a bit difficult to trudge through if you aren’t already a fan of Lovecraft.
If you are into Horror, then the word Lovecraftian really should be part of your lexicon. As an added bonus, you will be excited to find a bit of Poe in some of Lovecraft’s works. I have now mentioned Poe and Stephen King in the same breath as Lovecraft. Need I say more?
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