Which lovecraft stories should i read first

Seek them out, if you dare. Learn what sparked from the dreary imagination of the man, the author. A very short, maddening tale, "Dagon" is a great introduction into Lovecraft's writing style. The story centers around the written account of an unnamed man of seafaring background, now heavily addicted to morphine.

He begins by explaining how he fell into the sea as a passenger of a cargo ship during World War I. The ship is brought down by a German sea-raider, but he escapes and drifts across the Pacific Ocean. At that point, he is drained of strength and confused, unable to use his mental faculties until he winds up on some strange, "putrid" region with many fish carcasses.

He speculates that a volcano may have raised the land from the ocean floor. What he sees and experiences from then on would spoil the story, but the detail is disturbing. As he observes some of his findings, something haunting emerges from the water. While it does not directly tie into his Cthulhu Mythos, there are some connections, which makes this a great first read. I highly recommend the H. Lovecraft Omnibus 2: Dagon and Other Macabre Tales —not only because it contains the story "Dagon"—but because it's an essential Lovecraft that has many stories, including fragments, and his non-fiction piece "Supernatural Horror in Literature.

Another great introductory tale and short story, "The Outsider" gives the reader a further peek into the descriptive narrations that Lovecraft has mastered, putting the anti protagonist into a world of "vine-encumbered trees" and a castle of "infinitely old and infinitely horrible" theme.

Once again, there is no name given to the main character; he merely stumbles through the story searching for an end to his discomfort and melancholy.

As the plot continues, he explores the upper levels of his home, finding a way to escape his seclusion. At the end of the story, it all makes sense, which is why this excellent writing is best at number nine, taking you one level deeper. Within a majority of Lovecraft's works, there are reoccurring elements his fans have enjoyed and expected such as the Necronomicon, a horrible book of evil spells, Arkham, a fictional city residing in Massachusetts if you are a Batman fan this might sound familiar , and Miskatonic University, a fictional college within the area.

Lovecraft created all these ideas. Within the pages of "The Dunwich Horror," the reader can appreciably see the unfolding of these Cthulhu Mythos elements and appreciably understand them, as did one Wilbur Whateley, of suspicious abnormality and birth, who attempts to steal the Necronomicon from Arkham University.

In response, our protagonist, Dr. Francis Morgan, assemble to confront the horror rampaging across the countryside and culminating from the Whateley house. What transpires is unbelievable—an evil man's intent focused on a menacing ritual.

Sprague de Camp wrote that this story encompassed many of Lovecraft's viewpoints at the time, including his disgust of how fiction portrayed aliens from outer space. Lovecraft set out to create a truly alien entity that did not resemble a human. With "The Colour Out of Space," once again set near Arkham, our nameless "hero" observes a dreadful well as he is surveying in a blighted area. The hero then finds a hermit to tell him the tale of the Gardner family, a falling meteor, and the despair that ensued after its landing on Gardner's farm.

Be forewarned while reading: much of the description and detail can only be discerned as his idea of alien infestation. Lovecraft went through three phases of writing; from horror, to his dream-cycle stories, to his mythos works.

As the group continues up the mountain, the darkened, stormy skies and claps of thunder and lightning cause members of the group to disappear or get murdered. And upon his discovery of a nest of underground tunnels, it only worsens. Chosen as number six, it is important to remember that this is one of his earlier works published in and nothing but monstrous.

Still, it is highly valued, having a film adaptation of the same name. This story fully embeds us in the Cthulhu Mythos, centering on the Professor of Geology at Miskatonic University, William Dyer, who has returned from a horrifying expedition to the Antarctic. His only goal now is to prevent others from returning to that deadly place. It also introduces the Shoggoth, a creature of some infamy to Lovecraftians.

Throughout, though, there is something unspoken on the Professor's mind, something he cannot put into words, which lies beyond the ruins. After the first paragraph, this story puts an Indiana Jones meets Hellboy twist on the reader, making it worthy of number five for Lovecraft.

Published in Astounding Stories , this piece involves an alien race known as the Yith and their ability to take over or switch with host bodies.

Lovecraft biographer S. Joshi suggests this idea came to Lovecraft at the viewing of the movie Berkeley Square and a series of horror stories that implied the transfer of consciousness. The main character is Nathaniel Wingate Peaslee, who believes he is on the verge of losing his mind.

There are many Cthulhu Mythos elements throughout—he references Miskatonic University, Nyarlathotep, and even Professor William Dyer—but the greatest achievement of this work is his level of detail to archeology, research, and investigation. The reader takes a dismal position finding the revelations as unbecoming as the protagonist.

Each step staggers closer to the truth: learning of the Yithians, their purpose, and what awaits those they choose. Lovecraft at his finest, "The Shadow Out of Time" is number four. Set in the village of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, Robert Olmstead was only revealed later to be the narrator and main character of the story through notes presented by the authorized Lovecraft publisher Arkham House.

Through his travels as a scholar of genealogy, he encounters the city and its abnormal resident, with traits that cause him concern. Later, he learns many nefarious rumors and gains insight from, perhaps, the only human inhabitant, a town drunk named Zadok Allen.

This is an excellent primer to the deity Cthulhu and a masterpiece recognized by the Lovecraft community. The architectural descriptions are a fascinating assemblage of images as well as the concept of an amphibious race corrupting the human stock. This Is Your Brain on Lovecraft. Any Questions? Picking "The Whisperer in Darkness" as number two was a really hard sell. First of all, there are numerous other stories with greater mention and accolades when referring to the author.

Furthermore, this is a transition period for Lovecraft published in , moving more towards science fiction and less towards horror. But this story has it all.

The reader is introduced to the Mi-go, an alien race of "large, pinkish, fungoid, crustacean-like entities the size of a man," gory embellishments, and yes, a near-complete compendium of Cthulhu Mythos references. In one sentence, the attributions are numerous:. Aside from its contents, the plot is exhilarating.

Albert N. Wilmarth, an instructor at Miskatonic University, investigates a disturbing letter only to learn the truth of an alien race with malevolent morals and intentions towards humankind. Every reader of Lovecraft pays tribute to this story, and therefore, it is number one. It has an instrumental by Metallica, numerous cartoons, comics, T-shirts, crossword puzzles, and many other things that all pay homage to this epic. The main objects of the story are a series of manuscripts: a bas-relief depicting the creature created from the dreams of a student artist, and the ancient, esoteric being who came to earth millions of years ago.

In setting, it moves from Rhode Island to St. Perhaps you will note the similarities between the ending of this story and the story "Dagon. Ironically, Lovecraft thought this writing was only fair among his efforts; it was rejected originally by Weird Tales, but later published with Robert E.

Howard author of the Conan stories praising it. And ultimately, while the debate will continue among his fans, "The Call of Cthulhu" will forever be the single piece of literature that defines H.

And so, you have been indoctrinated: educated in the reality that the author imparted nearly 80 years ago. Lovecraft is a very profound read to those of us who love horror; his stories exist on a terrifying level, beyond the scope of many other writers.

Zamacona happened upon the K'n-yanians during an expedition nearly years prior, when they welcomed him as one of their own. However, as Zamacona learned more about their history and barbaric cultural practices, he became more and more terrified of what they might do to him.

The story on the scroll ends hastily, unclear whether Zamacona was able to escape or not; the narrator dismisses it as an elaborate hoax. But when he returns to the mound the next day, a creature of unspeakable atrocity is waiting to greet him. Imprisoned with the Pharaohs is a bit of a fun one to cap off our list, as Lovecraft collaborated on it with Harry Houdini himself!

Lovecraft made his career out of writing stories like these: so weird and wonderful that you almost can't imagine them, yet his vivid descriptions and incredible storytelling bring them to life. From Cthulhu to Innsmouth to Kadath to K'n-yan, his contributions to the world of horror have been invaluable, and will undoubtedly serve as a handbook for horror writers for many years to come. If you've always wanted to tackle the classics but never knew quite where to begin, we've got you covered.

We've hand selected classic books to read, from authors spanning continents and millennia. When you think of the best novels of the 21st century, what are the first titles that come to mind?

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides? Perhaps The Corrections, or The Road, After all, there are a lot of moving pieces and you only Or sign up with an. Log in. Start quiz. Buy on Amazon Add to library. The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The Whisperer in Darkness. The Dunwich Horror. At the Mountains of Madness. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. All three of these are short, simple, but effective in what they set out to do.

Ever wondered what your neighbors are hiding in their attic? Do whippoorwills eat the souls of the dead? The first half is some of the most effectively drawn out horror that Lovecraft ever wrote, and the second half features a memorable twist. This is the big one when it comes to the best H. A group of explorers go to Antarctica and discover evidence of a previous civilization.

Pick a title that seems exciting!