#contemporary tales of the Cthulhu Mythos

[hplovecraftmuseum]

'THE OTHER, Encounters with the Cthulhu Mythos'. Shown below is Book Two in a series of 3. This collection of 7 (book 2) tales is the work of author Troy Young. Book 2 was published in 2020. The cover was designed by Raesgo Creative. The first glaring element of this collection to consider is that the language and style are nothing like Lovecraft's. The tales are casual, 'modern' in flavor, and somewhat meandering. None of these aspects are blatantly negative, but if one is looking for something in the tradition and style of Lovecraft the reader will be disappointed. Various character names from Lovecraft are scattered throughout these tales, but their essence is only vaguely in keeping with HPL's originals. For those who have been turned off by Lovecraft's literary style but are still hoping for the outre' and bizzare, these stories might have value. All in all THE OTHER, Encounters with the Cthulhu Mythos, might represent a fairly entertaining product of the contemporary, post Derleth era of Lovecraftian fiction. Not my cup of poisoned tea, but perhaps worth a look for those with a taste for subtle horror circa 2020. (Exhibit 517)

[dailydemonspotlight]

Nyarlethotep

Do it

Nyarlathotep - Day 101 (Request)

Race: Vile

Arcana: Tower

Alignment: Dark-Law

September 2nd, 2024

...Shit, something slipped through the cracks... uh, Frosty, make a note to get some new janitorial staff. I mean, I guess this makes for more content...? Whatever. Demons, demons, it's all so demoning...

Need you some help? I promise I can... just give me the reigns. I don't want you misrepresenting me, after all. Humans are too foolish to understand their ends and beginnings, and that some may be more than one.

... Y'know what, sure. Whatever. Welcome aboard, Nyarly- now let me talk about you, for fucks sake.

Fie, you're impatient.

For fucks sake- okay, Frosty, get the hose, and I'll do the entry. Ahem.

Something that sometimes SMT, but mostly Persona, does, is intertwine the mythological with the fantastical. While a lot of Personas are based primarily off of mythological characters or major historical figures (I.E Captain Kidd, Sakuya, Anat, or Izanagi,) quite a lot are actually based on contemporary modern fiction, with characters such as Arsene or Zorro. One of my favorite examples of this, though, has to be from Persona 2, with its main antagonist being a major character in none other than HP Lovecraft’s very own mythos, tying together the two major sources for demons and personas- Nyarlathotep, the crawling chaos.

The annals of cosmic horror that make up Lovecraft’s sprawling series have quite a lot of outer gods- beings that exist outside of our own reality- but next to Cthulhu, Nyarlathotep is easily the most iconic and recognizable of this pantheon. It is shown as an actively malicious force in the universe, and while serving under the blind idiot god Azathoth that dreams of the world, it’s not afraid to scare and mess with the inhabitants of said world. 

Portrayed as a cunning manipulator in its primary source work, the self-titled Nyarlathotep, Nyarlathotep is shown gathering followers who slowly lose control over themselves and their minds, and as the story literally begins to fall apart as it goes on, the world begins to fall apart as well. Its presence degrades those who follow him, though it wins over hundreds of people through demonstrations of control with strange, glass instruments- even before that, though, it’d force those who approached it to bow, taking the form of a pharaoh. 

Since then, it appears sporadically throughout several stories, almost always as a manipulative and explicitly antagonistic force, as opposed to the generally uncaring forms of most other figures in the mythos. Shown as narcissistic and cruel- 

Come now, I only wish to help. 

Shut up. Anyways, its villainous streak continues throughout many tales, being variously described as a cunning man who typically appears as a pharaoh, though one with oddly caucasian features, though it also tends to appear elsewhere in other forms, evidently being a shapeshifter. The manner in which Nyarlathotep interacts with humanity is somewhat unusual for an elder god, though many still prescribe it as an elder god. 

Regardless, Nyarlathotep seems to represent the decline and loss of humanity, one possibly brought about by the commercial world, as it may even represent said commercialization if some interpretations are to be followed (see ‘Literary Copernicus’ linked above.) It’s rather hard to describe much more about Nyarlathotep, given how much of the horror of Lovecraft is built on the unknown, but it’s clearly far more than meets the eye- its role is unknown past that of a servant of Azathoth, and the way its only role is typically just to manipulate those it comes across brings up more questions than it does answers. 

In terms of design, though, I’d say that the SMT II and Persona 2 designs are about the same, at least in my eyes- the SMT II design is far more recognizable, but the mixes of designs and focus on cosmic horror and tentacles in Persona 2’s designs are incredibly fitting, so it’s hard to pick a favorite. Still, I do find it interesting that its role in Persona 2’s story is incredibly similar to that of it in most Lovecraft stories, being, yet again, a manipulator.

[interactivemediayear1cd]

H.P Lovecraft, Cosmic Horrors inception:

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, known as H.P. Lovecraft, was a prolific American writer whose legacy transcends time, leaving an indelible mark on the realm of speculative fiction. This blog post delves into the life of Lovecraft, explores some of his most famous works, and examines the profound impact his writings have had on modern culture.

Who was H.P. Lovecraft?

Born on August 20, 1890, in Providence, Rhode Island, H.P. Lovecraft was a master of weird and cosmic horror. Despite facing financial challenges during his lifetime, Lovecraft's literary contributions have earned him posthumous recognition as one of the most influential writers in the horror genre.

Key Works:

1. The Call of Cthulhu (1928): Perhaps Lovecraft's most iconic work, this short story introduces the Great Old One, Cthulhu, an ancient, malevolent cosmic entity. The tale is presented as a series of documents and accounts, emphasizing the horror of the unknown.

2. At the Mountains of Madness (1936): Set in Antarctica, this novella explores the discovery of an ancient, alien city beneath the ice. Lovecraft weaves a narrative that blends scientific curiosity with cosmic dread, showcasing his ability to evoke a sense of awe and terror.

3. The Shadow over Innsmouth (1936): This novella tells the tale of a town with a dark secret and its unsettling inhabitants. Lovecraft's exploration of forbidden knowledge and the consequences of uncovering hidden truths is a recurring theme in this chilling narrative.

Impact on Modern Culture:

1. Cosmic Horror Aesthetic: Lovecraft's works pioneered the subgenre of cosmic horror, emphasizing the insignificance of humanity in the face of ancient, cosmic entities. This theme has influenced a plethora of writers, filmmakers, and artists, shaping the aesthetic of modern horror.

2. The Cthulhu Mythos: Lovecraft's creation of the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared universe populated by cosmic entities and forbidden knowledge, has become a cultural phenomenon. Cthulhu and other beings from Lovecraft's pantheon appear in a wide range of media, from tabletop games to films.

3. Literary Influence: Lovecraft's impact extends beyond the horror genre, influencing writers like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, and Clive Barker. His themes of existential dread and the unknown continue to resonate in contemporary literature.

4. Pop Culture References: Lovecraftian elements frequently appear in popular culture, from movies like "The Cabin in the Woods" to video games like "Bloodborne." The enduring fascination with the cosmic horror he introduced showcases Lovecraft's lasting cultural significance.

H.P. Lovecraft's literary legacy is one of cosmic horror, forbidden knowledge, and the exploration of humanity's vulnerability in the vastness of the cosmos. His influence on modern culture is immeasurable, with his themes and creations echoing in the works of countless creators across various mediums. Lovecraft's enduring impact ensures that his cosmic horrors continue to captivate and terrify audiences, inviting them to confront the mysteries of the unknown.

[darkmarkets]

DM's Field Guide to Dark Fiction - Weird Tale

pulpicanous fantasicae   order: Tales of Terror

Common traits – An elusive species to pin down, a Weird Tale is simply a story that is hinged on the idea that this is not the world you know. It can involve anything from cosmic witches to metaphysicist prophets, parasitic changelings to homicidal pineal glands, and generally it whips up Fantasy, Sci Fi and Horror elements into an uncanny mush. Outright scares and gore tactics are not necessary for a Weird Tale's survival; however, in order to live, it needs to create a sense of unease, otherness, or a nagging feeling that the laws of nature have somehow been terribly broken.

Historical sightings – The Weird Tale emerged at the turn of a troubled 20th century, when technological developments and the seeds of globalization had people questioning their place  in the world. Writers such as HG Wells, Mark Twain, Franz Kafka and other heralds of the literary establishment created stories that re-wrote existence in a weird fashion: Well's War of the Worlds (1896) was a classic progenitor of Sci Fi with a thick vein of Horror pumping through it; Twain's stories "The Great Dark" (written 1898) and "The Mysterious Stranger" (1910) were both extrapolations on the horrific nature of the universe; Kafka easily made readers regret being alive. Among this boom of troubled fiction came Robert W. Chamber's collection of short stories called The King in Yellow (1895), which is widely quoted as being inspiration for a little-known author at the time, Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

Thankfully, there was this little-known magazine around to help little-known Howard get his eldritch vision of the world out to audiences—in 1923, Weird Tales was founded to deliver fiction that was speculative and alternative, challenging the notions of Western literature and Western existence at the same time. It was through Weird Tales that audiences were introduced to the worlds of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian right along with H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, but it's said that the term Weird fiction wasn't official until Lovecraft used it in his essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature (1927).

Continuing the tradition, many writers in midcentury years wrote fiction that has been labeled Weird, from literary darling Shirley Jackson to Twilight Zone creator Rod Sterling, giving way to a contemporary clutch of Weird artists, such as China Miéville, Clive Barker, Ramsay Campbell and Thomas Ligotti. Movements have begun to classify a millennial take on Weird Tales, called New Weird, which at first glance seems to be an updated urbanization of the fantastical world building traditions Lovecraft and his contemporaries made popular.

Modern habitats – In modern publishing, a Weird Tale is treated very similarly to Cross-Genre, Slipstream or any blending of the speculative triumvirate Fantasy-Sci Fi-Horror—and generally the less gore, the better. The roots of the genre are entrenched in the idea of the uncanny which, according to Freud, means a feeling one gets when seeing a thing that is at once familiar yet foreign; this is why a lot of modern Weird fiction gets classified under Urban Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, and Soft Sci Fi. Weird fiction's fixation on uncanniness lends well to dark speculations on the terrible nature of existence, but Texas Chainsaw-style running amok is not going to be appreciated here. (Unless you're Clive Barker; then you can do what you want.) Some good places to spot this creature in the wild are the modern day Weird Tales (no kidding!), Apex, and Shimmer Magazine.

Related: Supernatural Horror, Cosmic Horror, Cross-Genre, Slipstream

See also: Introduction 

LD Keach

[diogenescynic2288]

While I was at work today I had a thought about this thread because anything is better than thinking about work.

I think you should read some Clark Ashton Smith. He's a contemporary of Lovecraft. He corresponded with Lovecraft. He sold stories to the same pulp magazines as Lovecraft, like Weird Tales. Some of his stories are counted as Cthulhu Mythos stories by some people that think of the Cthulhu Mythos as a shared universe thing. One of his creations, the Hounds of Tindalos, get statted as a monster in the monster section of certain versions of the Call of Cthulhu RPG rules.

He also doesn't use Lovecraft's archaisms and Britishisms in his writing, and people aren't talking about how racist he or his work is.

And I think at least some of his stories are in print, like I think I saw a Penguin trade paperback edition of a story collection at a Barnes & Noble in the last decade.

should I read an hp lovecraft book

[mornyavie]

Glossary of references in The Bifrost Incident

 It’s Very Long and yet also not really complete. If there are any questions / clarifications I can add, or I’ve messed anything up and need to fix it, let me know!

The tl;dr is that nearly every word in the album draws from either Norse mythology or the Lovecraft / Cthulhu mythos, directly or indirectly.

@moony221b here’s that glossary that I promised forever and a day ago.

Edit: I decided to create this document of annotations (x). Lyrics taken from Genius; I’m not totally sure how accurate they are, but hopefully they help get the point across! Again, questions and complaints both welcome.

Arcomba

I can’t find anything on this, would be interested if someone knows.

Asgard

One of the Nine Worlds, specifically the one where most of the Æsir (the subset of gods most associated with humans, including the well-known ones like Thor and Odin) live.

Thus Asgard is the planet on which the most powerful inhabitants of the Yggdrasil system, and those named after the gods, are found (though the subjugation / colonization relationship does not exist in myth).

Azathoth

This one’s from Lovecraft; Azathoth is the greatest of the Outer Gods, often served and worshiped by other gods themselves. Often described as mad, a demon, a sultan, or putting it all together as the Mad Demon Sultan. Resides at “the center of the universe,” where he appears as some sort of vast, amorphous, bubbling, roiling mass of “nuclear chaos.” (Nuclear probably refers to center, not nuclear power, which didn’t really exist when this was written). Servants about him play drums and flutes.

Mentioned briefly as the train travels through the Bifrost and into his realm, and a lot of the narration in those few verses draws directly from Lovecraft’s descriptions.

Baldur

The god of light and beloved by all, Baldr was killed by Loki in his final betrayal of the gods. After the murder Loki was tracked down and imprisoned, and will escape at the start of Ragnarok. In particular, Loki used a spear made of mistletoe... or, in the album, missile two. And tricked another god into throwing it, which I think is mimicked in the distance and impersonality of the crime. Look up more of his story if you want, it’s interesting and important, but that’s the relevant info here.

Bifrost

The rainbow bridge that the gods use to travel between worlds. 

Which is, of course, directly analogous to the wormhole-ish extradimensional-ish space of “shifting, undulating hues” through which the train travels.

Edda

The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are the names given to two pieces of literature that are most people’s main source for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 to teach his (mostly Christian) contemporaries about the mythology and mythological references that made up a big chunk of Norse literature. The Poetic Edda is a set of poems that serve as a major source for Norse tales.

This is partially just a way to connect our hero Lyfrassir Edda to the Norse traditions, but also definitely a reference to their (presumed) role as the main “recorder” and source of information to get out of the Yggdrasil system.

Fate

Honestly the way the Mechanisms deal with fate in general is very interesting and arguably sometimes quite Nordic... but in particular, Bifrost Incident references fate or destiny a number of times and features a number of situations where the outcome is fixed and can’t be changed, but you have to fight anyways: “Killing me won’t save your world” “I don’t care” or how Loki and Sigyn can’t stop the train, but can only delay it. A lot of Norse tragedy revolves around people heading into battle knowing that they’re doomed and fighting anyways, or around the cycle of conflict that marked the cultural requirements for avenging insults. And the myth cycle is notable for the fact that the gods know, explicitly, exactly what Ragnarok is, what’s going to happen, and how they’re going to die, but will fight in it anyways. 

Inevitability and helplessness in the face of what you can’t possibly understand, let alone fight, which is a depiction slightly sideways of the Nordic version, are very Lovecraftian themes.

Fenrir

A wolf, child of Loki and father of Skoll and Hati, who was chained by the gods (particularly by Tyr, who placed his hand in the wolf’s mouth as “hostage” to assure him they would unchain him later, and lost the hand). He will break free at Ragnarok to join the battle against them and kill Odin.

With his association with monsters and with Loki, it’s fairly clear why he was aligned with the resistance movement. He’s serving “five life sentences” as a reference to his being chained, and the whole motif of the train’s journey being hijacked for a prison break certainly references the various characters who will be freed or break free as Ragnarok begins.

Frey

The brief reference of Frey being killed by the raging fire of the sun, with “no weapon, no defense,” is a direct translation of the god’s role in Ragnarok, when he will be killed by Surtr. Frey gave away his sword for the opportunity to woo his eventual wife, and so will be armed only with a stag’s antlers in his final combat. Also called Freyr.

Freya (“weeps tears of red-gold”)

Like her brother Frey (and yeah, these names get confusing), Freya is associated with harvest and fertility, though unlike him she also gets battle. In the song she weeps red-gold tears at the death of her husband Odr, which in myth she is said to do when her husband is absent. Also called Freyja.

Garm

Garm is another wolf, who guards Hel’s gates. He also breaks free at Ragnarok, and his howling heralds its coming. As in the album, he will fight and kill Tyr. Also called Garmr.

Hati

There’s a lot of wolves in Norse mythology. This one is a child of Fenrir. He chases the moon across the sky, and will swallow it when Ragnarok comes.

Mentioned briefly only as one of the resistance members on the train.

Heimdall

Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, with keen eyes and foresight, and guards the Bifrost as the entrance to Asgard. He will blow his horn to summon the gods to the final battle during Ragnarok, and he and Loki will kill one another. Also called Heimdallr; you’re probably noticing a pattern. It’s a grammar thing.

Mentioned as guarding the train and “doing his part.” His dying screams initiate the train’s destruction and echo throughout it, which presumably recalls the horn thing.

Hel

Another daughter of Loki, and, as the name will imply to English speakers, a guardian of the dead. She refuses to give Baldur back to the world of the living after Loki kills him. Also the name of the realm in which she resides, and to which go those who die of disease or old age. Doesn’t necessarily have the same bad-punishment connotation as modern Hell. I don’t know whether there’s any indication of what she herself is doing in Ragnarok, but many of her people and associates are certainly fighting against the gods, and I’m fairly certain the ship Naglfar, which carries Loki and his allies to Ragnarok, sets sail from Hel.

Hel as a prison colony clearly references the various characters the gods have chained or otherwise imprisoned (though, in myth, not all within Hel) as well as her alignment with “other side” during Ragnarok, and the jailbreak the resistance members are planning recalls the breaking of all these bonds as Ragnarok begins.

Hoddmimis

The woods in which Líf and Lífþrasir (see Lyfrassir) will shelter to survive Ragnarok and the various disasters accompanying it. 

So, good news! We can be marginally assured of Lyfrassir’s survival after taking shelter at the mining-colony of Hoddmimis.

Jormungandr

The world serpent, which lives in the seas and encircles the earth. Will arise during Ragnarok, causing great floods, and fight Thor; Thor will slay the serpent, but in turn the serpent’s poison will cause his death, after he staggers “nine steps back.”

Thor’s fight with Odin-turned-serpent is pretty clearly analogous to this, especially the taking nine steps to the window before destroying it with his hammer, resulting in both their deaths. I don’t think there’s any mythological basis to Odin turning into the serpent, though

Kvasir (“blood drained out”)

Kvasir was a very wise man/god and the originator of poetry. I’m leaving out a fair amount of his birth and life; the important information here is that two dwarves who were jealous of his knowledge tricked him, killed him, drained his blood, and mixed it with honey to make mead. Any who drank of the mead gained the gift of poetry / scholarship; eventually the gods stole it.

I’m not sure if there’s a reason they decided to specifically describe him as a resistance member, but there’s a clear parallel in Kvasir’s blood being drained and used to power the train, especially with the language of glyphs and sigils providing power.

Loki

Ah, Loki. Male in the general canon, though not without genderbending (he turns into a mare and gives birth to Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr, for instance). Inasmuch as the Norse myths we have can be organized into a “chronology,” you could do it (in my opinion) along Loki’s path from a mostly benevolent trickster god whose antics occasionally cause trouble to a genuinely malevolent figure. Associated with wit, magic, and trickery. Despite how modern lore (I suspect influenced by Marvel) often portrays Thor and Loki as brothers and children of Odin, in the myth Loki and Odin are bonded as blood-brothers. But Loki also often appears alongside Thor. As mentioned, parent of three of the main figures of Ragnarok. In the “final” myth, he jealously arranges the death of the god Baldr, who was loved by all; then he appears at a feast, where he exchanges insults with the other gods. This is the last straw; they capture him and chain him to a stone, over which they tie a serpent. Venom drips from the serpent’s fangs, causing him great agony. His wife Sigyn stays by his side, catching the venom in a bowl, but when she is forced to leave for a moment to dump it out his thrashing causes earthquakes. He will break free at the start of Ragnarok and sail to Asgard, where he and Heimdall will kill each other.

Hopefully that’s enough to give you a good background for Loki’s role in the album... it’s pretty clear why she’s framed as the opposition to the gods and the “leader” of the resistance movement, as a call to her role in Ragnarok. Her association with magic and trickery make sense for her being the “expert” in the twisted Lovecraftian “science” that produces the train. It also parallels her role in myth; her actions often get the gods into trouble, but they just as often need her wit and knowledge to get them out of it, as Odin needs her knowledge despite her taking action to destroy the train. And the setup at the end - drip, drip, drip, her face twisted in pain, her wife beside her, her “release” heralding the end of the world - precisely echoes the language of her bondage in myth; though her mind-destroying imprisonment by Odin also invokes this.

Lovecraft(ian)

A highly influential horror writer from the early 20th century. He’s largely credited with the creation of the creation of the “cosmic horror” genre, a type of horror which emphasises a vast, unknowable, uncaring universe against which we cannot hope to even begin to fight. His ideas and the gods / demons / creatures he created form the basis of the “Cthulhu mythos” or even “Lovecraft mythos,” which today is a sort of standard set of assumptions on which writers can build. Lovecraftian themes of apocalypse, inevitability, and powerlessness are highly prevalent in the album. Several of the gods in this mythos are used; in particular, Yog-Sothoth (see below). Also, a lot of the general description (madness, roiling chaos, undulating colors) draws from his distinctive vocabulary that remains staple of the genre. It’s worth noting that Lovecraft was a horrible and very racist person, but the genre today is widely used by people who are not terrible.

Lyfrassir

Líf and Lífþrasir in Norse mythology are the two humans who will survive Ragnarok and rebuild humanity; a hopeful sign for our album’s protagonist!

Midgard

In Norse mythology, the “middle” world where humans live. Earth.

Nagthrod

I don’t know this one.

@acorn-mushroom pointed out that it may be a mis-transcription of Naglfar, the name of the (ocean) ship which will carry Loki and his followers from the shores of Hel to the battlefield at Ragnarok. It’s made of dead men’s nails.

Odin

The king of the gods in Norse mythology. As the god of both wisdom and madness, Odin’s role in the album as a researcher and technological ruler whose discoveries drive her slowly mad is both very Lovecraftian and a reasonable leap. I could say a lot about the figure of Odin, but I think this character is one of the most divergent from the myth, in detail if not in role.

Odr

Óðr is Freya’s husband.

Outer gods

A Lovecraft thing referring to several of the most horrible and powerful gods, including Yog-Sothoth.

Ragnarok

The apocalypse, basically, in Norse mythology. Proceeded by various catastrophes, especially a very long winter, mentioned in the album, culminating in a great battle between the gods and their enemies, and resulting in the death of the majority of gods and other creatures of the world.

Ratatosk

A squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between some of the tree’s other inhabitants and sowing discord. The Ratatosk Express links the worlds of the Yggdrasil System, and causes “discord” in the resistance’s opposition to it.

Sigyn

Loki’s wife. See Loki for her role in his imprisonment.

Skoll

Sköll in Norse mythology is the wolf that chases and will someday eat the sun. Association with Fenrir (another wolf) and other monsters motivates his inclusion in the list of resistance members.

Thor

A Norse god, associated with war, lightning/thunder, strength, and in general sort of... common people, as opposed to Odin’s association with kings and royalty. Prone to anger, which makes sense with his depiction as a volatile military leader in the album. He is heavily associated with his hammer mjölnir, hence jokes about “throwing a hammer in the works” and whatnot. Often associates with Loki, both as friends and as enemies as Loki progresses from a mostly-harmless trickster to actively opposing the other gods; thus how in the album he and Loki were once friends. See above for his death fighting Jormungandr.

Tyr

Another Norse god associated with war. He sacrificed a hand to bind Fenrir, and will be killed by Garmr during Ragnarok, both events referenced in the album.

Yggdrasil

The world-tree of Norse mythology, which supports the nine worlds of the cosmology. 

Yog-Sothoth

An Outer God of Lovecraftian mythos; also called the Gate and Key. It is associated as sort of the substance of time and space, binding together the cosmos. A lot of the description during the Ragnarok sequences draws directly from the “canonical” descriptions of this deity, and the invocation spoken by Lyfrassir in Red Signal draws from a story about this creature, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

[miskatonicaquarium]

Weird Fiction/Cosmic Horror Recommends

In a time of general uncertainty and anxiety, one thing that is certain is that weird fiction/cosmic horror has got your back. If you like to combat your growing sense of existential dread by reading about other people’s growing sense of existential dread, this is a list for you. Where texts and shows are available online, I have included links. Where they are not, I have included links to where they are available to buy.

Books

Agents of Dreamland – Caitlin R Kiernan

Government agents, ritual murders, a doomsday cult and a glitch in NASA’s interplanetary probe all feature in this deeply frightening and deftly written novella that takes classic Lovecraftian tropes and expands on them with mesmerising skill.

Wanderers – Chuck Wendig

When a sleepwalking epidemic hits America, those affected head towards a destination known only to themselves. Desperate to keep their loved ones safe, ‘shepherds’ follow the growing group to protect them on their journey. This is an incredibly rewarding read stuffed full of complex characters, apocalyptic horror and a long hard look at human nature.

Winter Tide – Ruthanna Emrys

After the government raid on Innsmouth, Aphra and Caleb Marsh are the only inhabitants of the town to survive the desert internment camps. When confidential, dangerous magic is stolen from Miskatonic University, the FBI are forced to turn to the last of the Marsh’s for help. An evocative and sympathetic novel that takes the antagonists of Lovecraft’s works and paints them in a new light.

The Fisherman – John Langan

This is considered to be a modern classic of the genre and for good reason. It’s best to go into this one as blind as possible so I’ll just leave you with this little quote: "I know Dutchman's Creek runs deep, much deeper than it could or should, and I don't like to think what it's full of."

Carter and Lovecraft – Jonathan L. Howard

A homicide detective turned Private Investigator finds himself embroiled with the last known descendant of H.P Lovecraft, Emily Lovecraft. When deaths that have an eerie resemblance to the writing of Emily’s ancestor begin to plague the area, the investigator finds himself drawn into a world he thought didn’t exist beyond fiction.

Rosewater – Tade Thompson

The first in an award-winning trilogy that blends science fiction into the weird in near future Nigeria. When an alien biodome manifests in the landscape, a select group of people in the surrounding area begin developing psychic abilities. A winding, disturbing tale with an original setting, voice and characters; this is the perfect read for those looking for a fresh take on the genre.  

North American Lake Monsters: Stories – Nathan Ballingrud

I am hugely obsessed with this – Ballingrud uses tropes and characters we are all familiar with and uses them to tell stories that shed light on the plight of rural, poverty-stricken America. He is a masterful author with a true gift for atmospheric writing (‘Late summer pressed onto this small Mississippi coastal town like the heel of a boot. The heat was an act of violence.’) and this collection will appeal to fans of Ligotti and Barron as well as those who are unfamiliar with the genre.

The Ballad of Black Tom – Victor LaValle

This is essentially a retelling of Lovecraft’s The Horror at Red Hook (but without the blatant racism, hooray!). A slow burn, cosmic horror noir featuring a who’s who of the Cthulhu Mythos, for those interested in the genre who do not get on with Lovecraft’s writing or the man himself, this is an excellent way to get all the good stuff without the bad.

Anthologies

A Lonely and Curious Country: Tales from the land of Lovecraft

Seventeen stories about Lovecraftian horrors in the most unusual of places. Lots of these work as mini-sequels to Lovecraft’s original stories so this is a good companion for those familiar with his work.

Lovecraft Unbound

As I’ve said before, Ellen Datlow is a powerhouse of anthology editing. Featuring a great spread of familiar mythos faces and more thematic takes on the genre, Lovecraft Unbound is one of the best collections out there.

Book of Cthulhu

There are a couple of these! All feature some of the best contemporary authors writing weird fiction. Quality of individual stories sometimes varies in Lovecraftian anthologies but that is not the case here. The first is particularly good as it also contains stories from older, more obscure writers who are hard to get in print.

Shadows of Carcosa

Twelve short stories that feature everything from the land of carcosa to the traditionally Lovecraftian setting of the cursed hills of New England. All of these are shorts written by classic writers such as Poe, Stoker, Bierce, Chambers and Blackwood.

Lovecraft’s Monsters

Another collection edited by Datlow. This one is particularly fun as it features illustrations, as well as a story by Neil Gaiman. Lovecraft’s Monsters is amongst my favourite of the anthologies as it is based solely around the creatures that crawl and squirm through the mythos. It’s also available as an audiobook!

Children of Lovecraft

Fourteen short stories including authors like Stephen Graham Jones, Orrin Grey, Caitlin R. Kiernan and Livia Llewellyn. Full of body horror, dread, surrealism and one of the best opening sentences to any short story.

She Walks in Shadows

A monumental, fascinating collection comprised of exclusively female authors. Offering a long overdue look at and development of the female aspects of the mythos, this collection gives a voice to the previously unheard. For those looking for a diverse, original and often deeply disturbing reading experience, this is your anthology.

Available online for free

The Lovecraft Ezine has a great archive here of all its previous issues

Weird Fiction Review is an excellent resource for online fiction – both excerpts from books and stand-alone short stories.

The Online Books page has direct links to the issues of Weird Tales magazine published between 1923 – 192. 

TOR.COM is an amazing resource for all kinds of science fiction and fantasy shorts. This is a link specifically to Lovecraftian fiction. There’s also lots of interesting things to read under the tag cosmic horror here.

Graphic Novels

Fatale - Sex, violence, cults, cosmic horror, imaginative period settings and gorgeous artwork. Fatale is one of the best comics set in the mythos out there.

Locke and Key - Many of you will be familiar with Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s hugely popular (and now televised) series focused on a house above a portal to the plains of Leng.

Harrow County - Creepy, rural-based, folk horror series centred on a young woman who finds herself to be joined to the forest and the land in ways she could never have imagined.

The Squidder - A postapocalyptic Lovecraftian mess, I have included this because it is worth buying for the artwork alone. Ben Templesmith is an acquired taste but an incredibly talented illustrator whose work is uniquely suited to the mythos.

I have talked about these several times before but it is always worth checking out I.N.J Culbard’s graphic novel adaptations of Lovecraft’s stories, as well as the two anthologies that were released several years ago.

*** 

Films – Cosmic Horror

I have linked to the trailers for each of these, some are classics you will know, some are new. 

The Colour out of Space 

Die Fabre

The Dunwich Horror

The Endless

Event Horizon

The Void

Europa Report

Black Mountain Side 

Films – Folk Horror

The Ritual

They Remain

The White Reindeer

Night of the Demon 

Apostle

More generally, some good online resources for old/weird/out of print books are

Project Gutenberg – an online library of over 60,000 books in the public domain

Internet Archive – a great resource for obscure books (particularly historical)

Europeana – items from Europe’s galleries, museums, libraries and archives

Digital Public Library of America – similar to Europeana, but for America

Classic Literature – lots of 19th century gothic goodness in particular, but great for all the classics too!

And when it all gets too much and you feel like being your own creeping dread,  Here is a link to a fun game where you can be the rats in the walls. 

[weirdletter]

The Advance of the Weird Tale, by S.T. Joshi, Sarnath Press, 2020. Info: amazon.com.

For decades, S.T. Joshi has been a leading critic of horror and supernatural fiction. In this new collection of his miscellaneous essays, Joshi addresses not only the broader issues relating to weird fiction but also many of the key writers in the field over the past century or more. Joshi uses his expertise in classical literature to trace the supernatural in Greek and Latin literature, and also presents overviews of such central motifs as the ghost story and the haunted house. Among the writers of weird fiction’s “golden age” (c. 1880–1940), Joshi probes the work of Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and others. H.P. Lovecraft has long been a central focus of Joshi’s scholarship, and he presents several trenchant articles here: Lovecraft’s relations to Gothic fiction and to Edgar Allan Poe; his landmark essay, “Supernatural Horror in Literature”; and his influence on Fritz Leiber, August Derleth, and others. Joshi is also well versed in contemporary weird fiction, as his essays on Ramsey Campbell, W.H. Pugmire, Caitlín R. Kiernan, and others demonstrate. In all, this volume displays Joshi’s critical acuity in the entire realm of the weird in literature.

Contents:   I. Some Overviews Weird Fiction and Ordinary People The Canon of Weird Fiction The Supernatural in Greek and Latin Literature The Criticism of Weird Fiction The Theory and Practice of Satirical Criticism Women and the Ghost Story The Haunted House   II. The Classics The Life and Career of Ambrose Bierce The Ghost Story, 1870-1920 - The West Coast School - The East Coast School - Looking Forward Arthur Machen and Weird Fiction The Weird Work of Robert Hichens Clark Ashton Smith’s Juvenilia Algernon Blackwood and John Silence The Weird Work of M.P. Shiel May Sinclair: The Spiritual Ghost Story H.B. Drake’s The Shadowy Thing Carl Jacobi: The Life of a Pulpsmith   III. H.P. Lovecraft and His Disciples Lovecraft and the Gothic Poe and Lovecraft Lovecraft and the Titans: A Critical Legacy - Lovecraft Reads the Titans - Lovecraft’s Later Views of the Titans - Contemporary Views of the Titans Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop Lovecraft and "In Amundsen's Tent" Why Michel Houellebecq Is Wrong about Lovecraft's Racism Lovecraft and  "Adept's Gambit" Solar Pons Meet Cthulhu: Detective Elements in Derleth's Mythos Tales   IV. The Moderns Shirley Jackson and Weird Fiction On Rod Serling’s "Clean Kills and Other Trophies" Ramsey Campbell and Weird Fiction Brian McNaughton: The Care and Feeding of Ghouls W.H. Pugmire: Lovecreftian and Prose Poet Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan and the Mythos Some Younger Weird Writers - Michael Aronovitz - Clint Smith - David Hambling - Curtis M. Lawson Some Modern Weird Poets - Ann K. Schwader - Kyla Lee Ward - Wade German Acknowledgments Index

[tlbodine]

The Wendigo is Not What You Think

There’s been a recent flurry of discussion surrounding the Wendigo -- what it is, how it appears in fiction, and whether non-Native creators should even be using it in their stories. This post is dedicated to @halfbloodlycan​, who brought the discourse to my attention. 

Once you begin teasing apart the modern depictions of this controversial monster, an interesting pattern emerges -- namely, that what pop culture generally thinks of as the “wendigo” is a figure and aesthetic that has almost nothing in common with its Native American roots...but a whole lot in common with European Folklore. 

What Is A Wendigo? 

The Algonquian Peoples, a cluster of tribes indigenous to the region of the Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard of Canada and the northern U.S., are the origin of Wendigo mythology. For them, the Wendigo (also "windigo" or "Witigo" and similar variations) is a malevolent spirit. It is connected to winter by way of cold, desolation, and selfishness. It is a spirit of destruction and environmental decay. It is pure evil, and the kind of thing that people in the culture don't like to talk about openly for fear of inviting its attention.

Individual people can turn into the Wendigo (or be possessed by one, depending on the flavor of the story), sometimes through dreams or curses but most commonly through engaging in cannibalism. Considering the long, harsh winters in the region, it makes sense that the cultural mythology would address the cannibalism taboo.

For some, the possession of the Wendigo spirit is a very real thing, not just a story told around the campfire. So-called "wendigo psychosis" has been described as a "culture-bound" mental illness where an individual is overcome with a desire to eat people and the certainty that he or she has been possessed by a Wendigo or is turning into a Wendigo. Obviously, it was white people encountering the phenomenon who thought to call it "psychosis," and there's some debate surrounding the whole concept from a psychological, historical, and anthropological standpoint which I won't get into here -- but the important point here is that the Algonquian people take this very seriously. (1) (2)

(If you're interested in this angle, you might want to read about the history of Zhauwuno-geezhigo-gaubow (or Jack Fiddler), a shaman who was known as something of a Wendigo hunter. I'd also recommend the novel Bone White by Ronald Malfi as a pretty good example of how these themes can be explored without being too culturally appropriative or disrespectful.) 

Wendigo Depictions in Pop Culture

Show of hands: How many of you reading this right now first heard of the Wendigo in the Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book?

That certainly was my first encounter with the tale. It was one of my favorite stories in the book as a little kid. It tells about a rich man who goes hunting deep in the wilderness, where people rarely go. He finds a guide who desperately needs the money and agrees to go, but the guide is nervous throughout the night as the wind howls outside until he at last bursts outside and takes off running. His tracks can be found in the snow, farther and farther apart as though running at great speed before abruptly ending. The idea being that he was being dragged along by a wind-borne spirit that eventually picked him up and swept him away.

Schwartz references the story as a summer camp tale well-known in the Northeastern U.S., collected from a professor who heard it in the 1930s. He also credits Algernon Blackwood with writing a literary treatment of the tale -- and indeed, Blackwood's 1910 novella "The Wendigo" has been highly influential in the modern concept of the story.(3)  His Wendigo would even go on to find a place in Cthulhu Mythos thanks to August Derleth.

Never mind, of course, that no part of Blackwood's story has anything in common with the traditional Wendigo myth. It seems pretty obvious to me that he likely heard reference of a Northern monster called a "windigo," made a mental association with "wind," and came up with the monster for his story.

And so would begin a long history of white people re-imagining the sacred (and deeply frightening) folklore of Native people into...well, something else.

Through the intervening decades, adaptations show up in multiple places. Stephen King's Pet Sematary uses it as a possible explanation for the dark magic of the cemetery's resurrectionist powers. A yeti-like version appears as a monster in Marvel Comics to serve as a villain against the Hulk. Versions show up in popular TV shows like Supernatural and Hannibal. There's even, inexplicably, a Christmas episode of Duck Tales featuring a watered-down Wendigo.

Where Did The Antlered Zombie-Deer-Man Come From? 

In its native mythology, the Wendigo is sometimes described as a giant with a heart of ice. It is sometimes skeletal and emaciated, and sometimes deformed. It may be missing its lips and toes (like frostbite). (4)

So why, when most contemporary (white) people think of Wendigo, is the first image that comes to mind something like this?

Well...perhaps we can thank a filmmaker named Larry Fessenden, who appears to be the first person to popularize an antlered Wendigo monster. (5) His 2001 film (titled, creatively enough, Wendigo) very briefly features a sort of skeletal deer-monster. He’d re-visit the design concept in his 2006 film, The Last Winter. Reportedly, Fessenden was inspired by a story he’d heard in his childhood involving deer-monsters in the frozen north, which he connected in his mind to the Algernon Blackwood story. 

A very similar design would show up in the tabletop game Pathfinder, where the “zombie deer-man” aesthetic was fully developed and would go on to spawn all sorts of fan-art and imitation. (6) The Pathfinder variant does draw on actual Wendigo mythology -- tying it back to themes of privation, greed, and cannibalism -- but the design itself is completely removed from Native folklore. 

Interestingly, there are creatures in Native folklore that take the shape of deer-people -- the  ijiraq or tariaksuq, shape-shifting spirits that sometimes take on the shape of caribou and sometimes appear in Inuit art in the form of man-caribou hybrids (7). Frustratingly, the ijiraq are also part of Pathfinder, which can make it a bit hard to find authentic representations vs pop culture reimaginings. But it’s very possible that someone hearing vague stories of northern Native American tribes encountering evil deer-spirits could get attached to the Wendigo, despite the tribes in question being culturally distinct and living on opposite sides of the continent. 

That “wendigo” is such an easy word to say in English probably has a whole lot to do with why it gets appropriated so much, and why so many unrelated things get smashed in with it. 

I Love the Aesthetic But Don’t Want to Be Disrespectful, What Do I Do? 

Plundering folklore for creature design is a tried-and-true part of how art develops, and mythology has been re-interpreted and adapted countless times into new stories -- that’s how the whole mythology thing works. 

But when it comes to Native American mythology, it’s a good idea to apply a light touch. As I’ve talked about before, Native representation in modern media is severely lacking. Modern Native people are the survivors of centuries of literal and cultural genocide, and a good chunk of their heritage, language, and stories have been lost to history because white people forcibly indoctrinated Native children into assimilating. So when those stories get taken, poorly adapted, and sent back out into the public consciousness as make-believe movie monsters, it really is an act of erasure and violence, no matter the intentions of the person doing it. (8) 

So, like...maybe don’t do that? 

I won’t say that non-Native people can’t be interested in Wendigo stories or tell stories inspired by the myth. But if you’re going to do it, either do it respectfully and with a great deal of research to get it accurate...or use the inspiration to tell a different type of story that doesn’t directly appropriate or over-write the mythology (see above: my recommendation for Bone White). 

But if your real interest is in the “wendigocore” aesthetic -- an ancient and powerful forest protector, malevolent but fiercely protective of nature, imagery of deer and death and decay -- I have some good news: None of those things are really tied uniquely to Native American mythology, nor do they have anything in common with the real Wendigo. 

Where they do have a longstanding mythic framework? Europe.

Europeans have had a long-standing fascination with deer, goats, and horned/antlered forest figures. Mythology of white stags and wild hunts, deer as fairy cattle, Pan, Baphomet, Cernunnos, Herne the Hunter, Black Phillip and depictions of Satan -- the imagery shows up again and again throughout Greek, Roman, and British myth. (9)

Of course, some of these images and figures are themselves the product of cultural appropriation, ancient religions and deities stolen, plundered, demonized and erased by Christian influences. But their collective existence has been a part of “white” culture for centuries, and is probably a big part of the reason why the idea of a mysterious antlered forest-god has stuck so swiftly and firmly in our minds, going so far as to latch on to a very different myth. (Something similar has happened to modern Jersey Devil design interpretations. Deer skulls with their tangle of magnificent antlers are just too striking of a visual to resist). 

Seriously. There are so, so many deer-related myths throughout the world’s history -- if aesthetic is what you’re after, why limit yourself to an (inaccurate) Wendigo interpretation? (10) 

So here’s my action plan for you, fellow white person: 

Stop referring to anything with antlers as a Wendigo, especially when it’s very clearly meant to be its own thing (the Beast in Over the Garden Wall, Ainsworth in Magus Bride)

Stop “reimagining” the mythology of people whose culture has already been targeted by a systematic erasure and genocide

Come up with a new, easy-to-say, awesome name for “rotting deer man, spirit of the forest” and develop a mythology for it that doesn’t center on cannibalism 

We can handle that, right? 

This deep dive is supported by Ko-Fi donations. If you’d like to see more content, please drop a tip in my tip jar.  Ko-fi.com/A57355UN

NOTES: 

1 - https://io9.gizmodo.com/wendigo-psychosis-the-probably-fake-disease-that-turns-5946814

2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo#Wendigo_psychosis

3 - https://www.gutenberg.org/files/10897/10897-h/10897-h.htm

4 - https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mn-wendigo/

5- https://www.reddit.com/r/Cryptozoology/comments/8wu2nq/wendigo_brief_history_of_the_modern_antlers_and/

6 - https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Wendigo

7 - https://www.mythicalcreaturescatalogue.com/single-post/2017/12/06/Ijiraq

8 - https://www.backstoryradio.org/blog/the-mythology-and-misrepresentation-of-the-windigo/

9 - https://www.terriwindling.com/blog/2014/12/the-folklore-of-goats.html

10 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer_in_mythology

[dramyhsturgis]

Halloween Countdown 2017,  Day 18

Now it's list time! Here are my picks for the spooky podcasts you don't want to miss this Halloween.

In no particular order...

*  Welcome to Night Vale: It's TheNerdyBlogger's fault that I'm addicted to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast (and its wonderfully weird related books, as well). This is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, an omnipotent Glow Cloud (All hail!), and cultural events. Think Lake Woebegone meets Stephen King. Just for kicks, I’m decorating this post with quotes from the podcast.

(Note: I also recommend checking out the other podcasts from Night Vale Presents, as well!)

* Astonishing Legends: This podcast's mission is to take a look at legendary, strange, and unusual events from history and interview people who’ve had close encounters with the unexplained. Hosts Scott and Forrest strive to bring you everything that’s entertaining about those stories and remind you that it’s okay to laugh at scary stories -- and, respectfully, even the people that tell them. That said, this is a serious and skeptical podcast. Put your headphones on, settle in for your commute, and get ready to experience a show like nothing you’ve ever heard before. I discovered this podcast while looking for more analyses of the Dyatlov Pass mystery, and I was hooked. My favorite series of episodes thus far focuses on the Somerton Man mystery. If you could have drinks with the Lone Gunmen, I'd expect the discussion would sound a bit like this podcast. (That's a compliment, if you were wondering.) Right now they’re covering the Bell Witch. (Too cool!) You remember the Bell Witch, right?

* The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast: In each weekly podcast, Chris Lackey and Chad Fifer discuss a specific H.P. Lovecraft story – what it’s about, how it reads, why it may have been written and what other works of art it’s influenced. Since concluding Lovecraft’s stories, they’ve been covering other weird fiction that inspired the author, mostly those referenced in his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature." They regularly have talented guest readers and contributing composers for their music sections. The majority of the Lovecraft episodes are free. Three of the four monthly episodes are now subscription-only, but they are well, well worth the modest cost. And October is for werewolves! * Saturday Frights: TheNerdyBlogger put this on my radar, and I'm grateful! Each week the co-hosts discussed a particular horror movie or horror-themed TV episode from the Retroist Vault for your listening enjoyment. Unfortunately, the show is no longer in production, but there are still 63 episodes in the archive that are well worth your time and guaranteed to put you in the Halloween mood. 

* Interference by Eric Luke: Another of my brilliant former graduate students, April, suggested this to me, and it's sublime. Don't miss this! The podiobook unfolds in twenty-four episodes, and then it's done. Described as "an experiment in audio horror" (oh yeah!), here's the tantalizing blurb: "SOMETHING wants in. To your head. Through this audiobook. Ethan, a digital sound engineer in Los Angeles, becomes aware that his life is unraveling when the audiobook he's listening to reveals his deepest, darkest secrets, escalating until the narrator addresses him directly, threatening to destroy him from within. Vivian, a single mother running an antique store in San Francisco, listens to her audiobook to distract herself from missing her young daughter, but is shaken when the narrative is interrupted by her daughter's voice, faintly calling for help. Ethan and Vivian are drawn together as they fight to solve a generation-spanning conspiracy that begins with a boy listening to the Orson Welles broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938 and evolves through the latest innovations in digital technology..." I love how the individual weird tales link together into a spooky, intense, and deeply humane conclusion. * Rippercast: The Whitechapel Murders Podcast: This is a treat for those of you who are interested in the history of forensics, true crime, Victorian England/London, etc. A roundtable of author/academic presenters, co-hosts, and special guests discuss topics related to the Whitechapel Murders, Jack the Ripper, Victorian British history, true crime, and whatever else suits their fancy. Lately the podcast has been sharing the monthly scholarly talks recorded at the London meetings of the Whitechapel Society 1888 and at various international conferences focused on related themes, as well as the “10 Weeks in Whitechapel” series. If you want to hear the latest in research from those who literally wrote the books on their respective topics related to Jack the Ripper's times and context, you'll want to listen. * Kat & Curt's TV Re-View: This podcast began with brilliant bloggers Curtis Weyant and Katherine Sas introducing Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Doctor Who to each other, watching one episode of each per week, sharing fannish delight and critical analysis. Curt, a long-time Whedon devotee and scholar, introduced the show to Kat, and analytical Whovian Kat acquainted Curt with the Doctor. Now Angel and Battlestar Galactica have been added to the mix. Join Kat and Curt for a journey through time, space, and Sunnydale as they battle demons, aliens, and the inscrutable process of creating quality narrative television.

* Tales to Terrify: This weekly audio magazine is one of StarShipSofa's siblings in the District of Wonders. I'm terribly saddened to say that we lost our friend and comrade, author and host Larry Santoro ("the Vincent Price of podcasts!"). He is greatly missed. But the podcast continues to soldier (lurch? stagger? insert your scary verb here) on in his memory. It includes the best of contemporary horror fiction and nonfiction. It was my distinct honor to represent TTT last year at the Hugo Awards Ceremony, where it was a finalist for the Best Fancast Award. (In addition, have narrated three haunting stories for this podcast. Follow the links to hear my reading of “After the Ape” by Stephen Volk, my reading of “Jewels in the Dust” by Peter Crowther, and my reading of “Payback” by P.D. Cacek.)

* Lovecraft eZine Podcast: This is the podcast version of the wonderful and weekly live show produced by the incomparable Lovecraft eZine. Listen as stellar guests discuss cosmic horror, weird fiction, Lovecraftian horror, the Cthulhu Mythos, and related topics.

* Pseudopod: One of the oldest horror podcasts and still one of the very best, Pseudopod presents fine short horror in audio form weekly. Do not miss this podcast! * MonsterTalk: This is the science show about monsters — a free audio podcast that critically examines the science behind cryptozoological (and legendary) creatures, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and werewolves. Hosted by Blake Smith and Dr. Karen Stollznow, MonsterTalk interviews the scientists and investigators who shine a spotlight on the things that go bump in the night. The episode airing dates average out to mean a new show once a month, sometimes more. (Thanks to ankh_hpl for introducing me to this great show.) * Classic Tales: Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, Mary Shelley: what's not to love? This is a fantastic weekly podcast featuring B.J. Harrison's unabridged readings of great — and often haunting and Halloween-friendly — fiction. * Atlanta Radio Theatre Company: Founded in 1984, ARTC is a staple at venues such as Dragon*Con and has a standing program year-round, performing adaptations of works by authors such as H.P. Lovecraft and H.G. Wells live. ARTC podcasts its fantastic productions. * Skeptoid: This podcast shines the lights of logic and reason into the dark shadows. Each weekly episode focuses on a single phenomenon — an urban legend, a paranormal claim, etc. — that you may have heard of, and it explains the factual scientific reality. To put it another way, we the listeners are Fox Mulder, and Skeptoid kindly serves as our Dana Scully.

And here are some more recent lists for you!

* 13 Creepy Podcasts Just in Time for Halloween

* The Best Spooky Podcasts to Get You Ready for Halloween

* The Top 10 Scary Podcasts to Get You in a Spooky Mood

 Now it's your turn. What other spooky podcasts do you recommend?

[universitybookstore]

Few voices in contemporary American fiction are as distinctive or as recognizable as Victor LaValle. His prose is a mixture of the elegantly literary with the eeriely unsettling, earning him comparisons to Ralph Ellison, Haruki Murakami, Shirley Jackson; coincidentally, his 2009 novel, Big Machine won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel as well as an American Book Award. His folow-up, the deeply creepy, The Devil in Silver, earned rave reviews and was a New York Times notable book of the year. His recent book, the novella The Ballad of Black Tom, is both a critique and tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, whose work LaValle loved reading as a young reader, not quite recognizing the racism extant in many of that author's tales, poems, and letters, until he was older. Set in 20s New York, the novella rifts on the twin horrors of racism and the Cthulhu Mythos, playing one off the other to craft an ingeneously told tale. The novella was named to NPR's Best Books for 2016, and his next novel, The Changeling, for which I am eagerly awaiting, will come out this June from Spiegel & Grau.

[liberalcom-blog]

H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition: The Master of Horror's Influence on Modern Occultism

https://liber-al.com/?p=40384 Explore Lovecraft’s Deep Connections to the Dark Arts Modern practicing occultists have argued that renowned horror writer H. P. Lovecraft was in possession of in-depth knowledge of black magick. Literary scholars claim that he was a master of his genre and craft, and his findings are purely psychological, nothing more. Was Lovecraft a practitioner of the dark arts himself? Was he privileged to knowledge that cannot be otherwise explained? Weaving the life story of Lovecraft in and out of an analysis of various modern magickal systems, scholar John L. Steadman has found direct and concrete examples that demonstrate that Lovecraft’s works and specifically his Cthulhu Mythos and his creation of the Necronomicon are a legitimate basis for a working magickal system. Whether you believe Lovecraft had supernatural powers or not, no one can argue against Lovecraft’s profound influence on many modern black arts and the darker currents of western occultism. Editorial Reviews “Steadman has written a perceptive, comprehensive, and admirably balanced study of Lovecraft’s connection with occultism. H.P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition provides an important and valuable contribution to this highly contentious aspect of his life and work.” –Paul Roland, author of The Curious Case of H.P. Lovecraft – Reviews “H.P. Lovecraft’s influence on modern horror fiction is indisputable. John L. Steadman explores a more obscure aspect of his legacy, dissecting and analyzing the research into the occult that underpins the Cthulhu mythos, and describing how the rites and metaphysics in Lovecraft’s fiction have influenced the practice of contemporary magic. A fascinating and valuable contribution to Lovecraftian scholarship.” –Paul McAuley, author of Four Hundred Billion Stars (Philip K. Dick Award Winner, 1988) and Fairyland (Arthur C. Clarke Award Winner, 1996) “John L. Steadman has opened the door to the study of neomythology in H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition. Funny and dark, cynical and powerful, Mr. Steadman takes on the manyfaced monster that is rising out of the R’lyeh of the collective unconsciousness.” –Don Webb, author and occultist “John Steadman offers an admirably clear, concise, and comprehensive account of the instances of black magic featured in H. P. Lovecraft’s works, the sources from which he drew his information and–most usefully and most interestingly–the various uses made of Lovecraft’s literary inventions by the numerous modern lifestyle fantasists who have taken inspiration from his fiction.” –Brian Stableford, author of The Devil’s Party: A Brief History of Satanic Abuse “John L. Steadman’s fascinating look at the intersection of Lovecraft and the occult is both comprehensive and comprehensible–even to the nonoccultist–and provides a wealth of information and inspiration for the aficionado or the practitioner of the weird tale.” –Orrin Grey, author of Never Bet the Devil and Painted Monsters “Author John L. Steadman’s intriguing book, H. P Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition, is a fascinating and well-researched treatise on the influence of magickal thought with respect to the output of one of the recent giants of Weird Literature. With concision and insight into the historical underpinnings of Black Magick and its adherents, Steadman’s volume is indispensable reading for neophyte Lovecraft readers, longtime fans, or simply individuals with a casual interest in the Old Gentleman from Providence, as well as those curious about the history of magick in literature and in popular culture. A stimulating and informative reading experience.” –Jason V. Brock, author of Disorders of Magnitude “Not just for students of the occult! Lovecraftian horror fans and writers will find this well-researched volume a brisk and fascinating read.” –Lon Prater, author of Head Music and over a dozen Lovecraftian horror stories “I am enthralled by this outstanding study. As one who has practiced as a solitary witch, and one who now practices as a weaver of Lovecraftian fiction, I can appreciate this book on many levels. In its approach to biographical matters, it paints an honest portrait of H. P. Lovecraft. A magnificent work!” –W. H. Pugmire, author of Some Unknown Gulf of Night “John L. Steadman’s treatise H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition provides a fresh angle of context for the man, the myth, and the legend. A fine addition to the library of any Lovecraft enthusiast, whether or not you believe in magic.” –Cherie Priest, author of Boneshaker and Bad Sushi “In H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition, John Steadman has written a compelling and unusual study of the Chthulu Mythos. By locating Lovecraft’s work in the narrative of black magic systems and interrogating the various intersections between the Mythos and real magickal practices, this fantastic book casts new light onto both. A must read for anybody interested in either Lovecraft or black magic, and fascinating for newcomers and scholars alike.” –Tom Fletcher “At the time of his death in 1937 H. P. Lovecraft was little more than a minor pulp author. He regarded himself as a failure. Three-quarters of a century later he is accepted as a serious figure in American (and World) literature, one whose standing and influence grow almost daily. But was he ‘merely’ a writer of horror stories, or was there something more to his works? Were his many weird beings and alien gods purely the products of his imagination, or did Lovecraft tap into some greater and more esoteric truth than the average reader of Weird Tales or Astounding Stories realized? In H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition, John L. Steadman addresses this question head-on. Whether Lovecraft was himself a practicing, if covert, occultist, as some devotees believe, or solely a practitioner of the tale-spinner’s art, his works fall clearly within the occult traditions of cultural and even supernatural beliefs stretching back to classical Greece, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Steadman’s scholarship is impressive and the revelations in his book may well be as shocking to skeptics (including me!) as they are reassuring to believers. I recommend this book unreservedly to any admirer of Lovecraft, whichever camp the reader may belong to.” –Richard A. Lupoff, author of Marblehead: A Novel of H.P. Lovecraft and Lovecraft’s Book “John L. Steadman’s book is a welcome contribution to an important and neglected subject. Much nonsense has been written about Lovecraft’s involvement with occultism, and Steadman brings a refreshing dose of reason and sanity to the discussion. His thorough understanding of Lovecraft’s life, work, and thought, and his impressive grounding in all aspects of the occult tradition, make him the ideal scholar to address this controversial topic.” –S. T. Joshi “They say truth is stranger than fiction, but is truth stranger than Lovecraftian fiction? John L. Steadman’s in-depth look on Lovecraft and the occult proves that it is! A fascinating mix of literary criticism, subaltern history, and occult minutiae, even for non-occultists like myself.” –Nick Mamatas, author of Move Under Ground and Love is the Law “John L. Steadman may well have created the most thorough and accessible study of the occasionally perilous, often credulous, but always fascinating realm where the fictional mythos of H.P. Lovecraft dovetails with occult praxis. H.P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition exhibits a blend of scholarly insight and literary panache that is sure to please and enlighten both the Initiate and the weird fiction connoisseur.” –Richard Gavin, author of At Fear’s Altar “Steadman has written a perceptive, comprehensive, and admirably balanced study of Lovecraft’s connection with occultism. H.P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition provides an important and valuable contribution to this highly contentious aspect of his life and work.” –Paul Roland, author of The Curious Case of H.P. Lovecraft – From the Publisher #Body,Mind&Spirit #JohnL.Steadman #MagickStudies #NewAge #Occultism;Body,Mind&Spirit #Topical #WeiserBooks

[sylromfrenchdesigner-blog]

The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, to identify the settings, tropes, and lore that were employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors. The name Cthulhu derives from the central creature in Lovecraft's seminal short story, "The Call of Cthulhu", first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. As we said yesterday, it inspire lot of people who was interested in the horror literature. #lovecraft #book #cthulhu #mythos https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn9xtKFHu5W/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ysgp23la73q6

[fic-dreamin]

Crazy good writing I usually hate period writing by contemporary authors. There's almost always an anachronism, verbal or environmental, to kick you out of the dream, or some authors don't even bother to learn the period's grammar. Not so Mr. Lovegrove, who writes with a period feel but without the preciosity that usually comes with Victorian writing. Go to Amazon

Another good read Enjoyable as the first. I like the mash up of Lovecraft and Holmes. Alternate historical fiction is a favorite of mine but it can be tricky to pulĺ off. The author does a great job of meshing the two genres. Go to Amazon

Holmes and Lovecraft This is a second volume of a trilogy of Holmes and Watson doing battle with Lovecraft's Old Ones and their monstrosities and of course with ruin as a goal it's game afoot .... Go to Amazon

Good read I enjoyed this book very much. Very similar in style to the original Sherlock Go to Amazon

A fun read, but not much of a Sherlock story. I really enjoyed the first book of this trilogy, but I feel that this one strayed too far from being a Sherlock Holmes story and much further into a H.P. Lovecraft fanfic. Go to Amazon

The epic battle continues Intelligent writing. Story telling with great characters that play out vividly on the mind's eye. A Fantastical mysterious tale with fun banter throughout. Go to Amazon

BRING THE BIG GUN WATSON!, DO YOU HEAR!, THE BIG ONE! WATSON Hello, another absolutely amazing story. As Sherlock as Sherlock can get. Extremely well written and entertaining to read. I can see Jeremy Brett while reading the book. Great job. Thanks. Go to Amazon

This is so much nicer in person! Gorgeous cover on an amazing book. Go to Amazon

A great story. Loved Five Stars Mixing the Cthulhu mythos with Sherlock Holmes might not sound like a blend that works Suffers the curse of the sequel. Sherlock Holmes: a Biography, or an Expose?

[nuketheshoggoth]

“The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft

Download N.T. Stars’ reading of “The Call of Cthulhu” by H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft’s seminal, well-known detective story “The Call of Cthulhu” is the direct result of the author freeing himself from his own perceived horrors. Lovecraft left New York, the city he hated, and returned home to Providence, Rhode Island, in the spring of 1926. In the nine months that followed, Lovecraft produced some of his most forward-thinking stories, including “The Colour Out of Space”, “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath”, and “The Call of Cthulhu”. When the story was initially rejected by the pulp magazine Weird Tales, Lovecraft’s friend and fellow writer Donald Wandrei persuaded the editor to give the story another chance before Lovecraft shopped it around elsewhere. At the time of publication, the story was well-received by readers and lauded by contemporary science fiction and horror writers, some of which were inspired to write their own stories to add to the “Cthulhu Mythos”. The titular monster is still well-known to even the most casual fans of science fiction and horror nearly a century after the story was published, proving the visionary nature of the work.

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Stories read from “Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft”

[hermanwatts]

Sensor Sweep: Schuyler Hernstom, Ken Kelly, Gardner Fox, August Derleth

Review (Brain Leakage): In terms of pure entertainment, I can’t recommend Hernstrom’s story enough. And if all you’re craving is a dose of pure, adrenaline-filled awesomeness with alien ruins, axe-wielding barbarians, motorcycles, and talking monkeys, then stop reading this review NOW. Buy Hernstrom’s new collection, The Eye of Sounnu from DMR Books, which is where you can read this slice of pure heavy-metal havoc. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Art (David J. West): I am positive that Ken Kelly has done more book covers that I own than anybody else – and that’s a lot considering I typically buy every Frazetta I can find. Kelly is such a work horse and has done so many Conan’s and other sword and sorcery related covers that it is staggering. He has done a lot of heavy metal covers too, but I don’t think I have any of those but when it comes to book covers wow -its staggering.

Interview (The Dacian): To kick off the series I asked my favorite living Sword & Sorcery writer Schuyler Hernstrom to be my first subject. Over the weekend Hernstrom took the time to chat and answer a few questions. Schuyler Hernstrom is a fantastic writer of Sword & Sorcery whose recent short story collection The Eye of Sounnu I review here, and made the subject of the first Short Story Bookclub.  You can also read his previous collection Thune’s Vison and he’s been featured numerous times in Cirsova Magazine, including the upcoming summer special.

Forthcoming (Story Hack): I recently annouced that I’ll be publishing a collection of short stories by the ever-entertaining Misha Burnett. It will release on June 15th. This collection features reprints as well as new work. And now, you can preorder the ebook version on Amazon. Paperback will also be available, but there won’t be a preorder. For those of you who do buy a paperback, I’ll make available bookplates signed by the author. Details on that to follow.

Men’s Adventure Magazines (Menspulps.com): Most of the magazines in the war mag subgenre were fairly short-lived (as were many other magazines in the men’s adventure genre in general). The longest-lasting was BATTLE CRY. It was published from late 1955 to mid-1971 by Stanley Publications, Inc., the flagship company of pioneering comic book and magazine publisher Stanley P. Morse. When the puritanical 1954 Comics Code essentially banned violent or sexy images in comics, Morse discontinued his BATTLE CRY comic book and created the men’s adventure magazine BATTLE CRY.

Fiction (Goodman Games): May 20th is the birthdate of Gardner F. Fox. But when people see his name on the list of Appendix N authors, there’s often no recognition of his name as a writer of fantasy. He has passed into relative obscurity for contemporary fans of the genre. It is not surprising considering that he is best known as the author of the Kothar books (discounted by many as a cheap knockoff of Conan) and the Kyric books (a likewise discounted knockoff of Elric).

Science Fiction (M Porcius): A. E. van Vogt has many detractors, and their criticisms are not all off base; you might say the Slan man, Canada’s finest export, is an acquired taste.  You don’t read A. E. van Vogt looking for conventional literary values, like beautiful sentences.  And you don’t read A. E. van Vogt looking for the comforts of standard popular fiction, like sympathetic characters you enjoy “getting to know” who share your values and regurgitate the conventional wisdom.  An A. E. van Vogt story is usually challenging on multiple levels.

Art (DMR Books): However, Angus was painting fantasy art long before he was doing work for RPG publishers. During the 1960s, McBride was creating art steadily for Look and Learn magazine as well as its competitor, Finding Out. Both were aimed at a juvenile/young adult audience, but the art and writing in them were well above what one would find in similar publications today.

D&D (Jeffro’s Space Gaming Blog): Just looking over these old sessions and I have to say, it really takes my breath away: The Hole in the Sky, The Thing in the Sewer, The Big Score, The Drums of the Dog People, Altar of the Beast-women, The Pugs of Slaughter, The Overbearing of the Crystal Men, The Song of Fàgor.

    Comic Books (Messages From Crom): Ablaze Publishing THE CIMMERIAN: PEOPLE OF BLACK CIRCLE #1 Coming in August! Robert E. Howard’s Conan is brought to life UNCENSORED! Discover the true Conan, unrestrained, violent, and sexual. Read the story as he intended! In the kingdom of Vendhya, the king has just died, struck down by the spells of the black prophets of Yimsha. The king’s sister, Yasmina, decides to avenge him…and contacts Conan, then chief of the Afghuli tribe.

Science Speculation (Pulprev): In the world of Singularity Sunrise, where robotics and AI threaten to replace humans in every major field, one of the few things that cannot be quantified, mechanised and reproduced by machines is psychic powers. Don’t expect Hollywood-or anime-type powers here. In this universe, psychic powers are the outgrowth of research projects like Project Stargate, investigating the potential of the mind to gather information through extra-sensory perception.

Video Games (Kairos): The Internet Archive even has every back issue of Nintendo Power, so the re-creations of those long-lost after school decompression sessions  with a new kart slotted in my SNES, a crisp copy of NP flopped open on the couch, and a bowl of popcorn in my lap are almost perfect. Archive.org doesn’t call its old web site search feature the Wayback Machine for nil. One thing that hits you over the head when you go back and play the old 2D sprite-based games is the real craftsmanship behind the bright colors and pixels.

Fiction (Paperback Warrior): Esteemed author Max Allan Collins is a heavy contributor to the gritty hard-boiled line of mystery fiction. His well-respected creations include Nate Heller, Nolan, Mallory and the subject at hand, Quarry. The Thrilling Detective blog cites Quarry as the first hired killer series, predating Loren Estleman’s Peter Macklin and Lawrence Block’s Keller. Collins released the debut, The Broker (aka Quarry), in 1976. After four more novels, and a ton of fan mail requests, the author began releasing series installments again in 2006.

Poul Anderson (Mystery File): POUL ANDERSON “The Martian Crown Jewels.” Short story. Freehatched Syaloch #1. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, February 1958. One reason for the story’s popularity, I think, is that there really aren’t many examples of combining traditional detective stories with hardcore SF, and this is a good one. The detective on the case is Martian private detective Freehatched Syaloch, but this seems to have been his only appearance in print. Missing are the Martian crown jewels, which have been on display on Earth, but on their state secret return to Mars, via Phobos, one of the planet’s moons, they have completely disappeared.

Horror (Grady Hendrix): Wilson’s The Keep  deals with Judaism more obliquely and in the guise of the big, fat,  international thrillers authors like Robert Ludlum were popularizing in the early Eighties. A swaggering, World War II adventure story full of  warring immortals, sneering Gestapo officers, magic swords, and Weighty  Questions about Faith, The Keep  arrived as the smaller novels of the Seventies started giving way to the massive blockbusters of the Eighties. Painted in broad strokes on a big canvas, The Keep fits comfortably into a decade that would make literary rock stars out of authors like Anne Rice and Stephen King.

Weird Tales (Dark Worlds Quarterly): August Derleth takes a lotta crap. Some of it is deserved but some of it isn’t. Like when people say Derleth wouldn’t have been in Weird Tales without Lovecraft. That is simply not true. August’s first Weird Tales appearance was “Bat’s Belfry” (Weird Tales, May 1926), eleven years before Lovecraft’s death. His first Mythos tale was “The Lair of the Star-Spawn” (Weird Tales, August 1932) with Marc R. Schorer. This story appeared during HPL’s lifetime. Derleth had written forty stories previously to Star-Spawn. He wouldn’t write a posthumous Mythos tale until his seventy-second, “The Return of Hastur” (Weird Tales, March 1939), the year Arkham House began publishing. Of Derleth 132 appearances in WT, only 15 were Cthulhu Mythos (with one other appearing at Strange Tales). That means Derleth appeared in 40% of all issues.

D&D (Goblin Punch): The most interesting part for most of you will probably be the Advice for DMs section, but I’m posting the whole thing here since it’s a good explanation of (a) old-school dungeoncrawls, as I see them, and (b) the style of gameplay that I’m shooting for in the Lair of the Lamb.

Writing (Amatopia): A corollary to my recent post about villains who may have had a point after all: I am not advocating for the “sympathetic villain” trope. In fact, I generally dislike that trope. But I have a theory that a lot of new and new-ish writers can’t help but write villains like this because they forgot how to make heroes actually heroic. This is not because our traditional culture is bad and out if step with the times. It’s because a cadre of nihilistic relativists hijacked the culture with the intent of changing it to suit their own spiritual and psychological hangups. It’s a tale as old as time.

Cinema (Giant Freakin Robot): Starship Troopers should have been a gargantuan hit. With a $100m+ budget and the director behind sci-fi triumphs like RoboCop and Total Recall, the adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s 1959 novel was poised to be a smash hit both financially and critically. That’s not what went down in 1997. We have to understand that the movie-going public was very different in 1997. Films were sold on their stars more than their premises. If you look at the biggest earners of the year, you’ll see movies whose marketing campaigns were structured around their lead actors: Men in Black, Liar Liar, Air Force One, My Best Friend’s Wedding.

Sensor Sweep: Schuyler Hernstom, Ken Kelly, Gardner Fox, August Derleth published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/