Sunday 10 June 2012

Which is Lovecraft's best story?

H.P Lovecraft was undoubtedly the master of cosmic horror, creating creatures and nightmare vistas that resonate well with nerds like me, who aren't necessarily afraid of ghosts and demons, but shudder at the tentacled shadows that gibber in the heart of the night. But the question remains, out of all of his stories, which is the best?

While many of his tales seem fairly similar on the surface, when you peer deeper into their dark souls you will notice a plethora of differences. There are the big 'blockbusters' like At the Mountains of Madness, Shadow over Innsmouth, The Call of Cthulhu and The Dunwich Horror, which are all fantastic stories, but on the other hand you also have the subtle understated yarns like Dagon and The Festival, which are horrifying on a different  level.

Personally, At the Mountains of Madness is my perfect Lovecraft story. It has everything that is quintessentially Lovecraft and leaves you wondering what could possibly lurk beyond those mountains. However, maybe you're more of a Terrible Old Man or Pickman's Model fan?

Let me know what you think the master's greatest story is.

6 comments:

  1. This is a really hard question for me to answer. I might say "The Dunwich Horror" today, but this could be because I just recently reread it, and as with all of Lovecraft's stories, there is always something new to admire with each rereading. Just a few months ago I would have answered Dream-Quest of the Unknown Kadath, but there again, that can be attributed to the fact that I hadn't read it in six or seven years. In the end, I agree that At the Mountains of Madness is quite possibly Lovecraft's strongest work. Ask me again tomorrow, and I'll have a new answer... :-)

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  2. I'm with you - At the Mountains of Madness. Perfect.

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  3. If I had to limit myself to one, I'd probably go with "The Whisperer in Darkness."

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  4. This is too difficult a question. I could probably give you what I consider HPL's best Dreamlands story, best Cosmic Horror story, best non-Cthulhu Mythos story... but a single story... I guess I would have to re-read my favourite ones (at least 10!) to give you an answer.

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  5. "Pickman's Model" is great for telling around a campfire.

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  6. Very difficoult choice! My favourite Lovecraft's story is "Dagon", but is just a short one... "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" is on the top in my opinion.

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