H.P. Lovecraft
I write this guide under appreciable strain, since by tonight I shall be no more. I have run out of my meager supply of the narcotic that makes sleep bearable and desperation has set in. The dreams have returned and every night I sink deeper and deeper into those terrible places. I feel things watching me and I can see obscene shapes writhing in the darkness. Strange, sinister men follow me whenever I leave my flat. I know they mean to murder me. I'm now left with a choice of madness or bloody murder, so upon finishing this guide I shall cast myself from the eighth floor onto the cobblestones of 18th Street below. If I cannot find peace, then I shall have oblivion.
Reader, I entreat you! Remain ignorant! Let my passing be a warning to others seeking to penetrate the veils of the unknown. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of the infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. Beware, for if you venture too far you shall see that at which dogs howl in the dark, and that at which cats prick up their ears after midnight.
Oh god! I hear them coming up the elevator! They shall not get me! The window! The window!
That Is Not Dead Which Can Eternal Lie
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was the most influential horror author of the 20th century. His work has inspired countless artists and his stories of madness and terrible gods continue to captivate new generations of fans. His creatures have found their way into movies, comic books, musicals, video games, and every other form of creative expression.
At the center of Lovecraft's work is the idea that humanity is alone at the center of a cold and hostile universe, and if humanity were to ever penetrate the darkness that surrounds us, we'd go completely mad. Lovecraft created a vast and terrible mythology of creatures waiting to devour humanity. The most famous of these creatures is Cthulhu, the dead god who lies dreaming in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, sending dreams to fragile minds and waiting for the day when the stars align and he can rise again to destroy humanity. Anyone foolish enough to uncover the secrets of these alien powers, especially through reading tainted books like the infamous Necronomicon, would find their minds shattered.
And With Strange Aeons, Even Death May Die
Lovecraft wasn't particularly popular during his lifetime and struggled with poverty throughout his life. He kept correspondence with many major genre authors of the era and his friends contributed to his mythos and kept his work alive. While he doesn't have a large body of work, tons of critical material has been published which dissected his themes of alienation, madness, and horror. His letters have been published and they show a very intelligent man who took his work seriously and created horror that was tinged by his dim world view.
Lovecraft isn't always the easiest writer to get into. A confirmed Anglophile, he wrote in a dense, archaic prose and used terms like "eldritch" and "squamous" frequently. While he was a master at building atmosphere, he definitely lacked strong characterization and dialogue skills. Finally, his writing has a notorious racist streak. Horror built around fears of miscegenation appear heavily in his most famous works, and racial epithets feature heavily in some of his stories. Beyond that, he is a master of the genre and a must-read for anyone interested in the weird tale.
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