Lovecraft's brilliant idea

[charlou]

I've not read Lovecraft, but am now interested .. particularly after reading Audley's description .. Intriguing.

[Audley Strange]

He made horror impersonal, made mankind a trivial actor in the face of eternal cosmic hostility and considered primate carnality which is the essence of most horror not lustful and animalistic, but infectious and viral.

Well said, especially the part about mankind being "a trivial actor in the face of eternal cosmic hostility." I think that gets at the essence of Lovecraft.

Important to realize that his output is deeply uneven. His worst is quite bad, but his best is extremely good. At The Mountains of Madness is one of the best. It's also one of his few long-ish works; most are short stories. The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is his other novella. Also very good.

Of the short stories (and maybe they're the best places to start), some of the best are The Haunter of the Dark, The Dunwich Horror, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth. I also like The Shunned House and The Rats in the Walls.

Most of his stories are set in a somewhat fictionalized New England. At the Mountains of Madness is set in Antarctica. I mention this because atmosphere is quite important in his stories.

You forgot my personal favourite, The Whisperer in the Darkness.

[orpheus]

Oh yes. I've actually never read that one. I'll rectify that soon.

[Pappa]

Currently re-reading At the Mountains of Madness. I've always loved this novella. And I'd forgotten what a brilliant idea this was:

Trigger Warning!!!1! :

He builds up much of the book to the discovery, description and exploration of the sinister higher-than-Himalayas mountains. And it's really effective. But then, toward the end, he springs on us the fact that off to the west, barely visible, is an even bigger mountain range - and these are the true mountains of madness. Something so chilling about that.

Yeah.... I love that one too.