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Jlassen
Moderator
Username: Jlassen
Post Number: 31
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 04:05 pm: | |
Okay kids... its time to play a game.... What is your favorite Mythos story NOT written by H. P. Lovecraft. Obviously there have been a billion of them, some higher profile the others. But I'm curious. What are some of the ones that really stand out for you all? |
Sigil23
New member
Username: Sigil23
Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 04:19 pm: | |
One of the most obvious would be Long's The Hounds of Tindalos. T.E.D. Klein - The Ceremonies. Kind of have a fondness for Michael Shea's The Colour Out of Time as well. Karl Edward Wagner's - Sticks. Quite a few Clark Ashton Smith Hyperborea stories. But I'd have to think about it a little more, gotta sort through a LOT of junk first.
I just read a Jack Vance mystery where one of the guy's had The Necronomicon on the shelf, that's one thing I thought I'd never see. |
Spencer
Moderator
Username: Spencer
Post Number: 1026
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 05:55 pm: | |
I love several of Ramsey Campbell's Mythos stories - "Cold Print" and "The Tugging" are pretty frightening, and several of his stories in his Cold Print collection are very effective. Robert Bloch's "The Shadow from the Steeple" and "Notebook Found in a Deserted House" are great. Karl Edward Wagner and T.E.D. Klein (especially "Children of the Kingdom") wrote good Mythos fiction as well, and of course no writer captures the spirit of Lovecraft better than Thomas Ligotti, although he doesn't write Mythos stories per se. Lastly, Esther Friesner's "Love's Eldritch Ichor" is the best humorous Mythos story I've ever read. |
Shsilver
New member
Username: Shsilver
Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 06:18 pm: | |
My favorite is Robert Bloch's "The Fane of the Black Pharaoh," with the runner-up being Randall Garrett's pastiche "The Horror Out of Time." |
Blue_tyson
New member
Username: Blue_tyson
Post Number: 94
Registered: 07-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 06:21 pm: | |
Hallucigenia, Laird Barron.
Free SF Reader
Not Free SF Reader
Super Reader - Superhero Prose Fiction List and Ratings
|
Spencer
Moderator
Username: Spencer
Post Number: 1027
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 - 06:32 pm: | |
I can't believe I forgot Laird Barron. I love all of his stories. |
Kristine
New member
Username: Kristine
Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 04:28 am: | |
I second "Sticks." I also like "Crouch End" by Stephen King. |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 259
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 10:19 am: | |
Two of my favourite not-written-by-lovecraft Mythos stories have already been mentioned - Campbell's 'Cold Print' and Wagner's 'Sticks'.
I'll add Brian Lumley to the list ('The Second Wish', 'Inception', 'The Fairground Horror', etc) and Caitlin R. Kiernan; 'Nor the Demons Down Under the Sea' is an excellent Mythos tale. |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 260
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 10:29 am: | |
I knew I'd forgotten someone - Fred Chappell. There's his novel Dagon of course, but also some of his short fiction, especially 'The Adder.' |
Whispersmith
New member
Username: Whispersmith
Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 - 11:18 am: | |
Definitely Sticks. Just thinking about it makes me feel kind of creepy... |
Jks
New member
Username: Jks
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 09:05 am: | |
Well, the first one that sprang to mind was Caitlin Kiernan's "Pickman's Other Model" from last month's Sirenia Digest. Then I thought of China Mieville's wonderful "Details"; but pondering the question for a few moments leads me to conclude that despite worthy entries from Bloch, Howard and Long, my favorite would have to be Neil Gaiman's award winning "A Study In Emerald" - Cthulhu and Sherlock Homes: What a combo!
PS, Anybody have handy a reference for "Sticks"? I really must read that one some time. |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 261
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 10:03 am: | |
You can find Wagner's 'Sticks' in his collection In a Lonely Place, as well as a bunch of different anthologies (The Dark Descent, Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, The Giant Book of Horror Stories, The Mammoth Book of Zombies...) |
Spencer
Moderator
Username: Spencer
Post Number: 1033
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 10:54 am: | |
"Details" and "A Study in Emerald" are awesome.
Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos is probably the easiest-to-find anthology that contains "Sticks." |
Jks
New member
Username: Jks
Post Number: 5
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 02:30 pm: | |
Thanks guys!
In fact I actually do own 'Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos', but this is one of those rare instances where it’s a drawback having the 1st Edition HB, as I see it's the 1990 revised edition that contains 'Sticks'. *Sigh*
If anyone’s interested, I couldn’t find the story for sale as a download anywhere, but I did find and buy a radio-play version:
(http://www.zbs.org/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=5&products_id=76)
This is not a recitation by Patrick McGee (‘Steed’ of “The Avengers” fame) which is out there somewhere but, equally cool, I believe it’s the one mentioned on KEW’s Wikipedia entry (“In the mid-1980s, "Sticks" received a chilling audio adaptation on the radio series The Cabinet of Dr. Fritz.”)
If you tend to like radio plays I think you’ll enjoy this one. Really creepy!
Now that I’ve done a bit more research, I’m really psyched to read the story itself as the general consensus on the net seems to be that it’s the basis for the movie ‘The Blair Witch Project’ which I thoroughly enjoyed. Oh well, I guess I'll pony up the cash for one of KEW's collections even though they seem to be quite pricey (Hey, JL, any chance you'll reprint ‘In A Lonely Place’ - it'd go nicely with the Kane editions!).
And to add one more short story to the mix, IMHO Charlie Stross’ Hugo winner ‘The Concrete Jungle’ is one of the best of his ‘Bob Howard’ stories (Hmm, now there’s an anthology idea: “New Award-Winning Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos” – this sounds like a job for Super-anthologist, Jonathan Strahan!). |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 262
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 02:48 pm: | |
Wasn't there mention of NS doing a Collected Stories of Karl Edward Wagner? |
Spencer
Moderator
Username: Spencer
Post Number: 1036
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, April 19, 2008 - 07:06 pm: | |
Yep, I think The Collected Stories of Karl Edward Wagner was a two volume edition originally scheduled for late 2007 or 2008, but it's probably been moved back. I'm definitely planning on buying that one since I've loved the Wagner stories that I've read - his "More Sinned Against" is one of the bleakest, most shocking horror stories ever written.
"Sticks" isn't really the basis for The Blair Witch Project (in terms of plot), although the central image of the film is definitely found in the story (the lattices of sticks), and they're both pretty Lovecraftian. |
J_saw
New member
Username: J_saw
Post Number: 2
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 12:42 am: | |
I liked Michael Shea's "Fat Face" and Thomas Ligotti's "The Last Feast of Harlequin." I also agree with the inclusion of anything by Laird Barron.
When looking for the story "Sticks" I suggest purchasing the enormous volume "The Dark Descent" edited by David Hartwell, which is readily available used and new on Ebay or Amazon.
It is, in my opinion, the best anthology of horror stories in existence. If that's too much book for you, "The Dark Descent" was broken down into three separate volumes in mass market paperback editions. "The Color of Evil" contains "Sticks" and a number of other great stories and is available for $.01 (used) plus shipping on Amazon. |
Jks
New member
Username: Jks
Post Number: 6
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 07:45 am: | |
Hi Spencer: Ok, I watched ‘The Blair Witch Project’ again last night with my 13 yr old daughter. I still really enjoyed it even after all these years and it just creeped Rachel right out (Heh, heh!). She also thought there were a lot of similar plot elements going on between it and the radio play of ‘Sticks’ we heard, but I guess with KEW gone nobody will ever test in court whether these similarities are actionable. Truthfully, sometimes they just are commonalities in life: there are just so many themes to go around. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s a You Tube clip of Caitlin Kiernan talking about Cthulhu Mythos elements in King Kong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMdl5n_utjc
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And incidentally, I read over on Caitlin’s blog that the documentary that this clip is from is finished, so it’ll be something all of us can enjoy shortly.
J_saw: Thanks for the heads up! I have to go into the city this week, so there’re a couple of used bookstores I’ll check out for ‘The Dark Descent’. I usually try and avoid anthologies simply because I usually have so many of the stories in single author collections but in this case since this seems to be such a seminal collection, I’d like to have a copy. |
Spencer
Moderator
Username: Spencer
Post Number: 1039
Registered: 08-2006
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 08:43 am: | |
Well, I haven't read "Sticks" in quite a while, so now I'm curious as to how similar The Blair Witch Project is to it. I guess I'll have to reread it... |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 263
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 09:53 am: | |
JKs, if you want to check out the toc for Hartwell's The Dark Descent, here's a link:
http://www.locusmag.com/index/t60.htm#A7153
Also, you might like to consider Harwell's Foundations of Fear, which is equally impressive:
http://www.locusmag.com/index/t216.htm#A23653 |
Jks
New member
Username: Jks
Post Number: 7
Registered: 02-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 11:52 am: | |
Many Thanks Alan!
I was looking for a TOC all over the web (I'll have to remember that Locus link). I think I'll buy both volumes, as it turns out that I only own about 1/5 out of each book and I like Hartwell's story by story intros. |
Alan_frackelton
Junior Member
Username: Alan_frackelton
Post Number: 264
Registered: 02-2007
| | Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008 - 03:03 pm: | |
No problem, JKs. You shouldn't have too much trouble tracking down some affordable copies. |
Dflewis
Junior Member
Username: Dflewis
Post Number: 317
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 02:27 pm: | |
My favourite Cthulhu story is THE HOUND by HP Lovecraft.
This is why;
Who Killed St John?
http://vaultofevil.proboards75.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread =989&page=1 |
Dflewis
Junior Member
Username: Dflewis
Post Number: 318
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 21, 2008 - 02:46 pm: | |
Oops, sorry, just noticed the first post on this thread excluded HPL!
des |
Byron_bailey
Junior Member
Username: Byron_bailey
Post Number: 296
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 - 10:05 am: | |
I'm not as big of a fan of "Sticks" as the rest of you seem to be although it's still a good read. It was just that the main character started finding strangely shaped bundles of sticks in the forest, getting me to think that their creators were none other than Boy Scouts much like the ones who habitually beat the crap out of me -- their good deed for the day? -- engaged in their typical woodcraft, witchcraft or whatever they choose to call it now. When the horror revealed in the story turned out to be less than that of my imagination, I felt a little let down. Still, good story.
I've only read a few Laird Barron stories and loved them all. I've tried a few August Derluth Lovecraft based stories and couldn't stomach them. They made me shudder but not in the way Lovecraft does. No accompanying chills. Just shudder. "A Colder War" by Charlie Stross is excellent. On the lighter side is Neil Gaiman's "Shoggoth's Old Peculiar."
Now for a few stories that aren't part of the Lovecraft mythos per se but feel as if they could or should be or at least feel as if they have a strong Lovecraftian influence.
First, Fritz Leiber's "The Dreams of Albert Moreland." Imagine some poor guy playing Cthulhu in a game of alien chess for the fate of the world.
Second, Harlan Ellison's short yet powerful "The Dreams A Nightmare Dreams." It's a story about Cthulhu except it's not quite Cthulhu. Different body shape sleeping in a different part of the ocean. Still, a very powerful Cthulhu archetype at play in this story.
Third, James Tiptree Jr.'s "The Screwfly Solution." You got the traditional epistelary part of the story frequently used by Lovvecraft. You have the sinister cult bringing about the end of the world or at least humanity. You have the aliens with sinister intentions towards humanity. You have the rising sense of dread followed a revalation. take away the slightly hipper writing style and the thin veneer of scientific rationality and you have a very Lovecraftian story structurally.
Finally, R. A. Lafferty's "All Pieces of a River Shore," has a distinct Lovecraftian feel with that rising tide of dread followed by the final revelation. My case for this being Lovecraftian is probably weakest. |
David_n
New member
Username: David_n
Post Number: 1
Registered: 06-2008
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 08:24 pm: | |
Noticed this a bit late - thought that The Atrocity Exhibition (Stross) was worth a mention (haven't seen one yet).
Agree re "Crouch End" being pretty good. |
Asshurbanipal
New member
Username: Asshurbanipal
Post Number: 9
Registered: 04-2008
| | Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 07:21 am: | |
My favourite non-Lovecraft Mythos story would be mine, if only I could finish it. If anybody wants to use my invented addition to the Mythos bookshelf, please feel free to do so: Reginald Glanville's "The Infected Skull" (I wish I knew what that was in Latin). |
John_thiel
Junior Member
Username: John_thiel
Post Number: 145
Registered: 04-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 12:35 pm: | |
That all sounds good, but the story where Cthulhu is quarried in New Orleans, "The Brides of Cthulhu", is new! The mythos has not ended! If you want to see it, you'll have to look in the January 2008 issue of Surprising Stories, and since we don't put 'em up in advance, you'll have to wait till January. It's worth the wait.
I've got biff and zow
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