5 ms·

H.P. Lovecraft – Against the World, Against Life (2004) [pdf]

80 points by networked 11y ago

Amezarak 11y ago
I've always been disappointed in the lack of recognition Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath gets. Several years ago, I read all of Lovecraft's works in a stretch, and while I enjoyed them all, Dream Quest really stood about. By the end my heart was racing and I was reading as fast as I could to find out what happened next. It's very rare for me to have any reaction to a story beyond the pleasure of reading or the appreciation of good prose. But Dream Quest is consistently absent from lists of favorites or of Lovecraft's best writings. Maybe I just have bad taste. :) To be fair, it is a little different in theme than Lovecraft's later writings: less scientific horror and more fantastical horror.
- superskierpat 11y ago
  Dream Quest felt really different from the rest, but I really liked it as well. I was reading a collection of all his short stories at the time and it's pretty cool to see little stories that tie in to this storie's dreamverse from time to time.
  - nailer 11y ago
    I feel Kadath would be an excellent television series for boys aged 10-12. It has bravery and adventure and imagination and virtue, and horror but not blindingly so.
    - superskierpat 11y ago
      That or a video game. Could easily be a mix of adventure / puzzle with some action thrown in (Places like the forest, the moon, the underdream and kadath)
- YeGoblynQueenne 11y ago
  Aye, Kadath is a perfect example of what Houellebecq notes about Lovecraft's drawing inspiration from his dreams. The whole story basically reads like a stitching together of bits from a dream diary- or maybe even a single one of those long, winding dreams you manage to recall after a full night's sleep, the kind you only get in the holidays and so on. I guess it's just grouped together with others of his early, non-Mythos stories, like The Cats of Ulthar and The Music of Erich Zann, that were alright but nothing special. Anyway if you liked Kadath, you should check out Lord Dunsany (if you haven't).
cstross 11y ago
Strong rec: if you've ever wondered about H. P. Lovecraft but lacked the time to read your way through his writings (and all six volumes of his letters), this is Houellebecq giving you the Cliff's Notes version. (Lovecraft is considered a major literary figure in France, hence the interest among academics.) (Disclaimer: I might have written the odd piece of Lovecraft-influenced fiction in the past ...)
- Immortalin 11y ago
  Laundry files?
  - cstross 11y ago
    Yup.
    - qrendel 11y ago
      Odd coincidence that I literally just finished reading The Atrocity Archives about ten minutes ago. Great book, loved it. Thought the series might have been the inspiration for the movie Cabin in the Woods, but seems not.
  - xenophonf 11y ago
    I thought he was referring to "A Colder War," which to me replicates perfectly the cold dread I felt when reading Lovecraft's stories about the Colour out of Space, Irem of the Pillars, et al---more so than any of the works by Lovecraft's other fans (including Derleth, whose work I didn't enjoy).
- lindbergh 11y ago
  Absolutely agree. Haven't read the english translation, but the original version was one of my favourite read last year. It is a short book (about 150pages I believe) and very skillfully written. It is very clinical, but in the same way Lovecraft is clinical in his descriptions of the the unnameable. It ends up giving a chilly insight on a deeply tormented man, who had trouble adjusting to modern society in all its horror and prurience!
nkg 11y ago
I've read one of his books (Call of Chtulu) for the 1st time recently. I had not been warned about the high amount of racism that is to be found in his writing. It felt awkward until the last page! The only time I have been that disturbed by a book, it was novel from Houellebecq...
- rpgmaker 11y ago
  Which one?
  - nkg 11y ago
    "Whatever" (in French :"L'extension du domaine de la lutte")
    - rpgmaker 11y ago
      It's weird that I had not read about it on HN, given the wikipedia description: "The novel tells the story of a depressed and isolated man stuck in a tedious but well-paying programming job."
- krapp 11y ago
  Yes, once you realize stories like Shadow over Innsmouth are really about the horrors of race-mixing, it can become a bit uncomfortable to read. He was a man of his time, unfortunately.
rpgmaker 11y ago
I can't find this on archive.org. I want the epub download (if available), does anyone have it?
cenazoic 11y ago
This is an interesting companion piece to ST Joshi's 2-volume biography of Lovecraft: I am Providence. Joshi, while somewhat controversial due to his alleged whitewashing of Lovecraft's racial views (as well as some obvious editorializing in IaP), is currently THE Lovecraft authority. I am Providence is the best resource out there right now for insight into HPL views, life, and publishing history.
YeGoblynQueenne 11y ago
I'm a bit shocked to read about the extent of Lovecraft's racism. I had noticed it in his writings, but I thought it was the voice of his characters. I never think much about the creators of the stories or the music I enjoy, exactly because I'm worried I might find something unpleasant, like Lovecraft's racism. Frex, I'm happy I don't understand a word of what many of the bands I listen to sing, otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd never listen to them again. [1] I was lucky not to know all this about Lovecraft, as I didn't know stuff about other writers I enjoyed when I was younger, otherwise I don't think I'd have managed to enjoy them in the same way. And I was really, really into Lovecraft's stuff as a teenager. I think I've read pretty much everything he's published, plus a whole lot of his disciples' stories. A couple of shorts have escaped me, by happy coincidence (The Colour out of Space and The Shadow out of Time) and I'm keeping them for a special moment. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvGPAVTYfXI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvGPAVTYfXI

80 points by networked 11y ago

I've always been disappointed in the lack of recognition Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath gets. Several years ago, I read all of Lovecraft's works in a stretch, and while I enjoyed them all, Dream Quest really stood about. By the end my heart was racing and I was reading as fast as I could to find out what happened next. It's very rare for me to have any reaction to a story beyond the pleasure of reading or the appreciation of good prose. But Dream Quest is consistently absent from lists of favorites or of Lovecraft's best writings. Maybe I just have bad taste. :) To be fair, it is a little different in theme than Lovecraft's later writings: less scientific horror and more fantastical horror.

superskierpat 11y ago
Dream Quest felt really different from the rest, but I really liked it as well. I was reading a collection of all his short stories at the time and it's pretty cool to see little stories that tie in to this storie's dreamverse from time to time.
- nailer 11y ago
  I feel Kadath would be an excellent television series for boys aged 10-12. It has bravery and adventure and imagination and virtue, and horror but not blindingly so.
  - superskierpat 11y ago
    That or a video game. Could easily be a mix of adventure / puzzle with some action thrown in (Places like the forest, the moon, the underdream and kadath)
YeGoblynQueenne 11y ago
Aye, Kadath is a perfect example of what Houellebecq notes about Lovecraft's drawing inspiration from his dreams. The whole story basically reads like a stitching together of bits from a dream diary- or maybe even a single one of those long, winding dreams you manage to recall after a full night's sleep, the kind you only get in the holidays and so on. I guess it's just grouped together with others of his early, non-Mythos stories, like The Cats of Ulthar and The Music of Erich Zann, that were alright but nothing special. Anyway if you liked Kadath, you should check out Lord Dunsany (if you haven't).

cstross 11y ago

Strong rec: if you've ever wondered about H. P. Lovecraft but lacked the time to read your way through his writings (and all six volumes of his letters), this is Houellebecq giving you the Cliff's Notes version. (Lovecraft is considered a major literary figure in France, hence the interest among academics.) (Disclaimer: I might have written the odd piece of Lovecraft-influenced fiction in the past ...)

Immortalin 11y ago
Laundry files?
- cstross 11y ago
  Yup.
  - qrendel 11y ago
    Odd coincidence that I literally just finished reading The Atrocity Archives about ten minutes ago. Great book, loved it. Thought the series might have been the inspiration for the movie Cabin in the Woods, but seems not.
- xenophonf 11y ago
  I thought he was referring to "A Colder War," which to me replicates perfectly the cold dread I felt when reading Lovecraft's stories about the Colour out of Space, Irem of the Pillars, et al---more so than any of the works by Lovecraft's other fans (including Derleth, whose work I didn't enjoy).
lindbergh 11y ago
Absolutely agree. Haven't read the english translation, but the original version was one of my favourite read last year. It is a short book (about 150pages I believe) and very skillfully written. It is very clinical, but in the same way Lovecraft is clinical in his descriptions of the the unnameable. It ends up giving a chilly insight on a deeply tormented man, who had trouble adjusting to modern society in all its horror and prurience!

nkg 11y ago

I've read one of his books (Call of Chtulu) for the 1st time recently. I had not been warned about the high amount of racism that is to be found in his writing. It felt awkward until the last page! The only time I have been that disturbed by a book, it was novel from Houellebecq...

rpgmaker 11y ago
Which one?
- nkg 11y ago
  "Whatever" (in French :"L'extension du domaine de la lutte")
  - rpgmaker 11y ago
    It's weird that I had not read about it on HN, given the wikipedia description: "The novel tells the story of a depressed and isolated man stuck in a tedious but well-paying programming job."
krapp 11y ago
Yes, once you realize stories like Shadow over Innsmouth are really about the horrors of race-mixing, it can become a bit uncomfortable to read. He was a man of his time, unfortunately.

rpgmaker 11y ago

I can't find this on archive.org. I want the epub download (if available), does anyone have it?

cenazoic 11y ago

This is an interesting companion piece to ST Joshi's 2-volume biography of Lovecraft: I am Providence. Joshi, while somewhat controversial due to his alleged whitewashing of Lovecraft's racial views (as well as some obvious editorializing in IaP), is currently THE Lovecraft authority. I am Providence is the best resource out there right now for insight into HPL views, life, and publishing history.

YeGoblynQueenne 11y ago

I'm a bit shocked to read about the extent of Lovecraft's racism. I had noticed it in his writings, but I thought it was the voice of his characters. I never think much about the creators of the stories or the music I enjoy, exactly because I'm worried I might find something unpleasant, like Lovecraft's racism. Frex, I'm happy I don't understand a word of what many of the bands I listen to sing, otherwise I'm pretty sure I'd never listen to them again. [1] I was lucky not to know all this about Lovecraft, as I didn't know stuff about other writers I enjoyed when I was younger, otherwise I don't think I'd have managed to enjoy them in the same way. And I was really, really into Lovecraft's stuff as a teenager. I think I've read pretty much everything he's published, plus a whole lot of his disciples' stories. A couple of shorts have escaped me, by happy coincidence (The Colour out of Space and The Shadow out of Time) and I'm keeping them for a special moment. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvGPAVTYfXI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvGPAVTYfXI