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The Call of Cthulhu
by
One of the feature stories of the Cthulhu Mythos, H.P. Lovecraft's 'the Call of Cthulhu' is a harrowing tale of the weakness of the human mind when confronted by powers and intelligences from beyond our world.
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Kindle Edition, 43 pages
Published
April 1st 2011
by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
(first published August 1st 1995)
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This here, folks, is the most impressive image of Cthulhu that I’ve come across:
He just looks so damn regal, this eldritch, malevolent entity that appears partoctopus kraken, part dragon, part human caricature…the so called "mountain who walks."
Yes, I admit that I’m a Lovecraft/Cthulhu mythos junkie. I can’t help it. I think his stories are just amazing.
Depending on which HPL story I’ve most recently consumed, I vacillate regarding what is my absolute favorite HPL tale, The Call of Cthul ...more
He just looks so damn regal, this eldritch, malevolent entity that appears part
Yes, I admit that I’m a Lovecraft/Cthulhu mythos junkie. I can’t help it. I think his stories are just amazing.
Depending on which HPL story I’ve most recently consumed, I vacillate regarding what is my absolute favorite HPL tale, The Call of Cthul ...more
Lovecraft does not waste a single word. Every expression, every phrase, is masterfully selected to evoke a sense of the macabre. Like a masterful surgeon, Lovecraft’s meticulous prose is methodical and scrupulous.
Such expertise is carried across the body of his writing, though The Call of Cthulhu is undoubtedly the best example. This story captures so much of Lovecraft’s twisted imagination; it is the pinnacle of his writing, the best of his form. The brilliance of it resides in the way it can ...more
Such expertise is carried across the body of his writing, though The Call of Cthulhu is undoubtedly the best example. This story captures so much of Lovecraft’s twisted imagination; it is the pinnacle of his writing, the best of his form. The brilliance of it resides in the way it can ...more
Perhaps no story more defines H.P. Lovecraft’s eldritch hold on speculative fiction than The Call of Cthulhu.
Pronounced: Cthulhu.
First published in 1928, in Weird Tales magazine, this launched what is now known as the Cthulhu Mythos. It was here, as much as his earlier unspeakable horrors like Dagon and The Tomb and The Nameless City, that formed what is today known as Lovecraftian; but it was great Cthulhu that gave this sub-genre it’s definition and a face from which to leer down upon poor, lo ...more
Pronounced: Cthulhu.
First published in 1928, in Weird Tales magazine, this launched what is now known as the Cthulhu Mythos. It was here, as much as his earlier unspeakable horrors like Dagon and The Tomb and The Nameless City, that formed what is today known as Lovecraftian; but it was great Cthulhu that gave this sub-genre it’s definition and a face from which to leer down upon poor, lo ...more
As a Lovecraft fan, I can easily demonstrate why this story is significant, but explaining exactly why it is so terrifying is a much more difficult thing to do.
So, easy things first.
The Call of Cthulhu is significant—at least to Lovecraft fans—because it is: 1) the first story in which we encounter Cthulhu himself, 2) the story which includes the first explicit rationale for the Cthulhu mythos, 3) the only H.P. Lovecraft story in which a human actually sees a god, and 4) the first production of ...more
A BR with a faithful member of Cthulhu Cult, Craig.
Quite a nice ride to sunset with Cthulhu. I liked the spooky atmosphere, the info about the Cthulhu Cult and Old Ones,and the tickles that it gave to unbelievers! :) It would have been really cool to get more limbs flying from the main Thing, but the ending was quite nice :) ...more
What better time to read The Call of Cthulhu than on Halloween?! Probably should've read this one by now, but I've been holding off for a while, waiting for that special occasion.
I do that with some books, usually classics. There's a Steinbeck or two I'm keeping in my proverbial back pocket for when I'm in the right mood or need to get out of a reading funk.
The Call of Cthulhu is pure horror. It's terrifying. If I'd been wearing boots, I'd be quaking in them. Reading this reminded me of reading ...more
I do that with some books, usually classics. There's a Steinbeck or two I'm keeping in my proverbial back pocket for when I'm in the right mood or need to get out of a reading funk.
The Call of Cthulhu is pure horror. It's terrifying. If I'd been wearing boots, I'd be quaking in them. Reading this reminded me of reading ...more
What’s great about a Lovecraftian horror story, besides the fact that his writing is eerily similar to that of Jason Morais, is that it can afford such a welcome reprieve from a weekend otherwise consumed by madness and violence, the kind of violence that disturbs the soul to its core.
“The Call of Cthulhu” is the story of a man who uncovers evidence of otherworldly beings residing in a state of hibernation deep beneath the surface of the Earth’s oceans. Though the image of Cthulhu¹ is by no mean ...more
“The Call of Cthulhu” is the story of a man who uncovers evidence of otherworldly beings residing in a state of hibernation deep beneath the surface of the Earth’s oceans. Though the image of Cthulhu¹ is by no mean ...more
It's easy to see how Stephen King got his inspiration from this book in some aspects. The Call of Cthulhu, a short story by H.P. Lovecraft often published today as a novella in various formats, is a bizarre mixture of unsettling science fiction and occult intrigue. It isn't so much Cthulhu itself that is unsettling - in fact, if anyone were to depict what Lovecraft describes it looking like visually, it would probably be extremely funny - but the shattering of blissful ignorance and the strange
...more
His most famous work!
LOVECRAFT'S SIGNATURE WORK
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
Easily the most known story by H.P. Lovecraft and the text which gives a formal “birth” to the Cthulhu Mythos, along with the mention of the “fake” book of Necronomicon, inspiring dozens of other write ...more
LOVECRAFT'S SIGNATURE WORK
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
Easily the most known story by H.P. Lovecraft and the text which gives a formal “birth” to the Cthulhu Mythos, along with the mention of the “fake” book of Necronomicon, inspiring dozens of other write ...more
"This momentous story---which introduced the ersatz mythology that came to be called the 'Cthulhu Mythos'---was written in the summer of 1926."
It begins...."The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents."
A locked manuscript of a recently deceased elderly grand-uncle, an authority on ancient inscriptions, leads to bizzare and frightening research resulting in discovery of a monster like human caricature with a pulpy tentacled hea
...more
Dec 04, 2019
Dante
added it
"Who knows the end?".
For years now, I have been wanting to read Lovecraft after hearing Stephen King discuss his importance and just haven’t done so. Two years ago, I bought a Barnes and Noble collection of his ‘Great Tales of Horror’ that has only sat on my pretty shelves. So, I decided to dig into Lovecraft, or at least start and I read about Cthulhu. This started the mythos.
Cthulhu is described as a huge creature or god with the head of an octopus, the body of a dragon with scales and wings and both sets of feet ...more
Cthulhu is described as a huge creature or god with the head of an octopus, the body of a dragon with scales and wings and both sets of feet ...more
The Call of Cthulhu is, to all appearances, a rather short and negligible story (little more than 30 pages long). And yet, it’s undoubtedly one of the most iconic novellas by H.P. Lovecraft, and one of his significant early achievements (with, perhaps, The Rats in the Walls). A novella which has spurred the imagination of countless fans, artists, writers, game designers and triggered many imitations.
In this story, we find the first mentions (to my knowledge) of nightmarish cyclopean corpse-citie ...more
In this story, we find the first mentions (to my knowledge) of nightmarish cyclopean corpse-citie ...more
Read for February Reading Sprint-2019 in Buddy Reads.
3.5 (rounded to 4 because I enjoyed it)
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
Yes, I had no intentions of starting this book and the only reason I decided to read it was the fact that it was super short, and yet it took me a long time to finish i ...more
3.5 (rounded to 4 because I enjoyed it)
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
Yes, I had no intentions of starting this book and the only reason I decided to read it was the fact that it was super short, and yet it took me a long time to finish i ...more
One can easily see why "Lovecraftian" is a thing from this, and why only people who are true devotees can really write anything in-depth about his stuff.
His writing style is utterly sublime. I got vagaries of Fitzgerald-in terms of writing style and their ability to put every single word to good use, with no spare sentences put adrift on the page-but unlike F. Scott, the story was as riveting as the prose. You can feel the tension seeping from the page as you read on.
It's hard to say much else w ...more
His writing style is utterly sublime. I got vagaries of Fitzgerald-in terms of writing style and their ability to put every single word to good use, with no spare sentences put adrift on the page-but unlike F. Scott, the story was as riveting as the prose. You can feel the tension seeping from the page as you read on.
It's hard to say much else w ...more
They had come from the stars, and had brought Their images with Them.
The Call of Cthulhu is truly a horror story without the need of any graphic violence. Just the idea of the cult of Cthulhu (how it came to be and what its purpose is) gives me shivers down my spine.
This is my first experience with H.P. Lovecraft. But it will not be my last because I like his style very much. ...more
The Call of Cthulhu is truly a horror story without the need of any graphic violence. Just the idea of the cult of Cthulhu (how it came to be and what its purpose is) gives me shivers down my spine.
This is my first experience with H.P. Lovecraft. But it will not be my last because I like his style very much. ...more
Lovecraft's writing style is just not my cuppa and that's why I thought this was only OK. Even though this was a short story it felt like it took me forever to get through. I'm all for purple prose but Lovecraft describes things in 2 pages when he really only needed 2 sentences. Verbose is putting it mildly.
I always wanted to read this so that I would better understand what people were talking about when they mention Cthulhu. Now I do. Cthulhu is an interesting concept and I wanted to know more ...more
I always wanted to read this so that I would better understand what people were talking about when they mention Cthulhu. Now I do. Cthulhu is an interesting concept and I wanted to know more ...more
If you like to read boring stories with no characterization, no dialogue, lazy descriptions, and rampant racism, this is for you. As for me, one star is a bit too generous.
oooo spooky octopus 🐙
This was an audio re-read of The Call of Cthulhu for me. This audio came through the AudioBlast newsletter and I requested it right away.
I enjoyed listening to this performance. It had a full dramatization going on with sounds effects, screams and whatnot in the background. However, at times the main narrator went a little flat for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this performance and would recommend it to fans of cosmic horror and Lovecraft.
*Thanks to Audioblast for the opportunity to listen to this stor ...more
I enjoyed listening to this performance. It had a full dramatization going on with sounds effects, screams and whatnot in the background. However, at times the main narrator went a little flat for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this performance and would recommend it to fans of cosmic horror and Lovecraft.
*Thanks to Audioblast for the opportunity to listen to this stor ...more
I'm beginning to think this is one of those books I'll never write a review of; one of the books simply for me to enjoy.
***
I may be able to write a good review of this sometime. This time I'll just say I need more stars.
***
Just as great as the first time I read it. That didn't change.
***
I may be able to write a good review of this sometime. This time I'll just say I need more stars.
***
Just as great as the first time I read it. That didn't change.
For those who enjoy rifling through old research notes, piecing together missing data, making sense of the big picture, and then being left hanging at the end.
I'm kidding, of course. The best part of any horror story is that it leaves you hanging. No explanation, no resolution, no sense of closure.
This story is told in a series of personal accounts in which the narrator pieces together what he thinks was the cause of his granduncle's mysterious sudden death, speculating that the late uncle's mys ...more
I'm kidding, of course. The best part of any horror story is that it leaves you hanging. No explanation, no resolution, no sense of closure.
This story is told in a series of personal accounts in which the narrator pieces together what he thinks was the cause of his granduncle's mysterious sudden death, speculating that the late uncle's mys ...more
In high school, my best friend was utterly obsessed with Lovecraft, which meant I was constantly force-fed numerous short stories of his which I never really enjoyed or remembered fondly. After a decade or so I decided to go back and revisit Lovecraft, and I gotta admit I was pleasantly surprised. The Horror he depicts is a metaphysical horror that very few writers have been able to replicate, but his prose, though often overstimulating, is engrossing and poetic. Xenophobia aside, I enjoyed this
...more
A nice change from reading the story. The narrative choice for this tale was well done with a nice twist at the end. I've listened to this twice in one day!
A nice change from reading the story. The narrative choice for this tale was well done with a nice twist at the end. I've listened to this twice in one day!
MY GRADE: B plus.
MY GRADE: B plus.
Not that great as a stand-alone story, but I can see why it is influential -- it is dense with background material that practically begs to be expanded upon.
Chicken mole tamales wrapped in corn husks, like H.P. Lovecraft's Call of Cthulhu, burst with flavor. You experience the authenticity and the complex and dark, rich tastes in every bite you take. Every bite, or rather Lovecraft's narrative, takes you back to ancient rites alien to the ways of the modern world (now read as 2015). Makes me wonder, just for an instant, what a really good homemade tamale has in common with the modern world. Tamales are anachronistic, aren't they? Sort of like the Ct
...more
So- I read this for my PopSugar prompt: “book by a local author.”
And I sort of wished I’d picked something else, mostly because Lovecraft was apparently a huge racist, and it shows in his writing. He managed to demonize probably every group of people on earth that weren’t white Christians, up to and including Eskimos.
This wasn’t scary. It’s told from the perspective of a man compiling notes and researching this strange cult his grandfather stumbled upon. There was no feeling in this story. No- ...more
And I sort of wished I’d picked something else, mostly because Lovecraft was apparently a huge racist, and it shows in his writing. He managed to demonize probably every group of people on earth that weren’t white Christians, up to and including Eskimos.
This wasn’t scary. It’s told from the perspective of a man compiling notes and researching this strange cult his grandfather stumbled upon. There was no feeling in this story. No- ...more
Very creepy and atmospheric, in an old-fashioned way. Not really my thing, but it kept my interest well enough. 3 1/2 stars.
Disclaimer: I'm not into the horror genre and I've never been a Lovecraft fan, although I did read The Dunwich Horror once upon a time. But I was reading and trying to understand Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald yesterday, and in the course of researching the Cthulhu aspects of that story I found this one online at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Cal.... It's worth readin ...more
Disclaimer: I'm not into the horror genre and I've never been a Lovecraft fan, although I did read The Dunwich Horror once upon a time. But I was reading and trying to understand Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald yesterday, and in the course of researching the Cthulhu aspects of that story I found this one online at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Cal.... It's worth readin ...more
I wish I could rate this book purely on the merits of literary talent, but to do so would be irresponsible to those who might be swayed by my recommendation. I don't see many references to Lovecraft's personal flaws in this review section, so I feel obligated to at least mention some.
While I was captivated by the profound nuance of the ideas being conveyed in the story, there were a few remarks that caught my attention as potentially harboring significant undertones; so I decided to research Lov ...more
While I was captivated by the profound nuance of the ideas being conveyed in the story, there were a few remarks that caught my attention as potentially harboring significant undertones; so I decided to research Lov ...more
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Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a ...more
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a ...more
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“Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
—
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In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
“We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
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