Recipes from the World of H. P. Lovecraft: Inspired by Cosmic Horror

by Olivia Luna Eldritch

Your guests will be delighted to the point of madness when you serve these Lovecraft-inspired dishes!

Whether you’re looking to prepare a casual meal for friends or host a lavish horror-themed party, you’ll find the recipes you need in  Recipes from the World of H. P. Lovecraft . With simple breakfast dishes to kickstart your adventures, refreshing light meals to keep you on the run from otherworldly deities, and main dishes for when you’ve made it home safe, more than 80 bone-chillingly delicious recipes will draw you into the mysterious world of the Cthulhu Mythos, where the Great Old Ones are waiting for the right moment to rise from the depths and gather for a feast!

Genres: Cookbooks

160 pages, Hardcover

Published July 25, 2023

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering that H.P. Lovecraft couldn't cook, and bragged about his ability to live off of coffee, canned beans, spaghetti and ice cream, and that food is barely mentioned in his written work, I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook. First of all, it is beautifully bond, illustrated, and the food photos are gorgeous! Secondly the author figured out how to link the foods within the various Lovecraft stories. The section "strange Feastings" was especially entertaining, and most of these recipes sound quite delicious. If you are planning a Lovecraftian or sophisticated horror-themed dinner, definitely check out this cookbook!

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 3 out of 5]

H. P. Lovecraft is considered one of the originators of cosmic horror with his writing starting the Cthulhu mythos. Even though there are people who consider their cooking skills to be horrific, this cookbook isn’t how to turn out dishes to scare everyone away from the dining table.

I was given a copy of the Recipes from the World of H.P. Lovecraft: Inspired by Cosmic Horror because I have a strong interest, and enjoyment, in cooking and cosmic horror.

I feel confident this tome of recipes is authored by a person using a pen name. I say this because there is no information about the author or the creator of the recipes in the cookbook. The name does play on the theme of the work, and I give them credit for that touch.

Recipes from the World of H.P. Lovecraft: Inspired by Cosmic Horror by Olivia Luna Eldritch is a fun resource for learning some tidbits of the life of H. P. Lovecraft. The insights into his life through the excerpts from his letters and diaries bring an additional understanding into his creative processes in developing horror that includes cosmic monsters and the slow descent into madness.

I found the recipes could be used as a good starting point for the dishes. Some are good as they are written, others should be approached with some caution to ensure you have a dish you are happy to present to another.

I recommend Recipes from the World of H.P. Lovecraft: Inspired by Cosmic Horror to those who enjoy the works of H.P. Lovecraft and would like to learn more about him and his life with a lighter read than a textbook.

You can read the complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

While legit fans of Lovcraft will be aware he was frugal to a fault, spent a pittance on food (documenting such expenditures in letters to his Aunts), and relied heavily on beans, canned soup, coffee, and ice cream, Olivia Luna Eldritch's Recipes from the World of H.P. Lovecraft: Inspired by Cosmic Horror will make this a welcome addition to their cookbook collections. The book is well-produced, with high-quality stitching, solid graphics, and clear cooking instructions.

Following an Introduction, the book is divided into five main parts: Breaking Fasts, Lighter Bites, Strange Feastings, Toothsome Sweets, and Potions & Concoctions. It is also indexed and provides references to the works cited in its pages. It is replete with full-color art, black line drawings, and photographs of complete dishes. For my part, I'm starting with R'lyeh Pie (a.k.a. Spanakopita) care of "The Call of Cthulhu" (pp. 89-91). This, and a few starter works from the Lovecraft oeuvre, would make a welcome birthday, Halloween, or other holiday gift. I definitely see what we're taking to this year's Halloween party at Weirdhaven Manor!

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is yet another one I found while wandering the same bookstore where I picked up Hero's Feast, the D&D themed cookbook.

This is another book themed around Lovecraft, but in this case around the man himself rather than his writings.

This is kind of an odd cookbook. I really like where the author's heart was at but, through no fault of her own as far as I can see, she didn't really succeed in trying to depict Lovecraft's life through recipes. The reason for this is because Lovecraft was, famously, perpetually on the edge of true poverty and mostly ate either easy to make processed foods at home or at cheap eateries that were generally within walking distance. He had very well known food preferences -doughnuts, coffee and ice cream, for instance - but none of those make for very compelling inclusions in a cookbook and he was also notably unadventurous in culinary terms due to both his tight finances and his truly abhorrent racism. It still has some worthwhile biographical material and looks great, but it was not, perhaps, the best thought out idea for a cookbook.

[Danko Ostojić · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes are eldritch only in name and not in the final look of the dish.