Cthulhu 101*OP

by Kenneth Hite

CTHULHU 101 is aimed squarely at this who are "Cthulhu-curious" but don't want to dive right into a whole mass of books and stories and everything else. It's for people who walk into a store or a gaming convention and see the plush Cthulhus and Shoggoths, the resin models, the games, the DVDs, and the shelves of books and wonder "What's this whole Cthulhu/H.P. Lovecraft thing all about, anyway?" Modeled after such short, light-tone books as the Bluffers Guide series, CTHULHU 101 combines clear, basic answers to common first ("What is Cthulhu?" "Who is H.P. Lovecraft?" "What is the 'Cthulhu Mythos'?") with lists ("Ten Best Other Lovecraft Stories" ,"The Lovecraft Cthulhu's Friends And Foes", "Ten Best Other Mythos Stories", "Ten Most Lovecraftian Movies (Whether They Mention Cthulhu Or Not)", "Ten Strangest Places You'll Find Cthulhu") and overviews of Cthulhu's presence in pop culture ("Cthulhu In Games", "Cthulhu In Comics", "Cthulhu In Music" etc.). Graphically clean and friendly, CTHULHU 101 also includes interior illustrations and cover by the very talented Drew Pocza.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Humor, Gaming

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Kenneth Hite (born September 15, 1965) is a writer and role-playing game designer. Author of Trail of Cthulhu and Night's Black Agents role-playing games, Hite has been announced as the lead designer of the upcoming 5th edition of Vampire: the Masquerade.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun look at the basics of Lovecraftian literature with pop culture references galore. Insert Kenneth Hite wit and shake for five minutes to get the best flavor.

OVERALL GRADE: B

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but by necessity not too deep overview of Lovecraft's big guy and various related topics. A brisk read highly recommended for noobs, but even old hands will find a grab bag of a dozen or more short stories, movies and comics, web and print, to go track down.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful overview of the Great Old Meme Machine and the various media that keep trying to find new ways to serve his public domain tentacles.

If you are a fan of Cthulhu, Ken Hite's wit, or breezy overview texts, picking up this book will likely have you a fan of all three by the end of it.

[Chris Longstreet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, great Lovecraft primer

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute little comic book like booklet. It contains lots of information about the Cthulhu Mythos and the rest of H.P. Lovecraft's work. Lots of lists of facts and pop cultural references. Good short reviews of the various Lovecraft collections.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, light-hearted book explaining all the basic need-to-know stuff about Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos, that could easily be read in one sitting. This book is perfect for anyone who's "Cthulhu-Curious" but doesn't want to read a whole bunch of ridiculous stories. I bought it specifically so I could lend it around to my friends

[Hunter Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a pinballing set of lists and Q&A about Cthulhuana. You already know if you'll like it.

[Loki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lightweight but fun overview of the Cthulhu Mythos, written by the one of the better (and certainly the most entertaining) scholars of Lovecraft and his ilk.

[Mina MacGabhann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute, surprisingly informative.
I liked this a lot.