My favourite Lovecraft stories so far (and recommendations for first time readers)

Submitted by KamaandHallie t3_11dg0hz in books

For this list, I shall be listing my favourite Lovecraft stories I have read so far, so not every story is gonna be in here yet. It's also a list of my personal recommendations for people who want to get into Lovecraft, I made sure to also choose his lesser-known and unique stories so first-time readers don't just see one side of his writing career.

​

1. The Call of Cthulhu

SYNOPSIS: After the death of his late uncle, Francis Wayland Thurston examines the files and documents left behind by his uncle, only to discover about his uncle's findings of a strange world-wide scale share of the same dream, and a secret cult worshipping and trying to awake some ancient entity known as Cthulhu.

REVIEW: This is the most important and essential Lovecraft story, not only for being his most famous one, but also the perfect story to introduce people to Lovecraft as it contains everything that makes Lovecraft...well...Lovecraft. From his use of the fear of the unknown, the concept of ancient unknowable entities from beyond our world known as the "Great Old Ones", his racism and xenophobia that appears in a number of his stories, and his strange word use to describe both the indescribable and mundane things that invoke a strange feeling of fear. The opening paragraph of this story is literally all you need to read to get a good idea of what Lovecraft's all about. Starting to read Lovecraft? Start here.

​

2. Dagon

SYNOPSIS: After his ship got hijacked by a German sea raider in WW1, the narrator manages to escape the ship on a life boat and become lost at sea, only to wake up on a strange land mass made of black goo and covered with washed-up sea life.

REVIEW: This story, along with "Call of Cthulhu", is a great introduction for first-time readers. This story is essentially the shorter and more simple version of "Call of Cthulhu", being only around five pages long. Like many Lovecraft stories, despite this being set in the real world, it has a very surreal and dream-like quality to it, sometimes making you question what's real and what isn't. It also really sets up the fear of the unknown quite well, as well as future monsters appearing in other Lovecraft stories.

​

3. The Colour Out of Space

SYNOPSIS: A surveyor from Boston travels to the west of Arkham and discovers a strange location known only as the "blasted heath". As he talks to an old man who witnessed what happened, it's revealed that a farmer family known as the Gardners had a strange meteorite crash into their farmland, which contained a strange substance that could only be described as a "colour", but it wasn't any colour that anyone had ever seen. Since the meteorites landing, strange things began happening around the farmland, especially in the well, as if whatever came from the meteorite began changing and sucking the life from everything in its vicinity.

REVIEW: This was Lovecraft's favourite story, and it's not hard to see why. This is easily one of his scariest stories, and contains one of the most "unknown" of his unknowable entities. It's a simple, straightforward horror story that really presents strange ideas of what could be lurking out there in space and the universe, like maybe a sentient unknown colour.

​

4. The Dunwich Horror

SYNOPSIS: In the hillbilly town of Dunwich, a family known as the Whateleys had had a knew strange, monstrous, goat-like baby boy named Wilbur, whose father is completely unknown, and he somehow kept growing at an impossible rate. Wilbur's grandfather and mother, who are into strange practices and rituals, have special plans for Wilbur, and the townspeople keep seeing the family doing strange things. It's soon found out that Wilbur's plans that involve his unknown father could bring the destruction of all life on Earth if he isn't stopped, and that the family has been hiding something much more horrifying than even Wilbur himself in their attic.

REVIEW: This is easily one of Lovecraft's most famous stories, as well as one of his longer ones. This is one of the few stories that feature evil human villains, and (POTENTIAL SPOILER) >!have humans win in the end!<. The Whateley family are easily very disgusting and horrifying, especially Wilbur, who is implied to not be fully human. It also introduces us to an important Lovecraft entity and more lore about the Great Old Ones. This is quite a fun and interesting horror story, and definitely. The one thing people might not enjoy is Lovecraft's obvious dislike for hillbillies and the way he writes their accent is really hard to understand that actual hillbillies might have a hard time reading it.

&#x200B;

5. The Shadow Over Innsmouth

SYNOPSIS: A man named Robert Olmstead comes across a strange old fishing town named Innsmouth, but all the citizens there look very odd, almost fish-like, and behave strangely. Robert then tries to find out more about what's going on with the town, it's history, and we soon find out what made his report to the military cause them to torpedo a nearby reef, but also take the townspeople hostage into concentration camps.

REVIEW: Also one of Lovecraft's most popular story, as well as one of his longer ones. This story has some interesting horror and provides a lot more lore and story connecting back to "Dagon". The story also has an amazing reveal at the end, so worth reading.

&#x200B;

6. The Rats in the Walls

SYNOPSIS: A man named Delapore moves into his ancestral home in England called Exham Priory, a mansion resting near the cliff edge. But ever since he lived in the mansion, he keeps hearing scratching noises from within the walls, almost like there were rats in there. The more he digs deep into finding out what's going on, the more he discovers horrifying secrets of his home and his family, and there's something hidden underneath his mansion.

REVIEW: This is easily one of the scariest and disturbing Lovecraft stories, it has a very disturbing atmosphere, and really gives you a sense of dread the more you learn about the secret history of the narrator's family. It also has one of the most disturbing endings of any Lovecraft story.

&#x200B;

7. Nyarlathotep

SYNOPSIS: Humanity begins experiencing a strange sense of dread and plagued with nightmares of some oncoming evil, that it becomes such a vast social problem. Suddenly, a strange man resembling a pharaoh named "Nyarlathotep" appeared out of Egypt, who brings with him a strange and horrifying presence. He travels from city to city, showing his incredible and impossible scientific devices as well as horrifying prophecies, and slowly gaining popularity, and wherever he goes, the city is plagued by the screams resulting from horrific nightmares.

REVIEW: Easily one of my favourites. This is one of Lovecraft's shorter stories, being only several pages long, but it really is effective. The whole story feels so surreal and dream-like, it's reporting a real event (in the story), but it feels so strange and nightmarish. This is also an introduction to one of Lovecraft's most important entities.

&#x200B;

8. The Music of Erich Zann

SYNOPSIS: A university student decided to stay in a cheap apartment in a very shady, unknown street called "Rue d'Auseil". During his stay there, he hears music coming from the apartment's attic, later finding out that it came from an old German musician named Erich Zann, who behaved sometimes friendly, but also very strange. He soon finds out that there is more going on to the old man's nightly music routine in the attic than previously thought.

REVIEW: This is one of Lovecraft's most interesting stories. The street the story is set in feels very dreary and nightmare-like, and the reveal in the end as well as the mystery surrounding the street is one of Lovecraft's best moments.

&#x200B;

9. The Quest of Iranon

SYNOPSIS: A golden-haired prince named Iranon travels from city to city singing and telling tales about Aira, the great kingdom he came from where he was a prince. He journeys throughout the land in hope of returning to his home kingdom.

REVIEW: This is personally one of my favourite Lovecraft stories ever, and this story proves Lovecraft isn't just a Cthulhu horror writer. This story is part of his "Dream Cycle" series, a collection of stories based on dreams and set in the Dreamlands, a fantasy land reality that can only be entered through dreams. This story has a very sweet and curious feel to it, as we watch Iranon's adventures through different cities and meeting different people. But what makes this story so great for me is the ending, this story not only has a shocking reveal, but also has one of, if not the saddest Lovecraft ending ever. Trust me, the story's worth reading just for the ending. This is not the kind of story you might expect Lovecraft to write compared to his more popular stories, but this one is really worth reading.

&#x200B;

10. The Other Gods

SYNOPSIS: The high priest of Ulthar named Barzai the Wise, who has tremendous knowledge of Earth's gods, seeks to climb the mountain Hatheg-Kla, said to be the last residing spot for the gods of Earth after humans kept taking the other mountains. Barzai jouneys to the peak of the mountain along with his disciple Atal, and begin noticing strange things happening at the peak, only for Barzai to find out that the gods of Earth have relations to powers not meant to be seen by human eyes.

REVIEW: Another one of Lovecraft's Dream Cycle stories, meaning it's a fantasy setting. This stories pretty simple and basic compared to Lovecraft's other stories, but it's still a fun and memorable read.

&#x200B;

11. Memory

REVIEW: I can't make a synopsis for this story since it's only a page long, but trust me when I say this is one of Lovecraft's best and really signifies his belief of humanity's insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The story's short and quick, but very surreal and dreamy with how it describes the setting with just a few words. Definitely read this one, it's short and quick to finish but it's worth it.

&#x200B;

12. The Strange High House in the Mist

SYNOPSIS: In the seaside town of Kingsport, there lies a strange house that resides right a the edge of a very tall cliff that overlooks the town, so high up that the ocean mist that engulf the entire town doesn't touch it. A philosopher named Thomas Olney visits the town of Kingsport and decides to try and see what is going on with that house. As he reaches the house, he realises it's filled with strange fantastic things he could never imagine.

REVIEW: This is another non-horror story by Lovecraft, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. The mystery surrounding the house really intrigues you in the first half, not knowing what to expect. But once you get to the house, the story becomes very fantastical and wondrous. This is a very surreal, but also a very feel-good story by Lovecraft, which you don't see often from him. The story also has some nice references to his other stories. Definitely check this story out.

&#x200B;

Honorable Mentions:

- The Lurking Fear

- The Cats of Ulthar

- The Outsider

- Pickman's Model

- The Temple

- Ex-Oblivione (too short to give a synopsis without spoiling, but one of his best stories, in my opinion.)

- The Shunned House

- The White Ship

84

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

ItsBoughtnotBrought t1_ja94tr3 wrote

You need to read At the Mountains of Madness. I also really love Cool Air, The Thing on the Doorstep and The Whisperer in Darkness. Lovecraft is one of my favourite authors.

13

KamaandHallie OP t1_ja955zw wrote

I have read The Whisperer in Darkness, I just forgot to put it here for some reason.

And trust me, I can't wait to start At the Mountains of Madness and check out The Thing on the Doorstep.

3

EclipZz187 t1_jaefalu wrote

I'm currently reading "Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories", a collection of some of his work; "Cool Air" among them. I just finished that one last night, loved it!

1

Masculinum t1_ja8qwyy wrote

My favorite is probably The Colour out of Space since it can only really function as a book.

11

CitricDrop8363 t1_ja92ay7 wrote

Thanks for making this list. I've had the B&N Lovecraft Collection on my shelf for years. I started one story a long time ago but just sort of fell off. Every time I am looking for something else to start, I always give it a thought but I just haven't. After I finish my current book I'll at least read a few off your list. Thanks again! I like how you didn't spoil anything!

6

KamaandHallie OP t1_ja93ave wrote

Glad I could help. You might enjoy reading him, you might not, but I think it'll be worth it to read his stories.

2

dgtssc t1_jabbpah wrote

I'll say the same thing I said in another Lovecraft-related post a little while ago:

It's an unpopular opinion, but I think The Call of Cthulhu might be one of the worst possible introductions to H.P Lovecraft.

Because, despite its namesake, this might be the one story that goes out of its way to make the mythos as mundane as possible, with probably one of the worst and most anti-climatic endings he has ever written.

5

KamaandHallie OP t1_jabce3u wrote

What would you say is the best introduction?

1

dgtssc t1_jabilr3 wrote

I personally think the short stories make a really good introduction. Mostly because they tend to focus much more on evoking feelings than actually following a plot.

The first story I ever read was "The Nameless City". There is nothing particularly special about it, it's definitely not the best one, but to this day I really love it as an introduction, because at its core, it's a short summary of what "all the hype" is about: The awe and hopelessness in the face of something that's adjacent to humans, but much older and frightening.

Or, if someone wants to go straight to the meat, "Colour Out of Space" works wonderfully for a first time reader.... with the problem being that it's really fucking good and you can't get much better than that, so anything you read after will end up being judged against it.

But... if I had heard people hyping up Cthulhu my whole life as this unimaginable elder god, and read it as my first story just to have him >!being run over by a fucking boat and going back to sleep!<, I'd probably be like... really? that's it?

5

Volcano_Tequila t1_ja98ren wrote

For me it was The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Read it when I was about 20 or so, and preferred the narrative approach over some of his more gaga stories.

3

masterofunfucking t1_ja9k2tg wrote

no one has any love for the nameless city huh?

3

LG03 t1_jaabjwn wrote

It's consistently an actual underrated story.

1

KamaandHallie OP t1_jaaqzu6 wrote

I actually quite enjoyed The Nameless City, it was intriguing all the way through.

1

vibraltu t1_jaarm6d wrote

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath has an army of cats come to the rescue. So there's that.

3

ialsoagree t1_ja90wqn wrote

Haunter of the Dark is my all time favorite Lovecraft story.

I grew up on one hill overlooking a valley and spent countless nights watching car lights and house lights on the other hill across the valley wondering what they were and where they were going.

Reading Haunter in the Dark made my hair stand up on end almost the whole way through. Turned fond childhood memories into nightmares (not really, but kind of).

It's fantastically well written and down right creepy.

2

FallenJoe t1_ja9q200 wrote

The Rats in the Walls was the first story I ever read to genuinely scare me. Peak cosmic horror right there. Highly recommended as long as you don't mind a nightmare or two.

2

user124576 t1_ja8jur4 wrote

Great reviews. Of the stories I've read, The Shadow Over Innsmouth is my favourite.

1

NativeAd1 t1_ja8kh5u wrote

Great list and, from what I've read, I'd agree with the way you listed them.

1

sailor_moon_knight t1_ja8wzc9 wrote

The Dreamland stories are my favorites. I have an idea for a ttrpg campaign where during the day, the players are Call of Cthulhu PCs and during the night, they're D&D PCs in Dreamland. I think it would be fun to play/run, but alas none of my friends agree with me lolsob

1

17andrea08 t1_ja94j6l wrote

That's truely a great list. I disvovered Lovecraft in the local library . I was skimming through a small book when I suddenly read the word "Wilhelmshaven". The only thing I knew about Lovecraft at that time was that he was an American author and also a long time dead. I was living in Wilhelmshaven at that time and so I HAD to read the story. Ist's called "the Tempel" and ist's still one of my favorits.

1

lookItsALibrary t1_ja9aban wrote

I've been wanting to get into Lovecraft, will definitely go by your recommendations and pick up Call of Cthulu!

1

ughlacrossereally t1_ja9kxt7 wrote

audiovox has a solid collection of free recordings of many of these.. my favorite is the alchemist though and I didn't see it listed! make sure you check it out.

1

Brizoot t1_ja9uxqe wrote

By far the most horrifying part of Shadow Over Innsmouth is the actions of the US government.

1

iso_lotus71 t1_jaavod6 wrote

Good list. I think The White Ship is underrated. At The Mountains of Madness is arguably the best story he ever wrote.

1

St_Vincent-Adultman t1_jaayucw wrote

The Tomb is really cool because it was written about the graveyard he was buried at

I would highly recommend also reading Edgar Allan Poe, Lord Dunsany, and Clark Ashton Smith if you like Lovecraft. He and Smith would even reference each other works sometimes.

1

error-prone t1_jab42hp wrote

Thanks. It works better for me to read individual stories, as opposed to the all-encompassing book I downloaded. I gave up on that years ago.

1

The--Book--Boy t1_jab7r4t wrote

Nice List!

The Color Out of Space and At the Mountains of Madness are my favorite stories of Lovecraft.

1

moosmutzel81 t1_jac4nzy wrote

There is an absolutely amazing Podcast call “Lovecraft Investigations” based on Shadow over Innsmouth.

1

Ramoncin t1_jac9axj wrote

Two lesser known ones:

The Loved Dead: A confession from a sexual deviant, who feels his capture is inminent. He recaps the origins of his obsession with the dead as well as the consequences it had on his life.

This one is a rarity because Lovecraft showed little interest for sensuality in his writing. I'm also told it caused quite the controversy when it was published in Weird Tales.

The mound: The complete version of this one didn't appear until 1989, and it could be considered a short novel on its own right. Apparently Lovecraft was hired as a ghostwriter with the instructions to write about a mound in the west haunted by a headless ghost. Lovecraft used this only a bookend, making the mound the entrance to a subterranean civilization. It's little known, but it's likely my favorite Lovecraft story.

1

KamaandHallie OP t1_jac9xdz wrote

I've heard of The Mound, but I have never heard of The Loved Dead, it's not in any of the six Lovecraft books I own and barely appears in websites of his bibliography.

1

StrawberryFields_ t1_ja8wsnk wrote

I don't read stories by racists.

−22

KamaandHallie OP t1_ja8xudw wrote

Then you'd be missing out, 'cause a lot of great authors weren't great people.

But hey, you do you, I guess.

15

StrawberryFields_ t1_ja941zt wrote

I don't need Hatecraft indoctrinating me into fearing the unknown.

−19

Khunjund t1_ja9aboe wrote

It's hard to get indoctrinated when you're aware of the author's biases and have reasonably well-developed media literacy.

Indoctrination is a problem when it's being used on people who aren't aware that they're being indoctrinated.

11

ChaosAE t1_ja9kmh2 wrote

You are on Reddit, so yes you probably do

3