What should I read in cthuluverse?

Tar.Aldarion

There seems to be a lot and I've read nothing, not even the original short story, what do you guys recommend?

Morag

Charles Stross Laundry files.

Some of his short stories are up on Tor website so you could start there.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid
http://www.tor.com/stories/2008/07/down-on-the-farm
http://www.tor.com/stories/2009/12/overtime

Gamayun

^^^^^^^^^^^


If you own an ereader you can turn those short stories into ebooks for it easily using Calibre*:

1. Copy the text from the webpage into a Word Processor. (Justify the text here if it isn't already)
2. Save as a Rich Text Document
3. Add to Calibre Library
4. Convert to Epub/Mobi/Lit

*Linux users, the version of Calibre available from the software manager (and apt-get) is outdated (0.8.x) and doesn't recognise newer devices. You need to install the binary from the official site to get the latest version 1.7.

Blackhorse Slim

You really have to start with Lovecraft imo, at least a few of the classics, just to get it. The Call of Cthulhu, the Shadow over Innsmouth, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow Out of Time, The Colour Out of Space, Pickman's Model, the Music of Erich Zann...

When you get to know Lovecraft there's a great Lovecraft/Sherlock Holmes pastiche called A Study in Emerald, I think it was by Neil Gaiman, and if you like Jeeves and Wooster I really enjoyed a short collection of stories called A Scream for Jeeves that parodies some Lovecraft stories

CiDeRmAn

There are a series of Lovecrafts collected works, buy those and work your way through.
Most are read in one sitting with the most familiar elements being the settings, Arkham and the environs of the Miskatonic, and the elder gods and their servants, not to mention how ill equipped the human psyche is to deal with them.
The extended 'verse is variable in quality, with some being good and some being little more than fanfic.
But the Lovecraft tales are the best, just be mindful of the casual racism contained within.

Gamayun

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

There are a series of Lovecrafts collected works, buy those and work your way through.
Most are read in one sitting with the most familiar elements being the settings, Arkham and the environs of the Miskatonic, and the elder gods and their servants, not to mention how ill equipped the human psyche is to deal with them.
The extended 'verse is variable in quality, with some being good and some being little more than fanfic.
But the Lovecraft tales are the best, just be mindful of the casual racism contained within.

Complete Collection ebook here, all public domain of course. It's nicely formatted and arranged chronologically.

Morag

Or you can have them read to you by the team of interesting people
http://www.hplovecraftlive.com/webpage/category/general

Sarky

I'd go with Morag's option. Due to the more archaic English and Lovecraft's tendency to make up words (and to be brutally honest, being a man who had amazing stories, but didn't really write them down terribly well), some of his stories are a damn hard slog to read, listening to them is way easier. Also I'm one of the interesting people >_>

Tar.Aldarion

Must check you out in the vault

Sarky

o.O

Kilgore__Trout

Sarky wrote: »

I'd go with Morag's option. Due to the more archaic English and Lovecraft's tendency to make up words (and to be brutally honest, being a man who had amazing stories, but didn't really write them down terribly well), some of his stories are a damn hard slog to read, listening to them is way easier. Also I'm one of the interesting people >_>

Agreed, Lovecraft tells fascinating stories, but can be a slog. Fair play for doing audio recordings. Did you ever record the Shadow out of Time, or The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, Sarky?

Reiver

With the classics, stuff like The Shadow Over Innsmouth, The Rats in the Walls, The Call of Cthulhu, The Whisperer in Darkness, The Thing on the Doorstep, Pickmans Model, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward etc are absolutely necessary.

Some of REH's works like the Conrad/Kirowan stories are well worth a read as well like Haunter of the Ring. Some of the Conan/Solomon Kane stories contain Lovecraftian influences as well, theres a Cormac Mac Art fragment with traces of it too.

If you want a more modern take on it, I'd recommend Charles Stross and "A Colder War", quite short but excellent read. Another book thats not strictly Lovecraftian but has a lot of similarities is "Declare" by Tim Powers. Good to hear you're giving it a shot!