Any books vaguely Lovecraftian but not Cthuhlu mythos?

[shadyJ]

I am looking for books that have a sort of Lovecraftian notion of unspeakable and indescribable horror but do not try to link to anything Lovecraft wrote about specifically. Sort of like Tom Fletcher's The Thing on the Shore, and Ramsey Campbell's Hungry Moon. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[neverending]

Yes, my novella Under the Shanghai Tunnels, Unfortunately it's sold out. ::big grin::

My next one is Lovecraftian as we.. Should be out sometime early 2014. Awakening of the Dream Beast.

[urgeok2]

William Hope Hodgeson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hope_Hodgson


he is a contemporary of Lovecraft but his horror is mostly nautical based. He has his own Sargasso Sea mythos ..

If you Like Lovecraft you'll love this guy

[Ferox13]

^His The House on the Borderland was an influence on Lovecraft (especially his Dream Cycle).

Also try "The Great God Pan" by Arthur Machen (I think this is possibly Public Domain).

For modern Stuff, Brian Lumley has a number of stories as part of his Cthulhu Mythos which are to unique.

[neverending]

Look up Willum Hopfrog Pugmire.

[Rechan]

David Dunwoody's The Harvest Cycle might qualify. It has a Lovecraftian entity in it, but I don't think it's anything directly from the Mythos.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16003724-the-harvest-cycle?from_search=true

[Ferox13]

Look up Willum Hopfrog Pugmire.

I was actually going to mention him but I have read very little of his work. Do you know him Lee?

[neverending]

I do. He's a fabulous guy and a helluva writer. I recommend anything he's written. He's been working on hnis own mythos cycle in a town called Carcosa that is really great Lovecraft inspired fiction.

[Horror_of_the_Unknown]

I can recommend 2 writers.

1. Arthur Machen
He was a member of an esoteric magical order and in terms of creating dark and mysterious atmosphere, his writing skill was second to none.
Below link is the audiobook version of his masterpiece "Great God Pan."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoKsuRvCN38

2. Algernon Blackwood
Another great writer from the past who knew how to create ominous atmosphere.
Below link is the audiobook version of his work "Sand."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auBWlC0g2K4
Enjoy!

[sfear]

Check out Lovecraft's essay "Supernatural Horror In Literature" for tons of stuff he himself truly admired, and who knows, was probably inspired by.

[neverending]

Though Machen and Blackwood are great writers, which I admire myself, the OP didn't ask for examples of atmosphere. Also, perusing Lovecraft's essay will not yeild the type of material the poster asked for. Though Lovecraft keenly analyzed the supernatural tale, and admired the form, it isn't what he wrote, with few exceptions, and it isn't what the poster is looking for. He asked for examples of "great unknowable terror" or what has come to be referred to as "cosmic horror."

It wasn't until Lovecraft himself that this concept was fully developed, though traces of it can be seen in Robert W. Chambers, an author that did specifically inspire Lovecraft. A couple of Lovecraft's contemporaries, Clark Ashton Smith and Frank Belknap Long also excelled in this type of tale. In particular, Long's story "The Hounds of Tindalos" is notable.

For more modern examples od cosmic terror, there is Willum Hopfrog Pugmire, who I mentioned previously, Joe Pulver, Brian Lumley, and many others. Look up the Lovecraft EZine online for hours of fascinating reading in the tradition of Lovecraft.

[Horror_of_the_Unknown]

Dear neverending.
Thank you so much for the insightful post with great suggestions!
I am not familiar with Willum Hopfrog Pugmire you mentioned but the reviews that I just checked sound very promising.
I look forward to read his work sooner rather than later.
Again, thanks a bunch for the suggestion and cheers!

Though Machen and Blackwood are great writers, which I admire myself, the OP didn't ask for examples of atmosphere. Also, perusing Lovecraft's essay will not yeild the type of material the poster asked for. Though Lovecraft keenly analyzed the supernatural tale, and admired the form, it isn't what he wrote, with few exceptions, and it isn't what the poster is looking for. He asked for examples of "great unknowable terror" or what has come to be referred to as "cosmic horror."

It wasn't until Lovecraft himself that this concept was fully developed, though traces of it can be seen in Robert W. Chambers, an author that did specifically inspire Lovecraft. A couple of Lovecraft's contemporaries, Clark Ashton Smith and Frank Belknap Long also excelled in this type of tale. In particular, Long's story "The Hounds of Tindalos" is notable.

For more modern examples od cosmic terror, there is Willum Hopfrog Pugmire, who I mentioned previously, Joe Pulver, Brian Lumley, and many others. Look up the Lovecraft EZine online for hours of fascinating reading in the tradition of Lovecraft.

[Ferox13]

Though Machen and Blackwood are great writers, which I admire myself, the OP didn't ask for examples of atmosphere. Also, perusing Lovecraft's essay will not yeild the type of material the poster asked for. Though Lovecraft keenly analyzed the supernatural tale, and admired the form, it isn't what he wrote, with few exceptions, and it isn't what the poster is looking for. He asked for examples of "great unknowable terror" or what has come to be referred to as "cosmic horror."

It wasn't until Lovecraft himself that this concept was fully developed, though traces of it can be seen in Robert W. Chambers, an author that did specifically inspire Lovecraft. A couple of Lovecraft's contemporaries, Clark Ashton Smith and Frank Belknap Long also excelled in this type of tale. In particular, Long's story "The Hounds of Tindalos" is notable.

For more modern examples od cosmic terror, there is Willum Hopfrog Pugmire, who I mentioned previously, Joe Pulver, Brian Lumley, and many others. Look up the Lovecraft EZine online for hours of fascinating reading in the tradition of Lovecraft.

Do you not think a lot of elements from The Great God Pan can be seen in some of Lovecraft's work.

You can also add Robert E. Howard/Robert Bloch to the list of Mythos writers.

[neverending]

Sure, Lovecraft loved the story, and some say it had a great influence on The Dunwich Horror, but I don't think it's what the poster is looking for. Perhaps I'm being a bit strict in my interpretation.

We could go on all day naming writers influenced by Lovecraft. I just chose a couple I thought fit the bill closest with what the OP was looking for. The Lovecraftian elements in Howard's work in particular are tenuous at best. They were great friends and elements rubbed off on each other, but Howard was much more concerned with action and the rise and fall of decadent civilizations; whereas Lovecraft was concerned with fear of the unknown and our inability to deal with knowledge beyond our comprehension.

This what makes Lovecraft so popular today- his depiction of an unfeeling, indifferent cosmos, a universe that couldn't care less if humanity was wiped from existence.

[sfear]

Actually shadyJ, it might be to your advantage to locate a copy of Lovecraft's "Supernatural Horror In Literature" if you're truly interested in stories, not necessarily Lovecraft's, in which "unspeakable and indescribable horror" play a major role. Why? The type of story he was mostly concerned with wasn't old school Gothic brandishing "secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule", but what he called "the true weird tale." This "literature of cosmic fear in its purest form", to which I believe Lovecraft himself aspired in his own fiction, Cthulhu Mythos not excepted, is distinguished by "a certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces." Consulting his essay may yield much easily steered down your own personal dark alley. If not, I sincerely apologize.

[Lovecraftian]

If I may, I would strongly recommend some of the works of Robert E Howard to an appreciator of Lovecraftian horror. Howard is most well known for creating Conan the Barbarian, a character whose short stories and universe should not be judged based on movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jason Momoa. Howard was a friend to Lovecraft, and drew heavily from his work in many of his stories. If you are interested in exploring Lovecraftian themes and horror in a medieval or fantasy milieu, Howard's Conan the Barbarian and Solomon Kane short stories are an excellent choice.

[simonleezombie]

I also would like to recommend Thomas Ligotti's Shadow at the Bottom of the World. You want eerie, cosmic horror this guy does it. I would say it is a bit more "out there" than Lovecraft, but the style is very similar and the horror and its results are very similar to Lovecraft.