The Unofficial Lovecraft Studies Magazine Compendium
Updated 9 March 2025
Updated 9 March 2025
The writing of H. P. Lovecraft now stands on its own as the byword for fantastical horror. Interestingly, Lovecraft wrote many of his stories under his own name but also revised and ghostwrote stories for other authors, such as Adolphe de Castro, Hazel Heald, and Zealia Bishop. He would even lend his own monsters to these writers, expanding the mythos.
H. P. Lovecraft's pantheon of otherworldly deities is vast and complex. Many readers will recognize the big five Lovecraftian deities: Cthulhu, Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth, and Shub-Niggurath. There is ongoing debate about what truly belongs to the official mythos. Lovecraft's vision of the universe was expansive and terrifying in its indifference to humanity. If you can label something, then you can define it, draw boundaries, and understand it. Lovecraft's universe, however, defies such understanding, remaining indescribable and hostile to human comprehension.
All my tales are based on the fundamental premise that common human laws and interests and emotions have no validity or significance in the cosmos-at-large.
It is the Cthulhu Mythos that captures the reader's imagination. The term itself was coined by August Derleth after Lovecraft's death, though Lovecraft never used it. His deities, described as synthetic daemons, were not unholy or evil but existed to illustrate the insignificance of humanity. Their awakening leads to despair and madness, highlighting humanity's futile struggle to find meaning in an indifferent cosmos.
The mythic premise is intentionally unstructured to create a sense of realism. Attempts to categorize or define the Cthulhu Mythos in human terms are themselves an exercise in futility. Lovecraft's creatures defy earthly taxonomy, remaining beyond comprehension. The terror lies not in what is seen but in what is suggested—in the shadows that defy understanding.
I first encountered the Necronomicon in the Evil Dead movie series,
where it was presented with an eerie authenticity.
Despite its fictional origin, the Necronomicon has taken on a life of its own,
blurring the lines between reality and myth.
According to Lovecraft's mythos, the book was written by the mad Arab
Abdul Alhazred,
containing forbidden knowledge of the Old Ones and arcane rituals.
Who knows what other secrets lie within its pages?
Inspired by the eerie grandeur of the Cthulhu Mythos, I crafted my own tale of cosmic horror, Shadows of the Eye. This story plunges into the dark heart of a detective noir world, where a down-on-his-luck detective crosses paths with a beautiful damsel in distress and a stolen artifact linked to the sinister Nyarlathotep. As the detective unravels the mystery, he discovers that some secrets were never meant for human understanding—only the ancients could grasp the true horror that lies within. If you crave a blend of supernatural dread and shadowy intrigue, Shadows of the Eye is a story you won't want to miss. Read it now—if you dare.
In Lovecraft's stories existed in fictional locations but in his words has set "New England as a seat of Weirdness." The towns of Dunwich, Innsmouth, Kingsport, and Arkham are fictional towns that reader's become familiar with. Much like reading a travel guide for the creepy and insane.
More recently, Wikipedia has developed a strong compendium of information relating to the stories of H. P. Lovecraft. More of Lovecraft's more memorable stories were located in New England. Lovecraft lived and wrote fiction during his time living in New England. Lovecraft found the setting of New England to be ideal for the fantastical. The wider Massachesetts area is called Lovecraft Country. The location of Arkham sits Lovecraft Country. Most people will be aware of the Batman homage to H. P. Lovecraft with Arkham Asylum.
"I wrote only as a means of re-creating around me the atmosphere of my beloved 18th century favourites," wrote Lovecraft. Lovecraft is described as valuing his background and heritage. This concept and his desire to live through is heritage features in his writing. Lovecraft believed that the creative output was more authentic when he utilised his knowledge of local customs, attitudes and institutions as background for his writing canvas.
A fun-fact about towns in what we loosely call Lovecraft Country is that they were exclusively the domain of Lovecraft' writing. Lovecraft wrote under many pseudonyms and client works but never used his precious locales for these auxilliary works. Will Murrary in his 1986 article, "In Search of Arkham Country" suggests that Lovecraft felt compelling personal ownership toward Arkham country.
