You should buy or borrow a physical collection, or at least an E-Ink reader. I find it’s important for the atmosphere—hard to get into the “ancient horrors beyond human comprehension” mood when Reddit is two tabs away. This one is decent, though it doesn’t include Mountains.
As far as the actual stories go, I’d recommend Nyarlathotep first, as a sample of his style. It’s only a few paragraphs.
My personal favorites are The Temple, The Music of Erich Zann, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The Temple is nearly alone among Lovecraft’s work for having a protagonist with such a strong personality, and as a result it puts you in the unique perspective of a character that prides himself on his rationality while being stoically resigned to the fact that he is going insane. It’s a fun one. Erich Zann is best with microtonal music in the background. Charles Dexter Ward is where Lovecraft’s mastery of narrative negative space shines, but if you want a shorter work with similar ideas, try The Thing on the Doorstep.
I would counter by arguing that some of his best works are the stories of the Dreamlands. Start with the parable the “The Cats of Ulthar” (and read it aloud to someone else), continue to the poetic and sing-song “Celaphais” (again, best read aloud), and then on to the great “Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.” These stories are great for their sort of structure-less meandering and moments of vivid description. The stories are more about the sensory experience than a twist or a moment of discovery or realization. (I think I’ve read all of his stories and I go back to these three regularly.)
See, I thought someone would say this, and I had already written and deleted a disclaimer that “many people would recommend the Dream Cycle, but I’m personally not a huge fan...”
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is my favourite Lovecraft story.
There were, in such voyages, incalculable local dangers; as well as that shocking final peril which gibbers unmentionably outside the ordered universe, where no dreams reach; that last amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin, monotonous whine of accursed flutes; to which detestable pounding and piping dance slowly, awkwardly, and absurdly the gigantic Ultimate gods, the blind, voiceless, tenebrous, mindless Other Gods whose soul and messenger is the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep.
I’ve never read Lovecraft, but you have me interested now. Where should I start?
You should buy or borrow a physical collection, or at least an E-Ink reader. I find it’s important for the atmosphere—hard to get into the “ancient horrors beyond human comprehension” mood when Reddit is two tabs away. This one is decent, though it doesn’t include Mountains.
As far as the actual stories go, I’d recommend Nyarlathotep first, as a sample of his style. It’s only a few paragraphs.
Lovecraft’s most culturally impactful works are The Call of Cthulhu, The Shadow over Innsmouth, and The Colour out of Space. To a lesser extent, there’s The Dunwich Horror, The Rats in the Walls, and of course, At the Mountains of Madness. Of these, start with Colour or Rats, and read the others if you like them. Colour has a great movie adaptation (the director is also planning an adaptation of Dunwich), which you should watch on LSD if you’re feeling brave. Rats inspired one of my favorite songs. Innsmouth has a number of derivative works, including the game The Sinking City. I found Cthulhu underwhelming; if you read it, try to go in without expectations.
My personal favorites are The Temple, The Music of Erich Zann, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The Temple is nearly alone among Lovecraft’s work for having a protagonist with such a strong personality, and as a result it puts you in the unique perspective of a character that prides himself on his rationality while being stoically resigned to the fact that he is going insane. It’s a fun one. Erich Zann is best with microtonal music in the background. Charles Dexter Ward is where Lovecraft’s mastery of narrative negative space shines, but if you want a shorter work with similar ideas, try The Thing on the Doorstep.
I would counter by arguing that some of his best works are the stories of the Dreamlands. Start with the parable the “The Cats of Ulthar” (and read it aloud to someone else), continue to the poetic and sing-song “Celaphais” (again, best read aloud), and then on to the great “Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.” These stories are great for their sort of structure-less meandering and moments of vivid description. The stories are more about the sensory experience than a twist or a moment of discovery or realization. (I think I’ve read all of his stories and I go back to these three regularly.)
See, I thought someone would say this, and I had already written and deleted a disclaimer that “many people would recommend the Dream Cycle, but I’m personally not a huge fan...”
Clearly I should’ve left it in!
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is my favourite Lovecraft story.