Real Book

Let me just say this right off the bat that I prefer to shop at one of the many quaint and locally owned book stores that dot the greater Seattle area. Nothing will ever change that. But I’ll be damned if there is one thing that draws me to Barnes and Noble on occasion and that would be their excellent and reasonably priced collections of classic literature in hardcover. This year saw the release of a complete and unabridged collection of one the favorite authors of my young adult life: the great Cosmic Horror writer of the 1920’s, H.P.Lovecraft.

For those who don’t know of this, the most unusual of writers, Lovecraft was an American author of Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy who wrote primarily short stories for pulp magazine and publications in the early 1900’s. As seems to be common with some of artist we now regard as classic, his following was slight during his life and it has only been since his death that his fame and reputation have multiplied. His stories were of an odd sort and immensely fantastical, featuring demons and monsters of incomprehensible scope and dark, tortured characters such as drug addicts, grave robbers and cat slaughterers.

Most of his works were based on his belief that the actual concept of life is something so alien and beyond the scope of our fragile human minds, that there is no way to truly grasp it and that the knowledge of the universe itself will always be just beyond our grasp. This was brought into being by protagonists who dabbled in forces that were well beyond human control, ultimately either being destroyed by the results of their meddling. Others find themselves descending into complete and utter insanity as their wish for knowledge has been twisted and cruelly granted, turning their minds turn into husks, unable to face what they have unleashed. Quite obviously, the theme of forbidden knowledge is heavily explored, as are the themes of fate, guilt and the risks of the scientific era. Needless to say, Lovecraft was very bleak and pessimistic and it shown very brightly in his wicked tales.

Lovecraft is perhaps best known for his “Cthulu Mythos.” Call it his “Lord of the Rings.” It is broad in scope and “pseudomytholgy” as he called it and serves as a backdrop to many stories, even numerous others that are not written by Lovecraft himself. Cthulu refers to the giant demon God that rises from the ocean in the short story “The Call of Cthulu,” and wreaks havoc upon the protagonists. The character has since then entered into pop culture in many forms, being used by other authors of the genre and developing a cult following of sorts who refer to themselves as “The Cthulu Cult.” Some have even gone so far as to mae a case for Cthulu actually existing, crediting the demon as to the cause of the mystery known as “The Bloop.”

I was first introduced to the work of Lovecraft as a teenager through Stuart Gordon’s film Re-Animator. My young eyes had never seen such casual carnage and I immediately set out to discover the source of such things. What I discovered was something much deeper than mere blood and gore, finding an interesting and far more horrible take on the Frankenstein story. I had to have more, but try as I might, it was always difficult for me to find a definitive collection of his many short stories but now finally I can enjoy all of the otherworldly horror in one massive volume. Containing his three novels and his scores of short stories, “H.P. Lovecraft: Complete and Unabridged:The Fiction” will make sure my dreams are haunted and wicked for many nights to come.

Stephen King’s new collection of short stories is finally in stores, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. I’m one of the few King fans who prefers his short stories to his full-length novels.

I have to admit that after Needful Things, I haven’t really been up to speed with the master of the macabre. I found his novels becoming more contrived and harder to digest. Although, the Dark Tower series has always been my favorite, and I have read everyone of the volumes.

My favorite anthologies still remain Night Shift and Different Seasons, both of which spawned movies (Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption). Those stories were genuinely creepy, maybe because I was in young when I read them, I found them to be so dark and unsettling.

In any case, I look forward to his new book, and I hope he still has the touch.