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Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is the system of imaginary entities, books, and locations initially invented by Lovecraft and shared with other writers. Carter takes particular interest in noting the stories where particular aspects of Mythos lore first appeared, and tracing their reappearances in later tales.
The book takes pains to establish whether each Lovecraft story "belongs to the Cthulhu Mythos" or not. His requirement for including a story on the list of Mythos stories is that it must "present us with a significant item of information about the background lore of the Mythos, thus contributing important information to a common body of lore."
The book takes pains to establish whether each Lovecraft story "belongs to the Cthulhu Mythos" or not. His requirement for including a story on the list of Mythos stories is that it must "present us with a significant item of information about the background lore of the Mythos, thus contributing important information to a common body of lore."
198 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1972
5 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Lin Carter
416 books171 followersLin Carter was an American author, editor, and critic best known for his influential role in fantasy literature during the mid-20th century. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, he developed an early passion for myth, adventure stories, and imaginative fiction, drawing inspiration from authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After serving in the U.S. Army, Carter attended Columbia University, where he honed his literary skills and deepened his knowledge of classical and medieval literature, myth, and folklore — elements that would become central to his work.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
Carter authored numerous novels, short stories, and critical studies, often working within the sword-and-sorcery and high fantasy traditions. His own creations, such as the “Thongor of Lemuria” series, paid homage to pulp-era adventure fiction while adding his distinctive voice and world-building style. His nonfiction book Tolkien: A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings was one of the first major studies of Tolkien’s work and its mythological roots, and it helped establish Carter as a knowledgeable commentator on fantasy literature.
Beyond his own writing, Carter was a central figure in bringing classic and forgotten works of fantasy back into print. As editor of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series from 1969 to 1974, he curated and introduced dozens of volumes, reintroducing readers to authors such as William Morris, Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, and James Branch Cabell. His introductions not only contextualized these works historically and literarily but also encouraged a new generation to explore the breadth of the fantasy tradition.
Carter was also active in the shared literary universe of the “Cthulhu Mythos,” expanding upon the creations of H. P. Lovecraft and other members of the “Lovecraft Circle.” His collaborations and solo contributions in this genre further cemented his reputation as both a creative writer and a literary preservationist.
In addition to fiction and criticism, Carter was an active member of several science fiction and fantasy organizations, including the Science Fiction Writers of America. He frequently appeared at conventions, where he was known for his enthusiasm, deep knowledge of the genre, and willingness to mentor aspiring writers.
Though sometimes critiqued for the derivative nature of some of his work, Carter’s influence on the fantasy revival of the late 20th century remains significant. His combination of creative output, editorial vision, and scholarly enthusiasm helped bridge the gap between the pulp traditions of the early 1900s and the expansive fantasy publishing boom that followed.
Lin Carter’s legacy endures through his own imaginative tales, his critical studies, and the many classic works he rescued from obscurity, ensuring their place in the canon of fantasy literature for generations to come.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 8, 2021
Read this today for its eventual E-book publication in a Wildside Press CTHULHU MYTHOS MEGAPACK. It serves as an interesting compliment to Howard Phillips Lovecraft: Dreamer on the Nightside which I did a final read on yesterday. In the case of that particular book, Long was at great pains to note that he was not writing a biography but a personal memoir. With Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos, Carter again notes he is not writing a Lovecraft biography but instead has a two-fold goal - charting the origins and growth of the Cthulhu Mythos and making his argument for what stories should be contained under that umbrella title (as of the writing in 1971).
By "origins", Carter does not mean mythological, occultic or folkloric antecedants to Lovecraft's conception, but instead the actual way in which the ideas first manifested themselves in his stories, their codification in his work, and then their expansion in the work of contemporaries (The Lovecraft Circle) and followers, with particular attention to August Derleth and ARKHAM HOUSE. Still, while not a biography, it pads itself with much HPL biographical material, history of the Lovecraft circle participants and the founding and growth of Arkham House (Carter repeats himself at times) . The actual argument he makes as to what should and should not be considered a "Cthulhu Mythos" tale at times reads like an exercise in fan didactism (the answers may surprise you!), not unlike something one can read on thousands of blogs today, but it must have been useful and helpful to burgeoning fans in the 1970s.
There are moments which seem like extended sessions of Carter ragging on Lovecraft - he has completely valid problems with H.P.'s chosen writing style and skill, but also seems incapable of grasping many aspects of Lovecraft's character. Thus, there's an extended complaint of Lovecraft's lack of material output, working process and business decisions (all easy to make in hindsight, and blankly oblivious to modern psychological considerations). More importantly, he seems to take Lovecraft as a "man of his word" as given in the letters he wrote, without realizing how much HPL seemed to enjoy adopting roles with different correspondents and playing at characters. So Carter can blithely mention HPL's sense of humor, then complain about his seemingly maudlin despondency at a story's rejection (with claims of "never writing again"), only to be baffled by HPL taking up the pen a week later. Carter ascribes quite a bit of this critique to HPL treating his writings as "capital L" Literature, with the attitude of an effete artiste, when it seems obvious that it is in fact a lack of a sense of humor on the part of Lin Carter.
Those wishing for cheap ammunition in the current controversy will find (contre Long's book) some resources here—but it is almost useless in making an actual argument as to a Lovecraft consumed with "hatred" for all but his own race, given Carter's seeming inability to perceive what is a "pose" (whether intended humorously or merely out of a spirit of conviviality with correspondents) and what are HPL's actual feelings.
Still, this is a fairly concise and useful history of the time, especially for those interested in the origins of ARKHAM HOUSE.
By "origins", Carter does not mean mythological, occultic or folkloric antecedants to Lovecraft's conception, but instead the actual way in which the ideas first manifested themselves in his stories, their codification in his work, and then their expansion in the work of contemporaries (The Lovecraft Circle) and followers, with particular attention to August Derleth and ARKHAM HOUSE. Still, while not a biography, it pads itself with much HPL biographical material, history of the Lovecraft circle participants and the founding and growth of Arkham House (Carter repeats himself at times) . The actual argument he makes as to what should and should not be considered a "Cthulhu Mythos" tale at times reads like an exercise in fan didactism (the answers may surprise you!), not unlike something one can read on thousands of blogs today, but it must have been useful and helpful to burgeoning fans in the 1970s.
There are moments which seem like extended sessions of Carter ragging on Lovecraft - he has completely valid problems with H.P.'s chosen writing style and skill, but also seems incapable of grasping many aspects of Lovecraft's character. Thus, there's an extended complaint of Lovecraft's lack of material output, working process and business decisions (all easy to make in hindsight, and blankly oblivious to modern psychological considerations). More importantly, he seems to take Lovecraft as a "man of his word" as given in the letters he wrote, without realizing how much HPL seemed to enjoy adopting roles with different correspondents and playing at characters. So Carter can blithely mention HPL's sense of humor, then complain about his seemingly maudlin despondency at a story's rejection (with claims of "never writing again"), only to be baffled by HPL taking up the pen a week later. Carter ascribes quite a bit of this critique to HPL treating his writings as "capital L" Literature, with the attitude of an effete artiste, when it seems obvious that it is in fact a lack of a sense of humor on the part of Lin Carter.
Those wishing for cheap ammunition in the current controversy will find (contre Long's book) some resources here—but it is almost useless in making an actual argument as to a Lovecraft consumed with "hatred" for all but his own race, given Carter's seeming inability to perceive what is a "pose" (whether intended humorously or merely out of a spirit of conviviality with correspondents) and what are HPL's actual feelings.
Still, this is a fairly concise and useful history of the time, especially for those interested in the origins of ARKHAM HOUSE.
April 11, 2017
I’ve never read any of Carter’s writing other than his Conan stories. These, perhaps because of the immediate comparison to Robert E. Howard’s original Conan stories, failed miserably to impress. Where Howard was, in my humble opinion, an excellent, original story teller, Carter (as well as L. Sprague DeCamp and Bjorn Nyberg) seems to have been pretty darned average. Carter’s tired clichés and clumsily imitative style replace Howard’s unique ideas and gripping narratives. Perhaps, if I had read Carter's writing from before his association with Conan, my opinion would be higher. However, the chances of me giving any of this work a try are pretty slim.
Turns out, Carter is better at writing non-fiction than fiction, at least from what I’ve read. Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos is fairly engaging throughout. Honestly, if this book wasn’t about Lovecraft and his work, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it. However, given my interest and Carter’s writing, this was a fairly good read.
Still, the book has its disappointments, first and foremost being the “controversy” about which books should and shouldn’t be included in the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft never used the term and, in fact, considered all of his stories to be related. He did differentiate between what he called his “Poe stories” and his “Dunsany stories,” but never did he consider these parts of different worlds or story cycles. So, ultimately, these parts of the book were purely academic and of not much interest to this reader.
Carter’s statements about Lovecraft’s lack of confidence and self esteem comes off as arrogant and superior, sometimes even spiteful. I’m not even sure Carter’s intent in these instances was to be insulting but it’s difficult to think one of Lovecraft’s old buddies would have let these statements go without offering Carter a good, old fashioned ass whuppin’.
Also disappointing is the general short shrift Carter gives to Lovecraft’s writing talents. We all know Lovecraft was no literary genius, but that’s about as beside the point as you can get. What Lovecraft did was to create a concept, if you will, that so excited the imagination of other writers that they adopted his creations and added to them. To me, that’s a far greater literary achievement than being a Hemingway or whatever. Carter criticizes “The Call Of Cthulhu” as having no story while praising the journalism style writing, again missing the entire point. When Lovecraft wrote the story in 1926, while he did have precedents, he was presenting a more or less totally unique method of writing a suspense/horror/weird tale. As I’ve said, I’ve only read Carter’s Conan stories but there is a decided lack of anything unique or original in those. The world thrilled upon the release of The Blair Witch Project but those of us familiar with Lovecraft had seen that trick before.
And if it seems that Carter is making an awful lot of assumptions about how people felt about things or what something meant or implied, it’s because he is.
All complaints aside, I did enjoy reading Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos because it’s about something I like and there are many insights into Lovecraft and his work. Carter does a thorough job and clearly poured hours and hours into his research. Also, if you want to read more stories in the vein, this is an excellent introduction to the several writers who, inspired by Lovecraft, have written Cthuloid tales of their own.
In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of Lovecraft's story was the Lovecraft Circle. Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, Robert Bloch and others, through reading Lovecraft’s stories and corresponding via letters, were inspired to write stories of their own using Lovecraft’s concept, themes and many of his characters. I don't know of another example of this kind of phenomena in literature.
Though it’s no masterpiece, Lovecraft fans will very likely enjoy this book for the simple fact that it’s about Lovecraft and his writing.
Turns out, Carter is better at writing non-fiction than fiction, at least from what I’ve read. Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos is fairly engaging throughout. Honestly, if this book wasn’t about Lovecraft and his work, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it. However, given my interest and Carter’s writing, this was a fairly good read.
Still, the book has its disappointments, first and foremost being the “controversy” about which books should and shouldn’t be included in the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft never used the term and, in fact, considered all of his stories to be related. He did differentiate between what he called his “Poe stories” and his “Dunsany stories,” but never did he consider these parts of different worlds or story cycles. So, ultimately, these parts of the book were purely academic and of not much interest to this reader.
Carter’s statements about Lovecraft’s lack of confidence and self esteem comes off as arrogant and superior, sometimes even spiteful. I’m not even sure Carter’s intent in these instances was to be insulting but it’s difficult to think one of Lovecraft’s old buddies would have let these statements go without offering Carter a good, old fashioned ass whuppin’.
Also disappointing is the general short shrift Carter gives to Lovecraft’s writing talents. We all know Lovecraft was no literary genius, but that’s about as beside the point as you can get. What Lovecraft did was to create a concept, if you will, that so excited the imagination of other writers that they adopted his creations and added to them. To me, that’s a far greater literary achievement than being a Hemingway or whatever. Carter criticizes “The Call Of Cthulhu” as having no story while praising the journalism style writing, again missing the entire point. When Lovecraft wrote the story in 1926, while he did have precedents, he was presenting a more or less totally unique method of writing a suspense/horror/weird tale. As I’ve said, I’ve only read Carter’s Conan stories but there is a decided lack of anything unique or original in those. The world thrilled upon the release of The Blair Witch Project but those of us familiar with Lovecraft had seen that trick before.
And if it seems that Carter is making an awful lot of assumptions about how people felt about things or what something meant or implied, it’s because he is.
All complaints aside, I did enjoy reading Lovecraft: A Look Behind The Cthulhu Mythos because it’s about something I like and there are many insights into Lovecraft and his work. Carter does a thorough job and clearly poured hours and hours into his research. Also, if you want to read more stories in the vein, this is an excellent introduction to the several writers who, inspired by Lovecraft, have written Cthuloid tales of their own.
In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of Lovecraft's story was the Lovecraft Circle. Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, Robert Bloch and others, through reading Lovecraft’s stories and corresponding via letters, were inspired to write stories of their own using Lovecraft’s concept, themes and many of his characters. I don't know of another example of this kind of phenomena in literature.
Though it’s no masterpiece, Lovecraft fans will very likely enjoy this book for the simple fact that it’s about Lovecraft and his writing.
March 23, 2014
An excellent look at how H.P. Lovecraft, against all odds and despite his own attitudes toward getting his work published, became one of the key figures in horror literature. Wooden characters, no dialogue and very wordy prose were not able to keep the brilliance of his innovation from fueling the imaginations of readers and other writers. Lin Carter offers an inside look at the phenomenon.
Read
January 13, 2016Even death can die, that if terror.
April 30, 2013
H P Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos is a strange thing indeed. Lovecraft himself had no intention of creating an imaginary "alternate universe" - as far as he was concerned, every story he wrote was connected. The term "Cthulhu Mythos" was coined by other writers who admired him, and set out to use the gods, creatures, magical books and places that HPL invented... and Lovecraft, in turn, used their creatures in his own work.
If this happened today we'd call it "Fan activity" save that in this case the "fans" were usually professional writers who sold the stories for money. Thus, readers of weird fiction all over the world were confronted with "The Necronomicon", "Nyarlathotep", "Shoggoths" and "Arkham" in stories published by people living all over the United States or overseas, raising the question - are these real demons, grimoires or cities?
A few lunatics even went so far as to theorize that Lovecraft and his circle were writing non-fiction, inspired by the nasties that they chronicled somehow sending them subconscious messages - though Lovecraft and the others always vehemently denied this. They were scrupulous never to put their stories across as a hoax, and always truthfully explained to anyone who asked that the tales were complete fiction.
This book by Lin Carter delves deeply into Lovecraft's life , particularly where it relates to the Mythos, giving the story of how many of the classic tales were created, and going into scholarly (but never boring) detail as to why a particular book should, or should not, be part of the Mythos "canon". Anyone interested in HPL and his circle will find this compulsive reading, even if they might disagree with the exact criteria by which Carter decides if a work is truly part of the Mythos. The fascinating but unpublished "Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath", for example, gets the flick despite Nyarlathotep playing a major role in the story's climax.
For those readers who haven't yet dipped a toe into the scary and verbose, yet spine-chilling oeuvre of the Providence dreamer's world, this book would be a great place to pick up the basics. After all, would you really want to meet Yog-Sothoth, The Daemon Sultan Azathoth, Hastur the Unspeakable or Dagon without a reliable guide? Ai! Ai! Shub-Niggurath! The black goat of the woods with a thousand young!
(Here, this review trails off, with merely a series of randomly pressed keys indicating that the reviewer struggled until the tentacles from another dimension carried him off. Or maybe he was just pissed again?)
If this happened today we'd call it "Fan activity" save that in this case the "fans" were usually professional writers who sold the stories for money. Thus, readers of weird fiction all over the world were confronted with "The Necronomicon", "Nyarlathotep", "Shoggoths" and "Arkham" in stories published by people living all over the United States or overseas, raising the question - are these real demons, grimoires or cities?
A few lunatics even went so far as to theorize that Lovecraft and his circle were writing non-fiction, inspired by the nasties that they chronicled somehow sending them subconscious messages - though Lovecraft and the others always vehemently denied this. They were scrupulous never to put their stories across as a hoax, and always truthfully explained to anyone who asked that the tales were complete fiction.
This book by Lin Carter delves deeply into Lovecraft's life , particularly where it relates to the Mythos, giving the story of how many of the classic tales were created, and going into scholarly (but never boring) detail as to why a particular book should, or should not, be part of the Mythos "canon". Anyone interested in HPL and his circle will find this compulsive reading, even if they might disagree with the exact criteria by which Carter decides if a work is truly part of the Mythos. The fascinating but unpublished "Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath", for example, gets the flick despite Nyarlathotep playing a major role in the story's climax.
For those readers who haven't yet dipped a toe into the scary and verbose, yet spine-chilling oeuvre of the Providence dreamer's world, this book would be a great place to pick up the basics. After all, would you really want to meet Yog-Sothoth, The Daemon Sultan Azathoth, Hastur the Unspeakable or Dagon without a reliable guide? Ai! Ai! Shub-Niggurath! The black goat of the woods with a thousand young!
(Here, this review trails off, with merely a series of randomly pressed keys indicating that the reviewer struggled until the tentacles from another dimension carried him off. Or maybe he was just pissed again?)
March 2, 2017
An informative overview of the stories contained in the Cthulhu Mythos both by Lovecraft and his contemporary correspondents. The scholarship has passed this book by several orders of magnitude since its publication (not surprising, as the time between the writing of this book and today is a full decade longer than the time between HPL's death and this book!), and I naturally disagree with Carter's assessment of the relative merits of some of HPL's work (he characterizes "Dreams in the Witch House" as flat, and "The Shadow Out of Time" as a masterpiece, whereas I would reverse those assessments), but I think the book still has greatest merit as a snapshot of the general popularity of the Mythos halfway from HPL's era of obscurity to the "Peak Cthulhu" of today.
December 24, 2008
Well, I wrestled between 3 and 4 stars for this book. Three stars for how much I "liked" the book. But then four stars for the information. Not that it is the greatest source of information but because I have always had a desire to never read any of the non-lovecraft lovecraftian writings (not the Derleth stuff or anything else). And now, after reading through this book, I just may have to pick of some of the Cthulhuian works by others, especially the early ones written during HPL's lifetime. The Clark Ashton Smith and Robert Bloch stories seem most interesting. Luckily I do happen to have a copy of Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos handy, which contains some of these.
August 11, 2008
A very good non-fiction account of Lovecraft, his Cthulhu Mythos tales, and the literary circle that surrounded them. The background information is very interesting and the author has a lot of insight into their creation. Since many of the authors were still alive when Carter was writing this book, he was able to interview and correspond with them to learn more about the creative process and what was going on during that time. My only complaint is that the author occasionally hops up on his literary high horse and comes off as a bit haughty.
May 14, 2010
Read in the fever of HP Lovecraft worship. An eye-opening account of how a modern mythos was created.
November 20, 2011
A good overview of Lovecraft's career, but Carter's point about which mythos are which is a pointless argument. It's not as if there's an answer.
October 23, 2023
This book was first published in 1972. In it, Carter discusses H. P. Lovecraft's literary career, such as it was, and discusses it in relation to the Cthulhu Mythos that arose from certain of his stories. Most of Lovecraft's stories were published in the 1920s and '30s, in "Weird Tales" magazine, one of the pulp magazines of that era. The "Cthulhu Mythos" is a created mythology with Cthulhu himself, a demonic figure named Yog Sothoth, the Elder Gods, and many others, some borrowed from other writers (for instance, Hastur was borrowed from Ambrose Bierce). Also, a library of obscure forbidden books, most famously, the Necronomicon, written by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred. Lovecraft conducted a voluminous correspondence with fans and other writers many of whom published in "Weird Tales", and some of them added other demonic figures and lost books to the Mythos. For instance, Frank Belknap Long wrote a story, "The Hounds of Tindalos". Lovecraft referred to them in a subsequent story.
Lovecraft died in 1937 and it was his friend August Derleth, along with Donald Wandrei, who worked to save Lovecraft's output. They founded Arkham House, which began publishing collections of Lovecraft's stories in book form. Lovecraft's stories are today regarded as classics of literature - they are still in print today - 86 years after his death and I see collections of them in the classical literature sections at a local Barnes & Noble bookstore that I stop into every so often. And many authors are still writing Cthulhu Mythos stories. In recent years, Ross E. Lockhart has edited two volumes of such stories.
Lovecraft died in 1937 and it was his friend August Derleth, along with Donald Wandrei, who worked to save Lovecraft's output. They founded Arkham House, which began publishing collections of Lovecraft's stories in book form. Lovecraft's stories are today regarded as classics of literature - they are still in print today - 86 years after his death and I see collections of them in the classical literature sections at a local Barnes & Noble bookstore that I stop into every so often. And many authors are still writing Cthulhu Mythos stories. In recent years, Ross E. Lockhart has edited two volumes of such stories.
February 21, 2024
A book that has been an omission from my collection for a while, I finally managed to pick up a copy, and…well…to be honest…I haven’t been missing much.
There’s nothing specifically wrong with this book, and any serious HPL collection should own it, it’s just a bit dated now, especially on the back of the work from modern writers like ST Joshi and the sheer volume of letters from the old gent that have now been published. Carter maintains the standard view of the sickly hermit, hunched over his poverty prescribed candle, which we know is far from the truth. Maybe some of this comes from the fact that Carter uses August Derleth as his main source of information, and, as I state in my review of the collected letters, there is a real difference in the tone and attitude of HPL’s letters to Derleth as there is to, for example, Willis Conover; Lovecraft just never had that emotional connection with Derleth. Now that’s not to dismiss Derleth, without whom we may not even have a body of work to enjoy; his efforts with Donald Wandrei should be heralded to the rooftops, but our understanding of HPL has moved on in the last 50 years.
As to the book – Carter states that it’s not a biography of HPL, but a ‘Look behind the Cthulhu Mythos’, but it kind of falls between the two and succeeds at neither. There is some good detail in the final few chapters, but again, there is nothing really to take from reading this book now. Kudos to Carter for keeping the world of Lovecraft alive in a time that it really needed it, but this is for completists, rather than researchers.
There’s nothing specifically wrong with this book, and any serious HPL collection should own it, it’s just a bit dated now, especially on the back of the work from modern writers like ST Joshi and the sheer volume of letters from the old gent that have now been published. Carter maintains the standard view of the sickly hermit, hunched over his poverty prescribed candle, which we know is far from the truth. Maybe some of this comes from the fact that Carter uses August Derleth as his main source of information, and, as I state in my review of the collected letters, there is a real difference in the tone and attitude of HPL’s letters to Derleth as there is to, for example, Willis Conover; Lovecraft just never had that emotional connection with Derleth. Now that’s not to dismiss Derleth, without whom we may not even have a body of work to enjoy; his efforts with Donald Wandrei should be heralded to the rooftops, but our understanding of HPL has moved on in the last 50 years.
As to the book – Carter states that it’s not a biography of HPL, but a ‘Look behind the Cthulhu Mythos’, but it kind of falls between the two and succeeds at neither. There is some good detail in the final few chapters, but again, there is nothing really to take from reading this book now. Kudos to Carter for keeping the world of Lovecraft alive in a time that it really needed it, but this is for completists, rather than researchers.
August 13, 2018
Like in his book "Imaginary Worlds," Carter proves to be pretty insightful when he's talking about facts and less accurate when he's giving his own opinions about certain stories.
Also, this book was heavily influenced by Lovecraft's friend August Derleth, which means it has some claims that later scholars have disproved.
Still, when this book is good, it's quite good.
Also, this book was heavily influenced by Lovecraft's friend August Derleth, which means it has some claims that later scholars have disproved.
Still, when this book is good, it's quite good.
July 29, 2019
A GREAT book on Lovecraft. Fills in lots of background and flashes out details of the Cthulhu Mythos. A MUST read for Lovecraft/Chtulhu fans.
September 21, 2019
Ins are easier than outs. Thats why we have introductions but not outroductions.
Want to read
January 2, 2021'A book published in the year you were 5' - 1972. My copy is published in 1975, but it was first released in 1972.
September 22, 2022
I guess I mostly did not like the author shamelessly bolstering Derleth. And the (again shameless) self-plug at the end did not age well at all.
A useful bibliography and concise biography.
A useful bibliography and concise biography.
May 20, 2021
An insightful look into Mythos scholarship and the general writing scene of an earlier time - the scene back in the 70’s seems very different than it does today (for better or worse). Lin Carter says his aim is to show why he classifies certain Lovecraft tales and those of his friends/successors as belonging to the Cthulhu Mythos or not, but it is also a general overview of Lovecraft’s life and publishing as well as the state of Lovecraftian/weird fiction publishing in the generation after his death from those in his circle.
Having finished this, I feel there is a sense of good fun that is lacking in many modern fans and writers that is maybe just starting to return. Harping on about there being a “right” way to write Mythos fiction seems to be taking all of this a bit too seriously (except for those that seem to hate Lovecraft personally but love making money off of his legacy BUT that’s another story for when I feel like being more cynical). For every The Shadow Out of Time or The Colour Out of Space, there’s also The Dunwich Horror and The Haunter in the Dark, great pulpy stories and written in the spirit of fun.
I do feel like I should mention that Lin Carter is so super opinionated that it’s almost humorous sometimes. But I like that he doesn’t censor himself - it allows his voice to really come through and makes it feel like you’re hanging out with your friend as you’re listening to him sharing his nerd interests (not that I know ANYTHING about that *cough cough*).
I have to say I disagree with his classification system, which he outlines thusly: “Now, what exactly does it mean to say a story belongs to the Cthulhu Mythos? In order to so qualify, obviously a given tale must do more than mention one of the Lovecraftian gods[….] Or one of the Lovecraftian place-names[….]. The tale must, I think, present us with a significant item of information about the background lore of the Mythos, thus contributing important information to a common body of lore.”
He also seems to think if a tale is a Dreamlands story then it can’t be a Cthulhu Mythos story because if something is classified as one it can’t be in the other. I personally place Dreamlands stories within the Mythos, because to me it makes the Cthulhu Mythos a richer mythology and they make references to one another. A square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t always a square: a Dreamlands story is a Mythos story, but a Mythos story isn’t always a Dreamlands story.
I think I subscribe more to how someone like Daniel Harms classifies the Cthulhu Mythos - all stories which include/focus on elements from Lovecraft’s stories such as Cthulhu or the Necronomicon count as Cthulhu Mythos stories. The connections this makes creates a more unique and richer/deeper mythological background for others to enjoy and then make their own stories. It falls into the spirit of what Lovecraft was originally doing when encouraging his fellow authors to play in his sandbox.
Towards the end of the book Lin Carter goes into the publishing struggles and successes of Arkham House and August Derleth in general, and I found these super interesting as a Derleth fan. I have often stated that I feel like Derleth is unjustifiably pooped on by Lovecraft fans, and it was nice to see praise for how essential he was not only to Lovecraft’s continuation in print but how he carried the torch for Weird Fiction in general. He fostered many great writers of the next generation, such as Rampsey Campbell and Brian Lumley, and seemed as generous with his time and encouragement as Lovecraft himself was. It’s interesting to get a perspective from a friend and colleague of Derleth, and not just critiques from those of the present day who never knew him.
Overall, an interesting and worthwhile book for those who are interested in the history and scholarship of the phenomenon of the Cthulhu Mythos and is inclined towards books such as The Cthulhu Mythos Ecyclopedia . It makes me curious about Carter’s own Mythos fiction, since he admits in this book he didn’t get the appeal of writing it until he began compiling information for this book, and then he got hit with the bug too and it is indeed jolly good fun. I’m wondering how he could feel the motivation to write a book like this without having been involved in Mythos writing??
Having finished this, I feel there is a sense of good fun that is lacking in many modern fans and writers that is maybe just starting to return. Harping on about there being a “right” way to write Mythos fiction seems to be taking all of this a bit too seriously (except for those that seem to hate Lovecraft personally but love making money off of his legacy BUT that’s another story for when I feel like being more cynical). For every The Shadow Out of Time or The Colour Out of Space, there’s also The Dunwich Horror and The Haunter in the Dark, great pulpy stories and written in the spirit of fun.
I do feel like I should mention that Lin Carter is so super opinionated that it’s almost humorous sometimes. But I like that he doesn’t censor himself - it allows his voice to really come through and makes it feel like you’re hanging out with your friend as you’re listening to him sharing his nerd interests (not that I know ANYTHING about that *cough cough*).
I have to say I disagree with his classification system, which he outlines thusly: “Now, what exactly does it mean to say a story belongs to the Cthulhu Mythos? In order to so qualify, obviously a given tale must do more than mention one of the Lovecraftian gods[….] Or one of the Lovecraftian place-names[….]. The tale must, I think, present us with a significant item of information about the background lore of the Mythos, thus contributing important information to a common body of lore.”
He also seems to think if a tale is a Dreamlands story then it can’t be a Cthulhu Mythos story because if something is classified as one it can’t be in the other. I personally place Dreamlands stories within the Mythos, because to me it makes the Cthulhu Mythos a richer mythology and they make references to one another. A square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t always a square: a Dreamlands story is a Mythos story, but a Mythos story isn’t always a Dreamlands story.
I think I subscribe more to how someone like Daniel Harms classifies the Cthulhu Mythos - all stories which include/focus on elements from Lovecraft’s stories such as Cthulhu or the Necronomicon count as Cthulhu Mythos stories. The connections this makes creates a more unique and richer/deeper mythological background for others to enjoy and then make their own stories. It falls into the spirit of what Lovecraft was originally doing when encouraging his fellow authors to play in his sandbox.
Towards the end of the book Lin Carter goes into the publishing struggles and successes of Arkham House and August Derleth in general, and I found these super interesting as a Derleth fan. I have often stated that I feel like Derleth is unjustifiably pooped on by Lovecraft fans, and it was nice to see praise for how essential he was not only to Lovecraft’s continuation in print but how he carried the torch for Weird Fiction in general. He fostered many great writers of the next generation, such as Rampsey Campbell and Brian Lumley, and seemed as generous with his time and encouragement as Lovecraft himself was. It’s interesting to get a perspective from a friend and colleague of Derleth, and not just critiques from those of the present day who never knew him.
Overall, an interesting and worthwhile book for those who are interested in the history and scholarship of the phenomenon of the Cthulhu Mythos and is inclined towards books such as The Cthulhu Mythos Ecyclopedia . It makes me curious about Carter’s own Mythos fiction, since he admits in this book he didn’t get the appeal of writing it until he began compiling information for this book, and then he got hit with the bug too and it is indeed jolly good fun. I’m wondering how he could feel the motivation to write a book like this without having been involved in Mythos writing??
February 28, 2014
pulp writer's estimations of lovecraft. perhaps has a charming introductory value for bucolic virgins.
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