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Miniatures Adventure => Call of Cthulhu => Topic started by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 02:30:27 PM

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 02:30:27 PM

Hi guys,
I'm a Cthulhu newbie :oops:
Can anyone recommend some good Lovecraft books to read so I can catch up with the rest of you guys?
I've started reading "The Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories" compiled by Penguin books.  What other books should I read?

Thanks!

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: PeteMurray on November 13, 2007, 02:41:20 PM

You really only need to read Call of Cthulhu and a handful of stories to quickly get Lovecraft's style and viewpoint. Lovecraft, like REH, really only wrote six or seven stories over and over and over.

When you're reading him, pay attention to how the supernatural works. It's always beyond mortal comprehension, it's never benign or beneficial, and it may not even take note of human beings, except as insignificant irritations. Ignore the race stuff.

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Ricco on November 13, 2007, 02:45:28 PM

At the mountains of madness. Dagon and other Tales

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 02:47:06 PM

Is there some kind of Cthulhu primer where I can catch up at least on the different types of monsters, what they look like, and what they are supposed to be?

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on November 13, 2007, 02:48:38 PM

http://www.hplovecraft.com/creation/bestiary.asp

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 03:03:33 PM

Thanks Prof, that was useful.

What were those 2 things that we played with at your place in July?  The monster that chased Doc Thompson in Cairo - was that a ghoul?

And what is that zombie monkey thing that we used in the Pirate game?

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Hammers on November 13, 2007, 03:06:42 PM

Wikipedia has a surprisingly large set pf articles on the Chtuhlu mythos.

I have a a couple of Radio show recordings I could copy and send you. The first is 'The Rats in the Wall' which is of the expedition type. I found it rather scary. The second is "The Statement of Randolph Carter" which is, if I remember correctly, about cultists.

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on November 13, 2007, 03:37:20 PM

Quote from: "dominic"

Thanks Prof, that was useful.

What were those 2 things that we played with at your place in July?  The monster that chased Doc Thompson in Cairo - was that a ghoul?

that was a dimensional shambler

Quote from: "dominic"

And what is that zombie monkey thing that we used in the Pirate game?

monkey? can't remember. Maybe a sand dweller? a pic?

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 03:56:13 PM

Hi Prof, this guy:

(http://www.napnuts.com/leadadv2007/pirate_08.jpg)

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Ricco on November 13, 2007, 05:17:22 PM

The gallery at Bob Murch's Pul Figures, has Bob's Cthulu figs on it. All close to how I "saw" them in my minds eye.

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: Prof.Witchheimer on November 13, 2007, 05:18:52 PM

Dominic, that's a sand dweller

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 13, 2007, 09:43:05 PM

Thanks Prof!

Now, where can I read up about all these Miskatonic expeditions to Egypt, the Mekong and the Amazon?

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: P_Clapham on November 14, 2007, 03:34:20 AM

Lovecraft didn't write those stories actually.  Quite a bit of that can be attributed to Chaosium the company that produces the Call of Cthulhu rpg.  As far as expeditions go.... it's "At the Mountains of Madness' in Antartica and "The Shadow out of time" which has some action in Australia.  As far as Egyptian stories go... read "Imprisoned with the Pharohs", Lovecraft ghost wrote it for Hodunni.

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 22, 2007, 09:56:00 PM

Thanks!  Just started reading Mountains of Madness and it's fantastic!!  Much better than the short stories collected in "Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories"

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: meninobesta on November 22, 2007, 10:14:35 PM

Lovecraft is THE Cthulhu reference, but there are other writers that take the mythos as a base for their work!

one of those is Brian Lumley! I've read a couple of short stories by him and liked a lot, he delves a little deeper in the mythos than Lovecraft (usualy HP only gives hints on the terror that lies beyond, it is a way to add mystery to his tales)

this extra information Lumley adds to his stories is great, I remmember that in one of his stories the "hero" reads parts from De Vermis Mysteriis, and I was reading the "actual" pages like a kid, wondering to myself "mmmmmm so! this is it!" :) , Surely I lost some sanity in the process, but it was worth it :)

see his homepage:
http://www.brianlumley.com/

and if you need to find something in the web you can always use:
http://www.cthuugle.com/

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: TadPortly on November 23, 2007, 09:54:25 AM

Might I also recommend books by August Derleth, Frank Belknap Long, Robert Bloch, and for newer stuff: Brian Lumley.

More writers are here:

http://cthulhufiles.com/cthabib.htm

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: dominic on November 23, 2007, 10:10:26 AM

This is pretty confusing, there are so many writers and I'm not sure where to start.

Mountains of Madness has picqued my interest on the Necromicon and the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred.  Which stories can I read to catch up on these 2 topics?

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: TadPortly on November 23, 2007, 11:33:41 AM

This should be useful:

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

Title: Cthulhu Newbie
Post by: revford on November 23, 2007, 12:39:09 PM

This looks like it could be an interesting collected Cthulhu volume, coming soon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Necronomicon-H-P-Lovecraft-Collection-Gollancz/dp/0575081562/