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The Impact of Lovecraft’s Fiction
by Rick McQuiston
The impact that the Cthulhu Mythos and its closely related stories have had on horror fiction is quite literally beyond measure. From the depths of the sunken corpse city of R’lyeh to the writhing nuclear chaos of the blind idiot god Azathoth, to the sheer range of characters, monsters and settings makes a profound and disturbing contribution to nearly every wielder of pen and paper. In some from or another you would be hard pressed to locate a author of dark fiction who does not list Lovecraft as a influence in some way, however small.
Speaking for myself, my own fiction has expanded, and more importantly improved, since I first delved into the multi-faceted realm of Lovecraft’s imagination. And even though many other greatly talented authors have added their artistic interpretations to the mythos, Brian Lumley, Ramsey Campbell and even Stephen King to name but a few, Lovecraft himself remains the foreboding master of horror fiction. In my humble opinion (which is greatly shared by others) he was able to create an entire universe of interesting and disturbing creatures unlike any seen before, and dare I say unlike any seen since.
One of the aspects about the mythos that I appreciate and enjoy the most would have to be the ‘depth’ of the monsters. Whether they are alien beings such as Nyarlathotep or Yog-Sothoth or creatures that are from this world (more or less), Chaugnar Faugn, Ubbo- Sathla, Glaaki, Lovecraft infused intricate and unique characteristics, and even personalities, into each and every one. In some instances human characters were directly involved with the, for lack of a better term, ‘conception’ of the monster (son of Yog-Sothoth).
They were not merely horrible things whose only purpose was to devour and torture mankind. No, they were much more than that. Their purposes frequently intertwined directly with the humans (investigators), although almost always to the woe of the latter. Even their names were laboriously concocted by Lovecraft in such a way as to make them seem even more malevolent and alien.
Another aspect of the Cthulhu Mythos that fascinates and influences me is the broad range of different and wildly dispersed settings. Lovecraft had an intangible way of structuring storylines and making seemingly unrelated sections merge together into a coherent and often frightening whole. His tales take place from the frozen wastelands of Antarctica to the center of all infinity ‘where the daemon sultan Azothoth gnaws hungrily in inconceivable chambers.’
Lovecraft’s association with other talented yarn-spinners such as Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, Henry Kuttner and Hazel Heald only serve to further his cult status.
Yet another characteristic of his writing that I thoroughly enjoy is his fearless mentality when it comes to unleashing the monsters. I’ve noticed that quite a few authors tend to shy away from full -length descriptions of the creatures in their stories, possibly adapting the ‘less is more’ approach.
Personally I don’t care for that way of thinking. To me the monsters are as important to the story as the humans are. There needs to be adversaries. Lovecraft never hesitated in revealing the true nature of his creatures. My kind of writing.
In short, the Cthulhu Mythos is a benchmark in horror fiction that is invaluable in the extent of its influence.
© McQuiston, 2007
Rick McQuiston is a 39-year old father of two who loves anything horror related. He offers six 'homemade' books on his website, www.freewebs.com/terror_tales as well as two anthology books on Lulu.com. He is also a member of the International Order of Horror Professionals.