Lovecraftian Fantasy

[NRuhwald]

Hi there. I fairly recently discovered Lovecraft, and he's quickly become one of my favorite authors. Does anyone know of authors writing similar fiction in the fantasy vein (not necessarily super-dark)?

Also did anyone else notice the Lovecraft allusions in Aquaman? That was epic.

 

[ThinkerX]

Lovecraft spawned literally generations of authors who mucked about in his mythos. Clark Ashton Smith was a contemporary of his who wrote no few such tales, August Derleth saved the stories from literary extinction though he added his own ham fisted additions. Robert E Howard created 'Conan' as a hero capable of going toe to toe with Lovecraftian abominations. More than a few modern authors have taken cracks at the Mythos. Run a search for 'Lovecraftian' in Amazon Kindle sometime.

 

[NRuhwald]

I meant more writing in a similar style to Lovecraft rather than writing using his mythos. Just as there are many authors inspired by Tolkien but don't set their stories in Middle Earth. But that's a great suggestion. I feel silly I didn't think of it myself.

 

[ThinkerX]

The 'Lovecraftian' Amazon search will turn up plenty of stylistically similar works. Something to keep in mind: Lovecraft actively encouraged other authors to make use of his mythos, which they did, adding their own twists and interpretations. There were also other roughly contemporary authors who wrote similar tales (Manchin, Bierce 'King in Yellow') that got folded into the whole in a messy fashion. What resulted is the sort of darkly glorious mess you find in real world history: key figures in one authors tales are ignored or barely mentioned by other authors. Supposedly authoritative tomes directly contradict each other - and sometimes themselves.

Full disclosure: I incorporated Lovecraftian elements in my tales, going so far as to include slightly renamed key figures.

 

[NRuhwald]

Cool! I knew there were other contemporary "Lovecraftian" authors, but I thought they were all buddies who collaborated.

I'll have to check out some of your work someday. Also full disclosure: I am also pretty heavily influenced by Lovecraft, but I have my own world(s)

 

[HokuRyu]

Clark Ashton Smith and Robert W Chambers spring to mind as my personal favorites to the "Weird"/"Cosmic Genres. I have yet to start Robert Howard. Stephen King also has done a few Lovecraftian books notably "IT" can be classified as Cosmic Genre.

 

[NRuhwald]

Yup, Stephen King's It for sure, also the Mist too I would say. Although I confess I've only seen the movies. I think I've read some of Clark Aston Smith, but I'll have to check out the others you mentioned.

 

[Insolent Lad]

One can also look at Dunsany (mostly the early stuff) who was a big influence on Lovecraft. Lovecraft's novel 'The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath' is a straight-forward Dunsany homage.

 

[Helgeist]

oes anyone know of authors writing similar fiction in the fantasy vein (not necessarily super-dark)?

Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Howard, Robert Bloch, August Derleth...

Me

Also did anyone else notice the Lovecraft allusions in Aquaman?

Yes of course

 

[Ozonequeen]

Hi there. I fairly recently discovered Lovecraft, and he's quickly become one of my favorite authors. Does anyone know of authors writing similar fiction in the fantasy vein (not necessarily super-dark)?

Also did anyone else notice the Lovecraft allusions in Aquaman? That was epic.

There's a book called 'The Lovecraft Code' by Peter Levenda that's pretty trippy.

 

[hammert]

Hey there! It's great to hear that you've discovered Lovecraft and are enjoying his works. If you're looking for authors who write similar fiction in the fantasy vein but perhaps not as dark, you might want to check out authors like Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, and Clark Ashton Smith. They incorporate elements of fantasy and cosmic horror in their storytelling, creating unique and imaginative worlds.

Regarding the Lovecraft allusions in Aquaman, it's always exciting to spot references to beloved authors in popular culture. It adds an extra layer of enjoyment for fans. If you enjoyed those allusions, you might also appreciate exploring other films, books, and games that draw inspiration from Lovecraft's works. Happy exploring!

 

[Logomancer]

I just want to add Algernon Blackwood to the list.