Thread: General Lovecraft/Weird fiction thread
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Old 04-24-2008, 04:31 PM   #24
Dr. Drib
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Quote:
Originally Posted by conanfan View Post
Well, let me jump in here - I've been a huge fan of lovecraft and weird fiction generally since my teens. My favorite Lovecraft works are "Dream-Quest of the Unknown Kadath" and "The White Ship." I'm also a fan of Clark Ashton Smith and William Hope Hodgson. Like Dr. Drib, I have also collected a nearly full set of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series - I first read William Morris, George McDonald and Lord Dunsany through that imprint.

That being said, I've also developed a real taste for the New Weird - current writers of strange fiction, often influenced by Lovecraft and his peers. A great website for online new weird fiction is Fantastic Metropolis (http://tinyurl.com/46bmnu), which is sadly dormant at the moment, but still has a remarkable collection of new weird tales (I recommend anything by Jeff Vandermeer or Jeffery Ford). Jeff Vandermeer's City of Saints and Madmen is a tremendous work of weird fiction and is available at Books on Board, among other ebook sites.

I also highly recommend anything by Thomas Ligotti, who is perhaps the most Lovecraftian writer going. Two of his short stories are available online at http://tinyurl.com/6jpnda. His work can be hard to find, but the collections Teatro Grottesco is currently available in hard cover at Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/6yak9z), with a trade paperback edition available for pre-order. Otherwise, ebay, alibris and Amazon's used books section are probably your best bets.

Hi, conanfan:

I'm retaining your full quote, because I feel like I've just met my clone!

I agree with everything you've said about weird fiction and also the current state of imaginative literature.

You mention all the greats that I loved (and still love - mixed in now with a humorous grain of salt. The fact is, Lovecraft - for me - is the most ridiculous fun I've ever had!)

"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" is also my favorite Lovecraft story, perhaps because of the way he "borrowed" the language and mythos of Dunsany to create an other-world-styled dream kingdom.

Thomas Ligotti, as you note, is a wonderful writer, a very atmospheric writer, and one who revels in language.

What I want to say is thank you for expressing EXACTLY what I feel about weird fiction.

Don
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