The Call of Cthulhu

Written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Narrated by Kenny Davis

"The Call of Cthulhu" is a classic horror short story written by H.P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The story is a foundational work in the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared fictional universe that Lovecraft created, characterized by cosmic horror and ancient, malevolent entities. Is presented as a found manuscript written by the protagonist, Francis Wayland Thurston. It is a tale of cosmic horror that explores the awakening of the ancient and monstrous entity known as Cthulhu. The narrative unfolds through the accounts of different characters, revealing a cult that worships Cthulhu and the ominous events that lead to the creature's re-emergence from its underwater slumber. The story explores themes of forbidden knowledge, madness, and the insignificance of humanity in the face of cosmic forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Loudly
• Release date: Dec 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798868616211

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author of science fiction and horror stories. Born in Providence, Rhode Island to a wealthy family, he suffered the loss of his father at a young age. Raised with his mother’s family, he was doted upon throughout his youth and found a paternal figure in his grandfather Whipple, who encouraged his literary interests. He began writing stories and poems inspired by the classics and by Whipple’s spirited retellings of Gothic tales of terror. In 1902, he began publishing a periodical on astronomy, a source of intellectual fascination for the young Lovecraft. Over the next several years, he would suffer from a series of illnesses that made it nearly impossible to attend school. Exacerbated by the decline of his family’s financial stability, this decade would prove formative to Lovecraft’s worldview and writing style, both of which depict humanity as cosmologically insignificant. Supported by his mother Susie in his attempts to study organic chemistry, Lovecraft eventually devoted himself to writing poems and stories for such pulp and weird-fiction magazines as Argosy, where he gained a cult following of readers. Early stories of note include “The Alchemist” (1916), “The Tomb” (1917), and “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” (1919). “The Call of Cthulu,” originally published in pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928, is considered by many scholars and fellow writers to be his finest, most complex work of fiction. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and Lord Dunsany, Lovecraft became one of the century’s leading horror writers whose influence remains essential to the genre.