Weird and Horrific Stories
(2021) collects some of H. P. Lovecraft's finest early work. Although his reputation as one of the world's greatest writers of horror and weird fiction remains undisputed, much of his writing was published in such pulp literary magazines as
Argosy,
the
United Amateur
, and
Weird Tales
, making it difficult to find proper collections.
attempts to bridge this gap for modern readers, bringing them face to face with some of Lovecraft's most terrifying creations.
"The Alchemist," originally written in 1908 and published in 1916, is the story of Count Antoine, whose ancestors were cursed after killing a fearsome dark wizard named Michel Mauvais. Every generation since has seen the death of its male members at the age of thirty-two, an age fast approaching for Antoine. Lonely and terrified, he sets out to put an end to the cycle of death and suffering. "Dagon," which appeared in
The Vagrant
in 1919, is a story told by a morphine-addicted man who survived a terrible shipwreck during the First World War. In "The Cats of Ulthar," published in 1920, an unnamed narrator recounts the legal history of the town of Ulthar, which once was the home to a sadistic couple known for their obsession with torturing and killing housecats.
collects over thirty stories written at the height of Lovecraft's career.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of H. P. Lovecraft's
is a classic work of American horror reimagined for modern readers.