Thanks to the wonderful people at Penguin, I have two fabulous collections to give away during this Halloween season:
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft and S.T. Joshi
An unparalleled selection of fiction from H. P. Lovecraft, master of the American horror tale
Long after his death, H. P. Lovecraft continues to enthrall readers with his gripping tales of madness and cosmic terror, and his effect on modern horror fiction continues to be felt–Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker have acknowledged his influence. His unique contribution to American literature was a melding of Poe’s traditional supernaturalism with the emerging genre of science fiction. Originally appearing in pulp magazines like Weird Tales in the 1920s and 1930s, Lovecraft’s work is now being regarded as the most important supernatural fiction of the twentieth century.
Lovecraft’s biographer and preeminent interpreter, S. T. Joshi, has prepared this volume of eighteen stories–from the early classics like “The Outsider” and “Rats in the Wall” to his mature masterworks, “The Call of Cthulhu” and “The Shadow over Innsmouth.” The first paperback to include the definitive corrected texts, The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories reveals the development of Lovecraft’s mesmerizing narrative style, and establishes him as a canonical–and visionary–American writer.
The White People and Other Weird Stories by Arthur Machen and S.T. Joshi
“Of living creators of cosmic fear raised to its most artistic pitch, few if any can hope to equal the versatile Arthur Machen.” -H.P. Lovecraft
Actor, journalist , devotee of Celtic Christianity and the Holy Grail legend, Welshman Arthur Machen is considered one of the fathers of weird fiction, a master of mayhem whose work has drawn comparisons to H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Readers will find the perfect introduction to his style in this new collection. With the title story, an exercise in the bizarre that leaves the reader disoriented virtually from the first page, Machen turns even fundamental truths upside down. “There have been those who have sounded the very depths of sin,” explains the character Ambrose, “who all their lives have never done an ‘ill deed.'”
Giveaway Details
There is now an official giveaway policy, so if there’s any question, please consult that. However, all of LE’s contests have gotten simpler. All you have to do is answer this question: What are some of your favorite weird stories? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered. Unfortunately, since the prize is coming from the publisher, I do have to restrict the contest to US/Canada only. Sorry!
Even though I’m not offering the additional entries any more, you can still help support the authors of The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories and The White People and Other Weird Stories by sharing this contest on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere you can. After all, the more people who are aware of this fabulous collection ensures we’ll get more stories.
The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.
The contest will stay open until October 31st, at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have.
I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.
Some of my favourite weird stories? The only one I can think of right now is the Amityville Horror. Though I know the whole book was fictional, there are some scenes that genuinely creep me out, not just because they’re classically scary, but because the almost random-seeming imagery used didn’t belong to the typical stuff that tends to creep people out.
i really dont know what i read that is classified as a weird story.. i have some by Ursula Vernon called dragonbreath.. hilarious! half illustrated, very well written.. about a young dragon and his adventures..(curse of the were-weiner is a classic example)..
I have read quite a few, and I have to say that I think Call of Cthulhu was one of the strangest, but I’m not sure I could call it a favorite. I think that the Keep was creepy, and I recently read Nostradormouse, which is a riot!
I read most of HP Lovecrafts work when I was in high school. They have to be some of the creepiest stories I’ve read.
I’ve always loved Ray Bradbury’s ILLUSTRATED MAN collection. I read a lot of them as a kid and they always stuck with me.
I love HPL. My absolute favorite weird story is Herbert West – Reanimator. Lovecraft hated it and it’s said to be his worst work. But the pulpiness of it is great and I like the build up. A good part of the fun of Lovecraft is his (usually terrible) attitude about things that shows through. He loved science and was fascinated with it but the man’s people skills were severely lacking.