This eerie work of masterful suspense heads up one of the best H.P. As more details of the creature and its history come to light, our narrator realizes that no one can possibly be safe from such a powerful entity - not even himself.

The cultists who worship Cthulhu commit ritual killings and chant in tongues. It centers around an ancient dragon-sea monster hybrid that implants itself subconsciously into human minds, driving them slowly insane. The Call of Cthulhu is probably Lovecraft’s most influential story, serving as the basis for his epic “Old Ones” mythos. If you're interested in checking out other sci-fi authors, take our 30-second quiz below to get a personalized sci-fi book recommendation. Readers should be aware of this and use their own discretion when reading and examining his works. It’s critical to acknowledge that his work often reflected highly racist and xenophobic views, and that Lovecraft himself was a noted white supremacist.

*Note: as with any author, Lovecraft cannot and should not be read in a cultural vacuum. (And if you're hungry for more, you can always check out our guide to cosmic horror, the subgenre his works helped establish.) Lovecraft books, novellas, and stories to give you an idea of where to start. Lovecraft - the writer best known for creating Cthulhu, a winged Kraken-like creature, along with an entire mythos of similarly monstrous “Old Ones.” And though Lovecraft’s terrifying tales have been captivating readers for nearly a century now, there’s no time like the present to dive into his must-read works! Here’s a primer on the 10 best H.P. The horror canon simply wouldn’t be the same without H.P.

The tale of cthulhu