You would think that any cosmic horror, Lovecraft-inspired story – especially one that has Cthulhu’s name in it – would be full of terror and blood-chilling elements, wouldn’t you? Well, think again, because this short offering from Neil Gaiman pokes fun at all the tropes typical of Lovecraftian imagination and turns out to be a delightfully amusing tour of many of them.
Cthulhu is dictating his memoirs to a human scribe named Whateley who, at least judging by the monster’s reactions, is clearly torn between curiosity and (in larger part) awed fear of his host, who starts by waxing poetical about his birth and the place he used to call home: of course, Cthulhu being who he (it?) is, the birth implicated the death of both parents and “home” is a place where a gibbous moon bleeds into the ocean…
Showing a particularly grumpy attitude, Cthulhu goes on by describing an eons-long party which brought him to Earth, where he proceeded to enslave, rule and consume the hapless inhabitants, until… well, no, I will let you discover by yourselves how the rest of the story goes, it’s far better to go into it with no prior knowledge. And far more fun!
Except for the part about feeding the shoggoth, that is… 😀
If you’re familiar with Lovecraft’s narrative style and word choice, you – like me – will laugh out loud at the way they are employed here, turning these cosmic horror themes into a genially entertaining read.
My Rating:
Space and Sorcery 
After reading Arthur Clarke’s “Mountains of Murkiness”, I’ve sworn off any humor based Cosmic Horror. No matter how amusing it might sound 🙂
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I was not aware of the story you mentioned, and to be honest I have a hard time imagining Clarke doing something humorous… But I will have to hunt that one down 😉
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It was a shock to me too.
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This definitely sounds like a must read, I mean how often do you run into Lovecraft and humor in the same story? 😉
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It’s an unusual combination, indeed, and I enjoyed this story very much: Gaiman’s brand of humor here is quite funny 🙂
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“You would think that any cosmic horror, Lovecraft-inspired story – especially one that has Cthulhu’s name in it – would be full of terror and blood-chilling elements, wouldn’t you?” – Well, I would! Up to the point I see Neil Gaiman’s name attached to it, that is! With him, all bets are off, lol. Probably the reason why he’s so hit or miss for me. But I’m glad you enjoyed this!
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I have not read much from Gaiman (and the printed copy of American Gods is frowning at me from the shelf where it’s been gathering dust for YEARS), but I quite enjoyed this story 🙂
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This reminds me that I still need to dive into Lovecraft’s world and discover his stuff. Gaiman’s humourous take on it all sounds fun though. Great thoughts, Maddalena! 😀
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Thank you!
It was a surprising find, but it was a very fun one. Unlike the “real” Lovecraft stories where horror abounds. Looking forward to your comments once you tackle that one! 🙂
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I love Neil Gaiman – don’t get me wrong, I don’t love all his works. But, when I’m enjoying something of his I’m really enjoying it. Also, American Gods, the Anniversary Edition in audio is brilliant.
Lynn 😀
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I will have to dust off that copy of American Gods one of these days because books might be patient creatures, but this one has been a… wallflower for far too long! 🙂
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