Dreamland Novel Completed!

 Above is a wee area on Benefit Street in Providence, Rhode Island, adjacent to ye Shunn'd House. When I look at this photo, I am struck with how dreamlike my time spent in Lovecraft's hometown now seems. Indeed, I dream of Providence often. Lovecraft evoked his love for Providence in his work, but never more poignantly than in ye climax to his novella of 43,100 words, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. That work has been heavily on my mind this past year, as David Barker and I work'd on our full-length novel set in Lovecraft's dreamlands. I recently wrote my final chapter for our novel--and just a wee while ago I got an email from David announcing that he has finish'd ye final chapter!! Great Yuggoth--our novel is completed! It feels a bit unreal. 
I've been thinking of Lovecraft's novel of late, and dipping into it as I prepar'd to review ye edition of it in PS Publishing's illustrated edition, featuring amazing artwork by Pete Von Sholly. My review is now up at Amazon. Lovecraft destroy'd a lot of stories with which he was displeas'd, and I think we may have lost some really cool tales; so it feels extremely fortunate that, although he never polish'd "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" or prepar'd it for publication, he didn't destroy the manuscript for it--or for that other unpolish'd work, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

It's so compelling, Lovecraft's world as found in his complete fictional oeuvre. I return to it continually, sometimes just to read the stories and enjoy them simply as cool weird fiction; sometimes reading them slowly and studying Lovecraft's prose, his ideas, recurring motifs, &c &c. I never try to write "like" Lovecraft--but I think his narrative tone much have crept into my own prose style, because one of the "compliments" I get in reviews is that my stuff reads as if it were a lost Lovecraft manuscript. A rather dubious accolade, when one is trying to write in one's own personal style.

Writing a novel was hard work, my dears, and I much prefer working in ye short story format. Still, it feels like a wondrous accomplishment, to have work'd on an actual novel with my friend. Maybe someday I'll agree to do it again.


Comments

  1. The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is one of my favourite Lovecraft tales. I look forward to reading your new dreamlands novel with David Barker. So exciting. I was reading "Some Unknown Gulf of Dream" the other night and realised that, As with HPL, you have different styles for different genres of story. You look as if you are lost in the perfumed jungles of Kied! I am also looking forward to the new Centipede Press book. Thank you for your words. I do enjoy reading your blog. G. ;-)=

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