Randolph Carter
Encyclopedia
Randolph Carter is a recurring protagonist in H. P. Lovecraft
's
fiction and a thinly disguised alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The first tale in which Carter appears--"The Statement of Randolph Carter
" (1919
)--is based on one of Lovecraft's dreams.
Carter shares many of Lovecraft's personal traits: He is an uncelebrated author, whose writings are seldom noticed. A melancholy figure, Carter is a quiet contemplative dreamer with a sensitive disposition, prone to fainting during times of emotional stress. But he can also be courageous, with enough strength of mind and character to fight and defeat the horrific creatures of the Dreamlands (see also Lovecraft's Dream Cycle
). He is also a veteran of World War I
, serving with the French Foreign Legion
.
and one-time student of the fictional Miskatonic University
. Based on clues from various stories, he was probably born around 1874 and grew up in and around Boston. At the age of ten, he underwent a mysterious experience at his great-uncle Christopher's farm and thereafter exhibited a gift of prophecy.
He is the descendant of Sir Randolph Carter, who had studied magic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Sir Randolph had then emigrated to America and his son Edmund Carter later had to flee the Salem witch-trials. Carter also had an ancestor involved in one of the Crusades
, who was captured by the Muslims and learned "wild secrets" from them.
In "The Statement of Randolph Carter
," Carter joins his friend Harley Warren in the latter's investigations of a mysterious crypt in an ancient abandoned cemetery. Warren believes the crypt may contain evidence that could confirm some of his speculations. The details of these speculations are never revealed. We are told only that they come from a mysterious book written in an unknown language and are related to incorruptibility
.
Upon reaching the cemetery, Carter and Warren uncover the crypt by lifting an immense granite slab, revealing a set of stone steps leading downward into the earth. Warren insists that Carter remain at the surface. He descends the steps alone, but remains in communication with Carter via a portable telephone set. Shortly thereafter he tells Carter that he has discovered a monstrous unbelievable secret and pleads with his companion to replace the stone and run for his life. When Carter asks what he has found, his queries are initially met with silence and then by the voice of an unknown entity who informs him that Warren is dead.
"The Unnamable
" begins with Carter in conversation with his friend, Joel Manton – principal of a New England high school – discussing the supposedly mythical creature that bears the story's name. The tale is set in a seventeenth-century cemetery as evening falls. Initially, Manton is skeptical and ridicules Carter for thinking that such a being may be possible. However, as darkness encroaches – and as Carter's descriptions become more detailed and supported by facts – his flippant dismissal gradually gives way to fear. The two are attacked by the monster but survive the experience. "The Unnameable" is notable for containing extensive quoted dialog between the characters, something which Lovecraft scarcely used at all in the rest of his fiction.
There is some question as to whether "The Unnamable's" protagonist is in fact Randolph Carter. He is named only as "Carter" and described as an author of weird fiction.
"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
" – one of Lovecraft's longest tales – follows Carter for several months searching for the lost city of his dreams. The story reveals Carter's familiarity with much of Lovecraft's fictional universe. Carter is also shown to possess considerable knowledge of the politics and geography of the dream world and has allies there. After an elaborate odyssey, Carter awakes in his Boston apartment, with only a fleeting impression of the dream world he left behind.
"The Silver Key
" – perhaps the most overtly philosophical of Lovecraft's fiction - finds Carter entering middle age and losing his "key to the gate of dreams." No longer is Carter able to escape the mundane realities of life and enter the Lovecraftian dreamworld that alone has given him happiness. Wonder is gone and he has forgotten the fact that life is nothing more than a set of mental images, where there is no fundamental distinction between dreams and reality and no reason to value one above the other. In an attempt to recover his lost innocence, Carter returns to his childhood home and finds a mysterious silver key, which allows him to enter a cave and magically emerge again in the year 1883 as a child, full of wonder, dreams, and happiness. He remains in this condition until 1928, when he again disappears, presumably having found a way to transcend space and time and travel in other dimensions.
"Through the Gates of the Silver Key
," written in collaboration with Lovecraft admirer E. Hoffman Price and generally regarded as greatly inferior to its predecessor, details Carter's adventures in another dimension where he encounters a more primordial version of himself (implied to be Yog-Sothoth
) who explains that Carter - and indeed all beings - are ultimately nothing more than manifestations of a greater being. Carter's mind ends up trapped in the body of an alien, another facet of the higher being. The investigation into Carter's disappearance takes place four years later, in 1932.
"Out of the Aeons
" by Lovecraft and Hazel Heald features a brief 1931 appearance by Carter, while trapped in the alien body. He visits a museum exhibiting an ancient mummy from a long-forgotten civilization and recognizes some of the writing on the scroll that accompanies it.
In Thomas Lapperre's book The Uncertainty, Randolph Carter appears as a main character, following up after "Through the Gates of the Silver Key".
Randolph Carter appears in The Clock of Dreams, a Cthulhu Mythos
novel by Brian Lumley
.
In David Haden's Tales of Lovecraftian Cats, Carter's ancestor Sir Randolph Carter is the protagonist in "Beware the Cat". This story is followed by the linked "How the Grimmalkin Came", which also serves as a sequel to Lovecraft's "Through the Gates of the Silver Key".
Gene Wolfe's short story "Game in the Pope's Head" follows a man named Randolph Carter, though his introduction in the book in which the story is published states that it is about Jack the Ripper.
Randolph Carter is the main character in two short stories, both included in the volume "Los Espectros Conjurados" by Spanish author Alberto López Aroca: El ojo que repta (The Crawling Eye) and Randolph Carter y el Trono de Ópalo (Randolph Carter and the Opal Throne), which features other H.P. Lovecraft's characters, as Richard Upton Pickman. Carter also makes a cameo appearance in Los Sabios in Salamanca (The Sages in Salamanca), a short novel by the same author and included in the same volumen, starring professors Challenger
and Abraham Van Helsing
.
Randolph Carter appears in "Allan and the Sundered Veil
", a serialized prose backup in the first six issues of Alan Moore
's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
comic book as well as in "The New Traveller's Almanac
". In it, he is stated as being a faculty member of Miskatonic University
as well as a relative of Edgar Rice Burroughs
' John Carter
.
In comics:
Randolph Carter is portrayed as a member of the Miskatonic Project in the graphic novel, The Miskatonic Project: Bride of Dagon. In the story, it is revealed that Carter is the anonymous narrator of Lovecraft's "The Festival."
In Alan Moore's "The Courtyard
", Randolph Carter is the name of a female singer who is the head of a band called the Ulthar Cats
.
In Hans Rodionoff's comic Lovecraft, Randolph Carter is the name Lovecraft uses while traveling in Arkham and battling the Old Ones. He tells his wife, "They can't know my Christian name here."
In the fifth issue of the comic American Virgin
, a gravestone in the Glade of Eden Cemetery in Miami is marked Randolph Carter.
Randolph Carter is the protagonist in Charles Cutting's web comic for The Illustrated Ape magazine.
In parodies:
Carter appears three times in the Lovecraft-themed musical parody A Shoggoth on the Roof
, including in the opening number.
In the parody RPG Pokéthulhu, the main protagonist is a young boy named Randy Carter.
In games:
In Chaosium
's collectible card game MYTHOS and its MYTHOS: Dreamlands expansion, Randolph Carter appears as an ally card.
Randolph Carter is the name of a dog in the Black Cyc game "Cthulhu." (ク・リトル・リトル）
In movies:
The character Randolph Carter is the protagonist in the 1988 film The Unnamable
which was loosely based on the short story and then again in the film's 1993 sequel The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter
. Randolph Carter was played by Mark Kinsey Stephenson. Stephenson portrayed Carter as an intellectual on a search for adventure, as he appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and The Silver Key, rather than 'a bag of nerves' as he was described in The Statement of Randolph Carter.
Carter is the main character in the movie adaptation of Cool Air
, taking the place of the unnamed narrator in the original story
.
.
An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia doesn't mention anything about the chronology of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
" or "Out of the Aeons
". Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi used the chronology Lovecraft gives in "The Silver Key" in which the events in "The Statement of Randolph Carter" took place when Carter was in his late forties. Joshi says it would also explain why he was called a "bag of nerves" in that story, since it took place after his WWI service in which he was nearly killed and might still have post-traumatic stress.
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
's
fiction and a thinly disguised alter ego of Lovecraft himself. The first tale in which Carter appears--"The Statement of Randolph Carter
The Statement of Randolph Carter
"The Statement of Randolph Carter" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written December 1919, it was first published in The Vagrant, May 1920...
" (1919
1919 in literature
The year 1919 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Winifred Holtby and Vera Brittain return to Somerville College, Oxford, to complete their education following war service.*Two paintings by E. E...
)--is based on one of Lovecraft's dreams.
Carter shares many of Lovecraft's personal traits: He is an uncelebrated author, whose writings are seldom noticed. A melancholy figure, Carter is a quiet contemplative dreamer with a sensitive disposition, prone to fainting during times of emotional stress. But he can also be courageous, with enough strength of mind and character to fight and defeat the horrific creatures of the Dreamlands (see also Lovecraft's Dream Cycle
Dream Cycle
The Dream Cycle refers to a series of stories by author H. P. Lovecraft. These stories concern themselves with "The Dreamlands": a vast, alternate dimension that can be entered via dreams.-Geography:The Dreamlands is apparently divided into four regions:...
). He is also a veteran of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, serving with the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
.
Stories
In Lovecraft's writings, Carter appears or is mentioned in the following tales:- "The Statement of Randolph CarterThe Statement of Randolph Carter"The Statement of Randolph Carter" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written December 1919, it was first published in The Vagrant, May 1920...
" (1919) - "The UnnamableThe Unnamable (short story)"The Unnamable" is a short story by science fiction and horror author H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in September of 1923 and was first published in the July 1925 issue of Weird Tales.-Plot summary:...
" (1923) - "The Silver KeyThe Silver Key"The Silver Key" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, considered part of his Dreamlands series. It was first published in the January 1929 issue of Weird Tales. It was followed by a sequel, "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", co-written with E...
" (1926) - "The Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
" (1926-1927) - "The Case of Charles Dexter WardThe Case of Charles Dexter WardThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's liftetime...
" (1927) - "Through the Gates of the Silver KeyThrough the Gates of the Silver Key"Through the Gates of the Silver Key" is a short story co-written by H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price between October 1932 and April 1933. A sequel to Lovecraft's "The Silver Key", and part of a sequence of stories focusing on Randolph Carter, it was first published in the July 1934 issue of...
" (1933) - "Out of the AeonsOut of the Aeons"Out of the Aeons" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. It focuses around a Boston museum that has found an ancient mummy from a past-sunken island to be put on display.-Plot summary:...
" (1933)
Character
Randolph Carter is an antiquarianAntiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
and one-time student of the fictional Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham; a fictitious town which is said to exist in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River . After first appearing in the H. P...
. Based on clues from various stories, he was probably born around 1874 and grew up in and around Boston. At the age of ten, he underwent a mysterious experience at his great-uncle Christopher's farm and thereafter exhibited a gift of prophecy.
He is the descendant of Sir Randolph Carter, who had studied magic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Sir Randolph had then emigrated to America and his son Edmund Carter later had to flee the Salem witch-trials. Carter also had an ancestor involved in one of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, who was captured by the Muslims and learned "wild secrets" from them.
In "The Statement of Randolph Carter
The Statement of Randolph Carter
"The Statement of Randolph Carter" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written December 1919, it was first published in The Vagrant, May 1920...
," Carter joins his friend Harley Warren in the latter's investigations of a mysterious crypt in an ancient abandoned cemetery. Warren believes the crypt may contain evidence that could confirm some of his speculations. The details of these speculations are never revealed. We are told only that they come from a mysterious book written in an unknown language and are related to incorruptibility
Incorruptibility
Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness...
.
Upon reaching the cemetery, Carter and Warren uncover the crypt by lifting an immense granite slab, revealing a set of stone steps leading downward into the earth. Warren insists that Carter remain at the surface. He descends the steps alone, but remains in communication with Carter via a portable telephone set. Shortly thereafter he tells Carter that he has discovered a monstrous unbelievable secret and pleads with his companion to replace the stone and run for his life. When Carter asks what he has found, his queries are initially met with silence and then by the voice of an unknown entity who informs him that Warren is dead.
"The Unnamable
The Unnamable (short story)
"The Unnamable" is a short story by science fiction and horror author H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in September of 1923 and was first published in the July 1925 issue of Weird Tales.-Plot summary:...
" begins with Carter in conversation with his friend, Joel Manton – principal of a New England high school – discussing the supposedly mythical creature that bears the story's name. The tale is set in a seventeenth-century cemetery as evening falls. Initially, Manton is skeptical and ridicules Carter for thinking that such a being may be possible. However, as darkness encroaches – and as Carter's descriptions become more detailed and supported by facts – his flippant dismissal gradually gives way to fear. The two are attacked by the monster but survive the experience. "The Unnameable" is notable for containing extensive quoted dialog between the characters, something which Lovecraft scarcely used at all in the rest of his fiction.
There is some question as to whether "The Unnamable's" protagonist is in fact Randolph Carter. He is named only as "Carter" and described as an author of weird fiction.
"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
" – one of Lovecraft's longest tales – follows Carter for several months searching for the lost city of his dreams. The story reveals Carter's familiarity with much of Lovecraft's fictional universe. Carter is also shown to possess considerable knowledge of the politics and geography of the dream world and has allies there. After an elaborate odyssey, Carter awakes in his Boston apartment, with only a fleeting impression of the dream world he left behind.
"The Silver Key
The Silver Key
"The Silver Key" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, considered part of his Dreamlands series. It was first published in the January 1929 issue of Weird Tales. It was followed by a sequel, "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", co-written with E...
" – perhaps the most overtly philosophical of Lovecraft's fiction - finds Carter entering middle age and losing his "key to the gate of dreams." No longer is Carter able to escape the mundane realities of life and enter the Lovecraftian dreamworld that alone has given him happiness. Wonder is gone and he has forgotten the fact that life is nothing more than a set of mental images, where there is no fundamental distinction between dreams and reality and no reason to value one above the other. In an attempt to recover his lost innocence, Carter returns to his childhood home and finds a mysterious silver key, which allows him to enter a cave and magically emerge again in the year 1883 as a child, full of wonder, dreams, and happiness. He remains in this condition until 1928, when he again disappears, presumably having found a way to transcend space and time and travel in other dimensions.
"Through the Gates of the Silver Key
Through the Gates of the Silver Key
"Through the Gates of the Silver Key" is a short story co-written by H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price between October 1932 and April 1933. A sequel to Lovecraft's "The Silver Key", and part of a sequence of stories focusing on Randolph Carter, it was first published in the July 1934 issue of...
," written in collaboration with Lovecraft admirer E. Hoffman Price and generally regarded as greatly inferior to its predecessor, details Carter's adventures in another dimension where he encounters a more primordial version of himself (implied to be Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth
Yog-Sothoth is a cosmic entity of the fictional Cthulhu Mythos and the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Yog-Sothoth's name was first mentioned in his novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward...
) who explains that Carter - and indeed all beings - are ultimately nothing more than manifestations of a greater being. Carter's mind ends up trapped in the body of an alien, another facet of the higher being. The investigation into Carter's disappearance takes place four years later, in 1932.
"Out of the Aeons
Out of the Aeons
"Out of the Aeons" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. It focuses around a Boston museum that has found an ancient mummy from a past-sunken island to be put on display.-Plot summary:...
" by Lovecraft and Hazel Heald features a brief 1931 appearance by Carter, while trapped in the alien body. He visits a museum exhibiting an ancient mummy from a long-forgotten civilization and recognizes some of the writing on the scroll that accompanies it.
Non-Lovecraft appearances
In literature:In Thomas Lapperre's book The Uncertainty, Randolph Carter appears as a main character, following up after "Through the Gates of the Silver Key".
Randolph Carter appears in The Clock of Dreams, a Cthulhu Mythos
Cthulhu Mythos
The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft.The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu - a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus...
novel by Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley
Brian Lumley is an English horror fiction writer.Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.He added to H. P...
.
In David Haden's Tales of Lovecraftian Cats, Carter's ancestor Sir Randolph Carter is the protagonist in "Beware the Cat". This story is followed by the linked "How the Grimmalkin Came", which also serves as a sequel to Lovecraft's "Through the Gates of the Silver Key".
Gene Wolfe's short story "Game in the Pope's Head" follows a man named Randolph Carter, though his introduction in the book in which the story is published states that it is about Jack the Ripper.
Randolph Carter is the main character in two short stories, both included in the volume "Los Espectros Conjurados" by Spanish author Alberto López Aroca: El ojo que repta (The Crawling Eye) and Randolph Carter y el Trono de Ópalo (Randolph Carter and the Opal Throne), which features other H.P. Lovecraft's characters, as Richard Upton Pickman. Carter also makes a cameo appearance in Los Sabios in Salamanca (The Sages in Salamanca), a short novel by the same author and included in the same volumen, starring professors Challenger
Challenger
-Land vehicles:* Challenger trucks, a Canadian maker of heavy trucks* One of several British Army tanks:** Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger, in service during World War II** Challenger 1 tank, in service from the late 1980s to early 21st century...
and Abraham Van Helsing
Abraham Van Helsing
Professor Abraham van Helsing is a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula.Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc." The character is best known as a...
.
Randolph Carter appears in "Allan and the Sundered Veil
Allan and the Sundered Veil
Allan and the Sundered Veil was a six-part story written in the style of a boy's periodical by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, included at the back of each issue of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I and collected at the back of that volume...
", a serialized prose backup in the first six issues of Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans two six-issue limited series and a graphic novel from the America's Best Comics imprint of Wildstorm/DC, and a third miniseries...
comic book as well as in "The New Traveller's Almanac
The New Traveller's Almanac
The New Traveller's Almanac was a series of writings included in the back of all six issues of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II, covering the timeline and the world of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen....
". In it, he is stated as being a faculty member of Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University
Miskatonic University is a fictional university located in Arkham; a fictitious town which is said to exist in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is named after the Miskatonic River . After first appearing in the H. P...
as well as a relative of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
' John Carter
John Carter (character)
John Carter is a fictional character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who appears in the Barsoom series of novels. Though actually a Virginian from Earth and a visitor to Mars, he is often referred to as "John Carter of Mars" in reference to the general setting in which his deeds are recorded, in...
.
In comics:
Randolph Carter is portrayed as a member of the Miskatonic Project in the graphic novel, The Miskatonic Project: Bride of Dagon. In the story, it is revealed that Carter is the anonymous narrator of Lovecraft's "The Festival."
In Alan Moore's "The Courtyard
Alan Moore's The Courtyard
Alan Moore's The Courtyard is a 2-issue comic book mini-series adaptation of a 1994 prose story written by Alan Moore, published in 2003 by Avatar Press...
", Randolph Carter is the name of a female singer who is the head of a band called the Ulthar Cats
The Cats of Ulthar
"The Cats of Ulthar" is a short story written by American fantasy author H. P. Lovecraft in June 1920. In the tale, an unnamed narrator relates the story of how a law forbidding the killing of cats came to be in a town called Ulthar. As the narrative goes, the city is home to an old couple who...
.
In Hans Rodionoff's comic Lovecraft, Randolph Carter is the name Lovecraft uses while traveling in Arkham and battling the Old Ones. He tells his wife, "They can't know my Christian name here."
In the fifth issue of the comic American Virgin
American Virgin (comics)
American Virgin was an American comic book series published by Vertigo Comics and written by Steven T. Seagle and illustrated by Becky Cloonan. The series launched on a monthly schedule in March 2006 and was canceled two years later...
, a gravestone in the Glade of Eden Cemetery in Miami is marked Randolph Carter.
Randolph Carter is the protagonist in Charles Cutting's web comic for The Illustrated Ape magazine.
In parodies:
Carter appears three times in the Lovecraft-themed musical parody A Shoggoth on the Roof
A Shoggoth on the Roof
A Shoggoth on the Roof is a parody musical of Fiddler on the Roof based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Published by the H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, it is credited to a member of the society who is referred to only as "He Who Must Not Be Named".There have been many legal difficulties in...
, including in the opening number.
In the parody RPG Pokéthulhu, the main protagonist is a young boy named Randy Carter.
In games:
In Chaosium
Chaosium
Chaosium is one of the longer lived publishers of role-playing games still in existence. Founded by Greg Stafford, its first game was actually a wargame, White Bear and Red Moon, which later mutated into Dragon Pass and its sequel, Nomad Gods...
's collectible card game MYTHOS and its MYTHOS: Dreamlands expansion, Randolph Carter appears as an ally card.
Randolph Carter is the name of a dog in the Black Cyc game "Cthulhu." (ク・リトル・リトル）
In movies:
The character Randolph Carter is the protagonist in the 1988 film The Unnamable
The Unnamable (film)
The Unnamable, based on H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Unnamable", was a film made in 1988 about a group of university students that made the poor decision to stay, over-night, in a 'haunted house'. Mark Kinsey Stephenson played the lead role, Randolph Carter , alongside Charles King...
which was loosely based on the short story and then again in the film's 1993 sequel The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter
The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter
The Unnamable II: The Statement of Randolph Carter is a 1993 horror film. It incorporates elements from the short story "The Statement of Randolph Carter" by H.P...
. Randolph Carter was played by Mark Kinsey Stephenson. Stephenson portrayed Carter as an intellectual on a search for adventure, as he appeared in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and The Silver Key, rather than 'a bag of nerves' as he was described in The Statement of Randolph Carter.
Carter is the main character in the movie adaptation of Cool Air
Cool Air (film)
Cool Air is a 1999 black-and-white horror film directed by and starring Bryan Moore, and co-starring Jack Donner, with cinematography by Michael Bratkowski. It is based on the short story "Cool Air" by H. P. Lovecraft.-Plot:...
, taking the place of the unnamed narrator in the original story
Cool Air
"Cool Air" is a short story by the American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1926 and published in the March 1928 issue of Tales of Magic and Mystery.-Inspiration:...
.
Chronological appearances
This list is based in the An H. P. Lovecraft EncyclopediaAn H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia
An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia is a reference work written by S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz. It covers the life and work of American horror fiction writer H. P...
.
- "The Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown KadathThe Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. It was completed in 1927 and was unpublished in his lifetime. It is both the longest of the stories that comprise his Dream Cycle and the longest to feature protagonist Randolph Carter, and can thus be considered a culminating...
": here Carter is, presumably, twenty years old. This is the "first" of Carter's stories (See The Silver Key section). - "The Statement of Randolph CarterThe Statement of Randolph Carter"The Statement of Randolph Carter" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written December 1919, it was first published in The Vagrant, May 1920...
": here Carter's age is unspecified, but the events are set after The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. - "The UnnamableThe Unnamable (short story)"The Unnamable" is a short story by science fiction and horror author H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in September of 1923 and was first published in the July 1925 issue of Weird Tales.-Plot summary:...
": This story occurs shortly thereafter The Statement of Randolph Carter. - "The Silver KeyThe Silver Key"The Silver Key" is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, considered part of his Dreamlands series. It was first published in the January 1929 issue of Weird Tales. It was followed by a sequel, "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", co-written with E...
": here Carter is thirty, but in the story he finds himself transformed into a nine-year-old boy. Then, at fifty-four, he finds the Silver Key. - "Through the Gates of the Silver KeyThrough the Gates of the Silver Key"Through the Gates of the Silver Key" is a short story co-written by H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price between October 1932 and April 1933. A sequel to Lovecraft's "The Silver Key", and part of a sequence of stories focusing on Randolph Carter, it was first published in the July 1934 issue of...
": sequel to The Silver Key.
An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia doesn't mention anything about the chronology of "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a short novel by H. P. Lovecraft, written in early 1927, but not published during the author's liftetime...
" or "Out of the Aeons
Out of the Aeons
"Out of the Aeons" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Hazel Heald. It focuses around a Boston museum that has found an ancient mummy from a past-sunken island to be put on display.-Plot summary:...
". Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi used the chronology Lovecraft gives in "The Silver Key" in which the events in "The Statement of Randolph Carter" took place when Carter was in his late forties. Joshi says it would also explain why he was called a "bag of nerves" in that story, since it took place after his WWI service in which he was nearly killed and might still have post-traumatic stress.