The Spawn of Cthulhu
Encyclopedia
The Spawn of Cthulhu is an anthology
of fantasy
short stories, edited by Lin Carter
. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books
in October 1971 as the thirty-sixth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
. It was the fifth such anthology assembled by Carter for the series.
The book collects twelve fantasy tales and poems by various authors that either influenced or were influenced by the Cthulhu Mythos
stories of H. P. Lovecraft
, including one story by Lovecraft himself, with an overall introduction and notes by Carter.
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
of fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
short stories, edited by Lin Carter
Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
. It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
in October 1971 as the thirty-sixth volume of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
Ballantine Adult Fantasy series
The Ballantine Adult Fantasy series was an imprint of Ballantine Books. Launched in 1969 , the series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature, which were out of print or dispersed in back issues of pulp magazines , in cheap paperback form—including works...
. It was the fifth such anthology assembled by Carter for the series.
The book collects twelve fantasy tales and poems by various authors that either influenced or were influenced by the 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...
stories of H. P. Lovecraft
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....
, including one story by Lovecraft himself, with an overall introduction and notes by Carter.
Contents
- "Introduction: About The Spawn of Cthulhu and H. P. Lovecraft" (Lin CarterLin CarterLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
) - "The Whisperer in DarknessThe Whisperer in Darkness"The Whisperer in Darkness" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. Written February–September 1930, it was first published in Weird Tales, August 1931. Similar to "The Colour Out of Space" , it is a blend of horror and science fiction...
" (H. P. LovecraftH. P. LovecraftHoward 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....
) - "An Inhabitant of CarcosaAn Inhabitant of Carcosa"An Inhabitant of Carcosa" is a short story by 19th-century journalist, short-story writer and occasional horror-story author, Ambrose Bierce....
" (Ambrose BierceAmbrose BierceAmbrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist...
) - "The Yellow Sign" (from The King in YellowThe King in YellowThe King in Yellow is a collection of short stories written by Robert W. Chambers and published in 1895. The stories could be categorized as early horror fiction or Victorian Gothic fiction, but the work also touches on mythology, fantasy, mystery, science fiction and romance...
) (Robert W. ChambersRobert W. ChambersRobert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.-Biography:He was born in Brooklyn, New York, to William P. Chambers , a famous lawyer, and Caroline Chambers , a direct descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of Providence, Rhode Island...
) - "Cordelia’s Song from The King in Yellow" (Vincent StarrettVincent StarrettCharles Vincent Emerson Starrett , known as Vincent Starrett, was an American writer and newspaperman.- Biography :...
) - "The Return of Hastur" (August DerlethAugust DerlethAugust William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. Though best remembered as the first publisher of the writings of H. P...
) - "Litany to Hastur" (from Dreams from R'lyehDreams from R'lyehDreams from R'lyeh is a collection of poems by Lin Carter. It was released in 1975 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,152 copies. It was Carter's only book published by Arkham House. The Sonnet Cycle, "Dreams from R'lyeh", that comprises the first two-thirds of the book, consists of poems...
) (Lin CarterLin CarterLinwood Vrooman Carter was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft and Grail Undwin.-Life:Carter was born in St. Petersburg, Florida...
) - "The Children of the Night" (Robert E. HowardRobert E. HowardRobert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
) - "K’n-yan" (Walter C. DeBill, Jr.)
- "The Tale of Satampra ZeirosThe Tale of Satampra Zeiros"The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" is a short story written in 1929 by Clark Ashton Smith as part of his Hyperborean cycle, and first published in the November 1931 issue of Weird Tales...
" (Clark Ashton SmithClark Ashton SmithClark Ashton Smith was a self-educated American poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. He achieved early local recognition, largely through the enthusiasm of George Sterling, for traditional verse in the vein of Swinburne...
) - "The Hounds of Tindalos" (Frank Belknap LongFrank Belknap LongFrank Belknap Long was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to...
) - "The Curse of YigThe Curse of Yig"The Curse of Yig" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop in which Yig, "The Father of Serpents", is first introduced.-Background:...
" (Zealia Brown Reed BishopZealia BishopZealia Brown-Reed Bishop was an American writer of short stories.Her stories appeared in the magazine Weird Tales. However, they were extensively revised by H. P...
) - "The Mine on Yuggoth" (Ramsey CampbellRamsey CampbellJohn Ramsey Campbell is an English horror fiction author.Since he first came to prominence in the mid-1960s, critics have cited Campbell as one of the leading writers in his field: T. E. D. Klein has written that "Campbell reigns supreme in the field today", while S. T...
)