McDowall reads Lovecraft

recorded in 1966

click here to listen to SIDE ONE-THE OUTSIDER


click here to listen to SIDE TWO-THE HOUND

"The Outsider" is a short story by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1921, it was first published in Weird Tales, April 1926. In this work, a mysterious man who has been living alone in a castle for as long as he can remember decides to break free in search of human contact and light. "The Outsider" is one of Lovecraft's most commonly reprinted works and is also one of the most popular stories ever to be published in Weird Tales.

Horror historian Les Daniels described "The Outsider" as "arguably the author's finest work". Though some may contend that Lovecraft's "The Outsider" is purely a horror story, there are predominantly Gothic themes that play significant roles in this short story including loneliness, the abhuman, and the afterlife that take it to a more psychological level.

The Hound was written  in September 1922 and published in the February 1924 issue of Weird Tales. It contains the first mention of Lovecraft's fictional text the Necronomicon.

The Bad Box

      Harvey Click's previous novel, HOUSE OF WORMS, had a decidedly Lovecraftian, pulpy atmosphere. This new one, THE BAD BOX, has a more modern, gloomy feel, ala King or Rice. This is not to say that Click is copying anyone…goodness no! His narratives have a style that I hope no Big City Editor ever convinces him needs to be smoothed out.  It's hard to talk about this book without fear of giving away important details, and I don't want to diminish anyone's pleasure  (or is it agonizing torture? ) of reading this story of constant surprises.

     Several horror cliches present themselves, but are handled in unexpected fashion. One thing I like about Harvey Click's stories is he is able to write about characters far different from his own point of view. So many authors have characters that seem to have the same opinions and persona as their creator. Click's character's are always fascinating,and often not someone you'd care to be stuck in an elevator with.
    Once again, fans of his previous book will find this one somewhat different, but still quite exciting, thoughtful and fun. Oh, and gruesome. Yeah, gotta have that in a Click novel,and this one doesn't disappoint. I have to admit that at one point, reading it late at night, I, old curmudgeon that I am, got goose bumps. The common can become hellish. Click's descriptive prose will have you feeling those same goosebumps too.

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE

The House of Worms

        Since the inception of the Kindle, I have read many self published books. Most are sorely in need of an editor. Harvey Click's THE HOUSE OF WORMS, however, is not. It is smoothly written, as professional work of fiction as I have ever read.

       Kindle offerings at this price are usually only 10-20 thousand words at most. This novel is a whopper, 120,000 words.  And unlike , say, some tome by King, there is no padding. This adventure moves quickly and is lean and lithe when it comes to verbiage.

I felt the influence of a great number of pulp and SF writers of the past as I read this. Especially H.P. Lovecraft. What better place to start a novel than in a spooky curio shop with exotic trinkets , then a crumbling mansion on the Hudson River? An eerie mausoleum  under the full moon? A backyard in suburban Cincinnati?

      Click moves locale with sometimes dizzying speed. But, as I said, there is little fluff involved. Every sentence in this tale has its purpose. At times I was reminded of one of the whirlwind adventures of Doc Savage as he and his crew romped across the Depression midwest battling evil. Doc only met this type of evil once, at the end of his (written) adventures.

     Splatter horror fans, there is plenty here for you. While you won't need the king-size Vomit Bag required for some others in the genre,  there is enough here to make you winch. There is also loads of dark humor. For some reason I pictured Forrest Ackerman for the image of   Grimes and Bub from "Day of the Dead" as his son. The book has a lot of the feel of Philip Jose Farmer's "Blown", and perhaps, more contemporarily , Neil Gaiman's "American Gods"

    House of Worms covers some of my favorite themes:

~dilapidated old spooky house, creepy mausoleum (That whole thing reminded me of an early HPL story, The Tomb) .

~Location other than the expected glamour spots such as NY or LA.

~Native American spiritual cues

~Near immortal restless soul

~Secret society or cabal

~some quite brutal and innovative torture scenes

~gateways to other realms

~disorientation

A lot of the action was very pulpish (in a good way), and also to some extent in the “modern noir” of thrillers such as Pendelton’s Executioner books. It flowed easily in real time .

I also liked the ambiguity of the characters’ “goodness”. Kept me guessing the whole time.

The novel is available for Kindle from Amazon. It's only 3 bucks. Quite easily the best entertainment value I've ever had using the Kindle. This book is worthy of a paper edition.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO AMAZON AND READ THE OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION.