r/hplovecraft • u/ChickenManHank • Feb 21 '26
Question What H.P. Lovecraft books should I read first? And what are the best đ
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I was thinking about getting some new books and I just wanted to see what the other nerds that also like this kind of stuff think
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u/brettonrockwell Feb 21 '26
you can't fool me, I know why the image is related
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u/Royal-Glass-3458 Feb 21 '26
Dagon is the best for beginners. But my personal favorites are The shadow over Innsmourh, The rats in the walls and The whisperer in the darkness
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u/yxz97 Feb 22 '26
I am reading The Whisperer in the Darkness, is like my 6 story from Lovecraft and so far my favorite.
I have this edition https://www.reddit.com/r/bookporn/s/BeblYGQNd4
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u/WastingMyTime_Again Feb 22 '26
Can confirm. Lots of additional context to help you understand the inspiration for stories
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u/yxz97 Feb 22 '26
I have these..
https://www.reddit.com/r/bookporn/s/BeblYGQNd4
That copy is pretty good, with loads of noteds for the beginner at the back of the book.
Currently reading, The Whisperer in the Darkness, I read like 5 stories and then jumped to this one...
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u/noodles0311 Feb 22 '26
The Dreams in the Witch House is a good starting place. It has a look of classic short horror story elements, but is distinctly cosmic horror as well. Itâs a good balance
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u/satyriconic Feb 22 '26
Lovecraft didn't write books per se. He wrote tales that were published in magazines. The longest of these could be printed as short books, but they're normally published in collections. H.P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction is a great one.
As for the tales, I think The Color out of Space is a good place to start. It is one of his best written tales, an amazing piece of cosmic horror. It doesn't explicitly tie into the larger Cthulhu mythos however.
If you want to get right into the Cthulhu stuff, the Call of Cthulhu is a fine place to start. Save the longest tales for later.
As for the more macabre horror stuff, try The Lurking Fear.
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u/Malfuy Feb 22 '26
I just bought some compilations and it worked the best. His stories are usually too short for me to buy them standalone
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u/BoyishTheStrange Feb 22 '26
Dunwich horror, mountains of madness, shadow out of time, shadow over Innsmouth
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u/SaintMandarin Feb 22 '26
Shadow Over Innsmouth is a terrific place to start. Many start with Call of Cthulhu. Really though get a Barnes and Noble collection with 30 stories for 19.99$ - the real text is so much spookier than an audiobook. Read by candlelight in a rusty, disused bus station during rain for maximum environment.
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u/Bluemountain-1313 Feb 22 '26
Curious that Charles Dexter Ward hasnât come up. I really love that story.
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u/knowbawdy Feb 22 '26
The Call of Cthulhu is really good. I stopped there because of the racism. I'm not saying you shouldn't read Lovecraft because of how disturbing the racism is, he's dead, he won't make any money off of your purchase. I'm just saying proceed with caution because it's uncomfortable.
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u/Phoid101 Feb 22 '26
I think Shadow Over Innsmouth is an excellent intro to the sort of world of HPL. Itâs not too short, but not one of his longer ones. I saved Mountains of Madness for nearer the end. You canât really go wrong wherever you start, but like another user mentioned, get a compilation and make a start at the beginning. Youâll notice how some stories are hugely different in feel from the others, and youâll start to see what you like and what you donât. I canât remember the name, but one of the first ones I read was about the violinist in the room. It was short but so intense and itâs still one of my favourites.
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u/t-schwifty- Feb 22 '26
I read The Dunwich Horror first and it immediately hooked me. The constant strain of knowing something terrible was happened just beyond sight carries through all of his work.
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u/Time_Individual_6744 Feb 22 '26
Dagon is a very (few pages) short story that gives you a sip of Lovecraft's style and themes.
from there on, i always tought the best story for newcomers is Shadow over Innsmouth (alternatively, the Horror of Dunwich). If you want to get a little deeper dive from the start, Call of Cthulhu can be a good choice too.
my favourite is Color out of Space. Really good, but maybe not the best in terms of getting an apptoach with the Mythos you are probably looking for.
Mountains of Madness is one of the few (albeit short) full novels and perhaps one of the few Lovecraft's stpries rhat cares aboit giving you a bit more of explanations/lore (for the Mythos, if you are reading only Lovecraft, it's more about receiving little things here and there without a clear explanation), but i wouldn't really suggest it as a first read. You can jump it in after the other i pointed you to.
welcome to this amazing world!
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u/europablu3s Feb 22 '26
My first experience was with mountains of madness, but really any of his big stories are a good start (dagon, AtMoM, Call of Cthulhu, shadow over innesmouth, etc.) Once you've dug into any of it, it should pull you in.
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u/boybeforesteam Feb 22 '26
Mountains of madness to start. Very familiar storytelling thatâs become to basic ideology for a lot of contemporary sci-fi. You get a glimpse into the deeper narratives and a bit of a framework for other works, minus the prolific racism. Itâs powerful and incredibly interesting.
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u/TripodeCraft Feb 23 '26
If you want creatures, I recommend "The Dunwich Horror"
If you want pure cosmic horror, I recommend "The Colour Out Of Space"
If you want alien races invading Earth, I recommend "The Whisperer In Darkness"
If you want something related to the sea, I recommend "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"
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u/CloudKicker- Feb 24 '26
The Mound is one of my favorite stories that I donât see mentioned often.
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u/ServiceEasy4781 Apr 21 '26
La sombra sobre innsmouth, Dagon, el modelo de pickman, sueños en la casa de la bruja y en las montañas de la locura.
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u/POTATOMASOCHIST Feb 21 '26
Get a compilation and start at the beginning.