In my last column, I talked about how J. Sheridan Le Fanu influenced H.P. Lovecraft, even though he never read the Irish master’s many great collections or novels. This week, I want to flip that on its ear and talk about how HPL inspires so many of us to take up the squidgiferous (new adjective) and squamous pen of Mythos. Neil Gaiman, in The Eldritch Influence: The Life, Vision, and Phenomenon of H.P. Lovecraft, said, “Lovecraft is a resonating wave….”
I have to admit I worry about this one, sometimes. On Facebook, one of my friends asked, “What is your greatest fear?” Several people nodded to HPL and said, THE UNKNOWN, but one joker replied, “Being typecast as a Mythos writer.” Ha ha, but behind the joke is a very serious issue. To state it boldly: Can a Mythos writer be anything more than a coattail rider, a pasticher, a hack? Many of us want to be HPL, but how many aspire to be August Derleth or Lin Carter? Writers like Stephen King and Ramsey Campbell gladly acknowledge Lovecraft, but clearly have broken from him and established their own vision of horror (which is a good thing).
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