When the stars are right, when mighty Cthulhu has risen (even in adorable plush form), and when the color beyond space is flashing in your eyes, you know you’re in H.P. Lovecraft country. It’s easy to get lost there.
Thankfully, science fiction superblog io9.com has provided those who seek to put their sanity to the test with a roadmap to the works and worlds of H.P. Lovecraft:
You’ve heard about Cthulhu, and you’ve probably heard about the man who created this tentacled horror, H.P. Lovecraft. Now you want to try delving into the world of Lovecraft, but where to start? Let us help you.
As with their earlier guides to Blake’s 7 and the Culture novels of Iain M. Banks, io9 does a nice job of providing an approach to entering the complicated and delightful Cthulhu Mythos through a variety of media, including the all-important Call of Cthulhu role playing game.
I would add Fantasy Flight Games’ Arkham Horror series of co-operative board games to the list of essential Mythos works. Any game where everyone can lose definitely captures the spirit of Lovecraft’s world.