To look at our photograph of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, you wouldn't think he was that weird. Quite unprepossessing, in fact. Yet within that rather ordinary looking exterior were whole universes just waiting to be born.

For HP Lovecraft, as Howard is known to posterity, was the creator of some of the strangest and yet most influential horror, fantasy and sci-fi stories ever written, ten of which you can download from beautifulsounds right now - if you dare, that is.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of Enlightenment, Romanticist, and Christian humanism.  Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.  Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades, and he is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.

These all-new productions featuring the considerable voice talent of Rupert Degas were produced for beautifulsounds by Neil Gardner - and the superb music is by Jon Nicholls.

The Short Stories

[1]        The Alchemist

            For 600 years the Counts have died by the age of 32.  Now, the last of their line, explores the ruins of his ancestral home and discovers the horrific secret behind the deaths of his ancestors.  Can he save himself?

[2]        The Festival

            Recalled to Kingsport, Mass for the Yule Festival by his forefathers, the narrator experiences sights and sounds beyond his imagination, and comes across the accursed and fabled Necronomicon by the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred.  But is what he sees what has really happened?

[3]        The Beast In The Cave

            Lost whilst exploring a deep cave system, the narrator encounters a loathsome beast in the all-encompassing darkness.  After a struggle for his life, he is eventually rescued and then, braving the terror once more, finds the truth about the startling beast.

[4]            Beyond The Wall of Sleep

            An intern at an insane asylum becomes engaged in the case of a violent mountain man who speaks of incredible landscapes and other-worldly vistas beyond his ability to imagine.  By the use of  ingenious technology of his own devising, the intern makes contact with a being from this other realm, with remarkable consequences.

[5]        Facts Concerning The Late Sir Arthur Jermyn & His Family

            Just why did Sir Arthur Jermyn's great-great grandfather Sir Wade Jermyn hide his wife away from the world? And why did his great grandfather murder his entire family save his grandson? And what was the reason for the ugly visage of the Jermyn line? And why, after many years of scientific research, did Sir Arthur douse himself in oil and set fire to himself?  All is revealed to the listener who dares stay the course.

[6]        The Descendant

The feared Necronomicon comes into the possession of a young man who calls on the assistance of his reclusive neighbour to translate the writings of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred.

[7]        The Hound

Two followers of the occult practise of grave-robbing uncover their most impressive haul – an amulet of incredible power.  After stealing the object they return to their isolated home, where they are then plagued by mysterious sounds and visitations, and eventually attacked by a monstrous clawed beast.  Can they survive the nightmare they have unleashed?

[8]        From Beyond

The narrator is invited by a fellow scientist to experience new realms of reality thanks to an impossible device.  However, the event quickly becomes an encounter with outre beings and a murderous colleague.  Will the narrator survive his first foray into the realms that lie beyond?

[9]        Cool Air

The mysterious gentleman living upstairs requires constant cold, and his new neighbour aids in the old man's need for ever cooler air, until disaster strikes and the machinery breaks down.  What happens next is a tale of terror that spans half a lifetime and both sides of the Atlantic.

[10]      The White Ship

A lighthouse keeper joins the crew of a fabled white ship that sails across realms unknown and other dimensions.  From one land to the next the ship sails, until paradise is eventually found.  But what comes after paradise?  Dare a man seek something more?  And what happens if he takes that next step?