Kenneth Hite's Top Twenty Lovecraftian Tales

This past week Kenneth Hite, a longtime observer of Lovecraftiana, posted his well targeted list of what he sees as the Top Twenty Lovecraftian tales. While his inclusion of Thomas Ligotti's "Nethescurial" under "Ten Best Stories About Cthulhu Not by H.P. Lovecraft" is somewhat baffling, his general taste in stories is close to impeccable. Here you will find a fine selection of Cthulhuvian (and not so Cthulhuvian, but still Lovecraftian) stories by the most well respected writers orbiting or launching from Lovecraft's work in recent decades. In one respect, the list even reads like a brief Who's Who in Near Contemporary Weird Fiction.

Hite's career as a writer and thinker on matters Lovecraftian culminated in his book published last year, Tour de Lovecraft. His work in the Lovecraftian and broader weird genre for "Weird Tales" magazine in its latest issues is also well received. Additionally, it's not uncommon that lists like these say as much coming from authorities on the weird as reams of scholarship about a particular story or two would. Don't miss this breakdown of Lovecraftian horror tales, not just to get an idea of how various authors are faring in the lenses of professional observers, but to read some ripping works you may not have digested yet.

-Grim Blogger