How about some Lovecraftian artifacts? shop.vermilion.cc/collections/cthulhu?ref=HorrorBabble Pocket Watches, Playing Cards, Enamel Pins ... even an Umbrella! (The link above is an affiliate link)
"It's my brain it wants!" Excellent again, Horrorbabble. You are the masters of adaptations classic and contemporary & good to your listeners in perpetuity, providing perfectly-produced narrations w/a special focus on HP Lovecraft's amazing mythos and this fine tale, "The Space Eaters", is no exception.
I remember reading this decades ago. The moment when the doctor sees. . . whatever he sees inside the poor victim's skull and exclaims that he's 'not a healer of devils!' stuck with me. The artistry of not showing the reader what the doctor saw was something I didn't realize until much later.
Not really that surprising. Lovecraft eventually collected a group of weird writers (Long, Bloch, Howard, Smith, etc.) who would freely collaborate and borrow elements from each other's stories. This ultimately laid out the skeleton for what would become the Cthulhu Mythos as we know it. And part of this involved them playfully inserting caricatures of each other into their stories (typically with gruesome results). Another example of this phenomenon can be seen with Lovecraft himself. In several stories, Lovecraft alludes to the Atlantean high priest, Klarkash-ton. This was actually a personal nickname he developed for his good friend, Clark Ashton Smith, during their many years of correspondence.
Hey I just wanted to say thanks for all the great stories. Your way of reading and the great novels have gotten me through some really hard times in my life. After a head injury it really means a lot to have access to such great books, as reading is now more difficult for me. IDK if you guys will read this but thanks for making this accessible.
Another fantastic story and narration. I like this one. Frank, Howard, and Wells! I like how Frank Belknap Long threaded the three into his stories. He has some great ones! Once again, some of the dialogue makes me laugh! 44:58 "A malicious trick, that. To deliberately drug me. Had I known that glass of water... You drug me and then asked me to walk? Frank, you're as unreasonable as an artist!" When I was a kid, Dr. Smith was the name of my doctor. Thanks again!
This story has a very unique concept: that giving form and clarity to a horror makes it more dangerous. Most horror writers (including Lovecraft) follow the opposite principle, believing that explaining a lot about a thing takes something away from it, and rather use our most primal fear - the unknown - in their favor by keeping things murky. Here, Howard's character was targeted specifically because he gave the thing definite form through his articulation of it.
I’ve discovered this channel and binge watched lovecraft mythos series when I was in the hospital on morphine, it was an amazing experience, great stories and amazing narration! Especially the screaming
I remember listening to this story before going to bed for almost two months straight. I had very poor internet where I was and had this one qued up and ready to go and would fall asleep from exhaustion despite listening intently. Its so well written and masterfully narrated. I came back to hear it one more time and its still my all time favorite.
Remember, these beings get a stronger foothold in our reality the more we try to assign a form to them, draw analogies about them, or understand them in any capacity. Very likely, they were doing something to their victims that conveyed both their motives and methods, as the victims' comprehension would simply let them dig deeper into their psyche/brain and accelerate the process. It would be utterly sadistic if said beings understood the concept (and dwelling on that question too much would probably only give them another way in). Further, *_that loud exposition was also planting the conceptual seeds necessary to spread his condition to everyone in earshot._* By crying out in horrifying recognition of what was happening to him, Henry Wells was widening the portal they were opening through his head. And that realization was probably half the pain.
This is an amazing story. Please more Frank Belknap Long! Excellent narration and pronunciation as always. Howard, Frank, Smith, and Wells, hmm? Curious character names. Curiously familiar.
I Think Henry Wells may actually be in refence to Henry H Wells aka Mayor Henry Wells of Brewster NY, as he mentions travelling from Brewster, but I'm doing more (admittedly difficult) research on this. There's scant information about him on the interenet. How did I come to this conclusion you ask? I grew in Brewster Ny, lived near Wells St, where the Well's House was and went to Henry H Wells Middle school, named after this Mayor I'm trying to find more info about
excellently horrific rendition of this classic. there are few narrators on RU-vid that can portray tales from this Mythos with such credible fear. Listen to this with a torch to hand!!
1. “...Lo, I should contrive a new language [to express myself], my dreams....” 2:45 to 4:00. Newtonian. Loving this, thanks. 2. Coupled with the relationship with the Trog, by inherent / genetic memories, are how anthros / mythologists are coupling literature. Edge of my seat, will require a few bites, so thank you 🙏🏽🌙🎩🌹 vis. Joseph Campbell, “Hero with....” these concepts, writes the author of this story, employs the same ideas in form, aspect and all the above. As a timeless piece. These anthropologists, are calling this genetic memory. It takes a real special kind of author wrap himself around both Greek and pregreko models. Thanks again 🎩✌🏽
I cant believe i havent listened to this before now. This was an amazing story and i love the voices youve done in it. I could feel the fear and everything else in it. Thank you
Wow, this was one of the best stories I've listened to in the last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the Willows maybe it's because I have this fascination of haunted forests and things of that nature and this novel delivered in Spades, thank you mr. Gordon for once again delivering an amazing performance.
Hey, Josh...I liked this one a lot and I LOVED the willows. Since you and I have similar tastes is there anything in particular you recommend that's similar?
So I had started listening to this reading yesterday night, but halfway through I decided to stop because oh boy did it terrify me. The way you narrate is beautifully haunting and I shall now attempt to listen to the second half. Wish me luck EDIT: Absolutly wonderfully read and Frank Belknap Long you did indeed managed to write a Horror Story like no other one. Magnificient.
When you start thinking about the implications and realize you can't stop thinking about the implications... I was enjoying a bomb pop before the message hit and foolishly got a brain freeze at the reveal. For future listeners enjoyment really let your mind wander while you do for maximum thrill. As always thank you Ian, I'm going to resist illustrating this beastie.
this was the best Cthulhu story i’ve ever heard. great reading. all the others i’ve heard go on snd on describing the “thing” without much action or story! thanks :) 🌷
I saw a similar short story to this in an old anthology series called "Monsters." The episode centered around a scientist and his friend and the victim he studied was missing his brain entirely.
I believe it was Tales from the Darkside. Hole in the head was the give away. Only difference is the two protagonists are doctors and the action takes place entirely in the house.
Yeah I listened to this when Ian first published it, then it came up again this morning on my recommendations and I couldn’t be happier. 3 years apart and just as terrifying!
I love how characters begin to adopt Lovecraft's literary voice as they are exposed to eldritch forces. As if an external, mondterous force is trying to impose a Lovecraft story onto the world
I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes i saw the sign. Life is demanding without understanding. I Saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, i saw the sign.
The 1991 episode of the series , Monsters , was called , the space eaters . Kind of cheap , but definitely entertaining. Loved that show as a young kid . Its very similar but much shorter and to the , slightly cringe , point.
There are some significant changes and the special effects are terrible, but it's certainly worth seeing. Btw, I have several rare paperbacks of Belknap Long's stories including the novella 'The Horror from the Hills', and could make some scans if needed for recording purposes. 'The Space Eaters' and 'The Hounds of Tindalos' are certainly the best and most Lovecraftian of the short stories, but his work is always highly imaginative and interesting.
I was thinking of listening to this exact story to sleep to before work tomorrow, and lo and behold it appears in my recommendations list again. Not sure if the RU-vid algorithm has made its way into my head, or if the Space Eaters themselves have found me >.>
Kinda ballsy to have character tell a story and then have "not" H. P. Lovecraft spend paragraphs talking about how he could never write something so scary.
😂. Wish we could add photos to the comments like on Facebook , because I am eating a bag of Space raiders (4 bags actually!! 😊) at this moment.... I'm a regular Space eater !!
Just finished listening , I didn't remember the ending to this so I really enjoyed hearing it ,. . flawless wonderful reading as always Ian. Thank you .
