The Temple of Dagon

Inspired by a book I recently picked up which is an anthology of writers penning works mixing Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes, I decided to delve into a genre which I've always loved: Pulp detectives.

I'm curious what everyone here would think of a Lovecraftesque story starring a Mike Hammer-like detective who smashes his way into a mystery which has the Mythos as its center.

It's fun to write, I'll tell ya! I finally get to use phrases like "I had a head full of hate, and an arm trained through years of killing, all ready and willing to dispense .45s full of hot, burning justice."

It's not every day I get to use such violent purple prose!

As long as it doesn't feature Cthulhu in a mob suit, I'm all for it.

CJ Henderson has a number of these, scattered around several anthologies. If you can get it down, the bleak noir worldview meshes quite nicely with the nihilistic Lovecraftian worldview.

Does he? I'm going to have to check him out. Thank you!

Also, you'll want to look at Jack Yoevil/Kim Newman's "The Big Fish" which can be found in Shadows Over Innsmouth and Cthulhu 2000.

I have Cthulhu 2000.. some of the stories are.... ok

Never really cared much for anything in the Mythos that's been published. Paradoxically, I'm a few steps away from giving head to be published. Hey, are there any attractive female publishing executives?
But I would say avoid looking at too many examples unles you're completely stumped for ideas. You want this to be your own, and too many subtleties from other sources working their way from the back of your mind to the page might spoil it.

Not to disagree with you Jesus, but when I decide to write a story, I try to immerse myself in the genre for a little while--fiction and non-fiction. The fiction I take apart to see how it works, the non-fiction for atmospheric details.

Aleister--if you thought Cthulhu 2000 was bad, you should find (cheap!) a copy of New Mythos Legends. Brrr.

Actually, a while back I read an athology of Mythos stories, and I only just realized that it was why I stopped reading Lovecraft for a year or so. Some of them can be BAD!

But I'd say I agree a bit with Whateley. But I think the key is to understand what YOU want to say, so that when you immerse yourself into mood of it all you only get the feelings (which you need to be able to portray in your own writing), and can avoid flat out copying other people's writing style.

I'll have to check out Cthulhu 2000, though. After reading Campbell's Darkest Part of the Woods (highly recommend) and a couple other things lately, I'm sort of more hopeful about modern Mythos writing.

Some of the stuff featured on this site, if I haven't already mentioned, is rather good, and my bolster your faith in modern Mythos fiction.

Elder Signs Press's Horrors Beyond really reaffirmed my faith in the modern weird tale. I'd really recommend it over Cthulhu 2000

Might take a look for it some time, but once I'm finished Lovecraft, next on my list is 'Vitae' by Plutarch.

Didn't exactly want this to be my first post here, but thought I would also bring up one of my favorite little genre films that was written in that "Mike Hammer" style: "Cast A Deadly Spell".

Man, I love this movie... which I think my signature will attest to.

Please, by all means, write your story in the "Hammer" style. I recommend "In A Lonely Place" if you haven't read it yet for inspiration. That's a great Hammer story with unseen hands pulling the strings. The Ancient Ones could become the "Commies" of your world.

Good luck

Tai

I apologize, the Mike Hammer book I recommended is actually called, "One Lonely Night", not "In A Lonely Place". Sorry about that. I have no idea where I got the other title from.

Tai

Pulp detectives? that sounds interesting really.