Kevin--May have found your Lovecraft story

J

Josh Feltman

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Feb 12, 2001
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A while back, you'd been trying to find a Lovecraft story where the protagonist was pursued by some sort of invisible creature. I have been thinking about it in the back of my mind, and today, I came up with a possibility. I've read most--I hestitate to say all--but most, of what Lovecraft has written, and I just couldn't place that story. Well, I came across one that I think might fit the bill, only it wasn't written by Lovecraft; it was written by Robert Arthur, and the title is "Footsteps Invisible." The main character is an archaeologist who tells his story to a blind newspaper seller on a stormy night. Ring any bells?
 
"The Dunwich Horror" -?-

At the end there is a showdown with an invisible monster, the spawn of Wizard Whately, at the top of a hill- "the invisible blasphemy," it is only seen when the men of Arkham battle it- a powder is thrown on the "Horror" during the struggle.
It goes through grass and destroys houses unseen.

Assumed it was that one- a Lovecraft classic.


Mike
 
It might have been, but I think Dunwich Horror was mentioned last time, and Kevin said it wasn't the one.
 
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Every neighborhood needs an invisible blasphemy or two.
 
: Footsteps Invisible : : The Dunwhich Horror :You guys make it hard to sleep . L:O:L

The only thing I can remember is that it was a short story , It seemed a completely unequal struggle especially since the pursuit seemed to be just between the man and the invisible entity . I do not remember any powder thrown on the beast .

Robert Arthur doesn,t ring any bells . The name might not have stuck with me if it was just one author in a group of author,s short stories .

In truth the only fair thing would be to read both .

It is the feeling derived from reading the story I remember most . The dread of the man . The inescapably hopeless nature of the pursuit . (Oh no..... sorry.......... that was my last date . ) L:O:L
 
It definitely isn,t The Dunwich Horror . I found a copy of :Footsteps invisible:
in a collection of other short stories . I should get it around Oct . 3 .
Hmmmmm , ghost stories in time for halloween .
 
Pickman,s model does not ring a bell at all .

The book was full of a sense of foreboding . (Horror stories go figure . L:O:L)

Some authors of stories do not enthrall the reader , One may read it from a detached viewpoint . Appreciating the descriptive terms yet not being transported by them .

In this story you could just about hear the grass being forced aside by the beings passage . We will have to wait until October to further this discussion unless someone has more input .

I am at this time reading three books and will do my best to finish at least one of the text-books among them to free up some brain matter for the macabre .

Three is my limit as more tend to superimpose themselves upon each other . This may lead to sudden outbursts at inappropriate times . ( Thank goodness The lady mistook them for passion. ) L:O:L
 
There was a story about an invisible monster that influenced Lovecraft. He talked about it in his essay about supernatural literature. It was by Arthur Machen and was called "the Damned Thing", I think. Might want to double check me. I read it, I had a book that had Lovecraft's essay and all the stories he cited in that essay in their entirety, all between two covers. Great story, the opening is fantastic.
 
Bobwhite I found this site which allows free downloads of lots of wonderful stories . Ghastly ghostly fun . There was one story called : The Damned Thing : which is I suspect what you meant . Though I imagine there are a few damned things out there I would imagine that this damned thing pops up a lot .

Unfortunately its not the right damned thing . L:O:L:

B:T:W: The damned thing copied just fine . When I copied : Cobwebs from an empty skull : All I copied were the illustrations . Can anyone tell me why ?

http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/horror.html
 
That's the story, it was Bierce not Machen though. I love the title of the chapter and then the start of the story, very clever and way ahead of it's time on the gallows humor.
 
Not that I read much modern horror except for the newspaper there is something about older stories . Perhaps due to its being from another age . This may be due to the fact that what stimulated the authors was of another nature or intensity than what influences us .

We are , some of us anyway , jaded by sensation . Hollywood overkill tripe that we notice mostly by tripping over its untidy coils . (Hey I feel a story coming on . ) L:O:L
 
Baby Nyarlathotep Cthulhu Plush
plush representation of the Nyarlathotep depicted by H.P. Lovecraft.
made by Toyvault.

LotImg2179.jpg


Lovecraft is now considered literature as I see the Library of America is publishing him.

Also a new biography was released and the review I read made me put it on my amazon wishlist

Lovecraft's stories still send shivers up my now battered old spine 40 yrs after I read my first. A thrill for me was to find a copy of Weird Tales from 1953 in a mouldy basement
 
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