Today sees the release of our latest Spinechiller audiobook story, HP Lovecraft's The Nameless City.
Read by the main man himself, Doug Bradley, this story introduces us to elements and characters of the Cthulhu mythos in a gripping tale of exploration and startling discovery.
Regular readers of our blog may recall Lindsay Thomas wrote an eloquent soliloquy to this very story in July, but for some reason we're not sure about the story was not released at the time. But it is today. And to celebrate we're re-posting Lindsay's writing for those that may have missed out first time around.
'Oh Lovecraft – you and your loquacious tales of grisly horror – how I possess such fondness for your compositions – unreliable though they might be.
The Nameless City, written in 1921 and more often than not considered to be the pioneer of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Although Lovecraft claimed that this particular tale of the preternatural was inspired by a dream, the formal intellectualization of the mythos was more thoroughly developed by Lovecraft’s cohort August Derleth. The mythos in and of itself is relatively fluid in nature as it is based more on commonalities between stories as opposed to rules of existence created for the sole purpose of building an imaginary realm. Some critics view this fluidity as a weak point in Lovecraft’s work, given that not all of his stories are necessarily consistent with one another. However, it is reasonable to claim that due to the occultist nature of Lovecraft’s art, anything is possible. The rules of physics and science, though held dear by Lovecraft on a personal level and on occasion implied in various tales, are not necessarily reflected in his compositions as unalterable tenets of reality.
This story in particular is superlative in its validation of Lovecraft’s taste for the macabre, but also his appetite for the academic. Combining both elements of fact, such as citing real-life poet Thomas Moore, with the foreboding inception of the Mad Poet Abdul Alhazred, empirical reality is therefore blurred with a non-corporeal world. Consequently, Lovecraft’s ability to instill fear amongst his readers is caused, in part, by his ability to eradicate the concept of what is impossible, and instead create an experience that feels wholly authentic; Nightmares transformed into truth, the ethereal made tangible.
The story itself could almost be considered cyclical in nature as twice, once during the commencement of the story and again during its conclusion we see the baneful song of Alhazred:
“That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.”
Intriguing, to say the least, that this couplet is featured in such a prominent way when Alhazred has yet to emerge as one of Lovecraft’s most notorious through-lines; equally as intriguing is the observation that it is The Nameless City where the Mad Arab would eventually meet his final doom. There is no mention of the fabled Necronomicon at this point – but the poignancy of multiple mentions of Abdul Alhazred in the story is most certainly note-worthy, as is the flagrant placement of Alhazred’s song. The literary device of repetition, which is truthfully more prophetic than anything else, augments the sensation of anxiety ontologically inherent in the story, forcing the listener to relate to the dreadful foreshadowing of not only Alhazred, but of the fate that will be bestowed upon the narrator himself.
My only criticism of Lovecraft in this case is the inconsistency of the introduction where our unfortunate narrator speaks of the physical “hideous lines of fear” that have marred his appearance since his encounter at the Nameless City. The survival of the narrator is indicated not only by the aforementioned introduction, but in the very fact that he has somehow prevailed long enough to regale the listener with his tale. However, the conclusion of the story, though somewhat ambiguous, certainly leads one to believe that the ill-fated narrator ultimately met his final demise in the bowels beneath the city.
Literary critiquing aside, it is unquestionable that this particular rendition of the Nameless City, as read by Doug Bradley, is outstanding to say the least. A story such as this, in order to be read aloud, requires more than the simple formation of words. It requires the vocalist to be gripping and engaging – hanging onto every word as though it might be his last. Bradley’s infamous voice works brilliantly in this scenario as he winds the listener’s emotions around his proverbial finger, holds them in the palm of his hand, and then crushes them with the mighty blow of the narrator’s catastrophic end. A prevalent feeling of loneliness – utter isolation throughout the entirety of the story, combined with an unnerving notion that one is being watched creates such severe tension that I found myself inexplicably drawn into the tale with absolutely no hope of escape. This is most certainly a commendable feat for the vocalist, clearly encapsulating the fundamental charisma Doug Bradley demonstrates throughout the reading. The initial use of the score seemed very melodramatic, climaxing shortly before the actual start of the reading. However, throughout the story the music remains elusively subtle and, indeed, becomes unified with Lovecraft’s words, creating an intensity which irresistibly entices the listener into the realm of the Nameless City, despite the inevitable feelings of trepidation and alarm.
In conclusion, Lovecraft and his morbid affinity for the macabre has undoubtedly been done justice in this unsettling account of the Nameless City. Any individual, regardless of whether or not horror is of interest to them, would do well to partake in this stunning rendition of one of H.P. Lovecraft’s greatest creations. Be forewarned, however, as once you enter into Lovecraft’s ethereal world of the preternatural, you may never come back again.'
The audiobook is a high quality 320kbps MP3 file which includes the cover artwork by Dan Woods. We recorded at the Audio Workshop in London. Joseph Degnan was the recording engineer with Alistair Lock as composer. This audiobook is 35.08 minutes and will open just fine in itunes, windows media player or any other type of MP3 player you prefer to use.For only $2.99 you can download The Nameless City here.