Now an HBO® Series from J.J. Abrams (Executive Producer of Westworld), Misha Green (Creator of Underground) and Jordan Peele (Director of Get Out)
The critically acclaimed cult novelist makes visceral the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects in this brilliant and wondrous work of the imagination that melds historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and … fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.
Chicago, 1954. When his father Montrose goes missing, 22-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his Uncle George—publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide—and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite—heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’s ancestors—they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours.
At the manor, Atticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal named the Order of the Ancient Dawn—led by Samuel Braithwhite and his son Caleb—which has gathered to orchestrate a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his—and the whole Turner clan’s—destruction.
A chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, Lovecraft Country is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism—the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.
more
I found it ironic that H.P. Lovecraft was a racist but Matt Ruff takes his imaginary monsters and incorporates them into a novel about The Jim Crow South. Here the monsters have white skin and unnatural tendencies while the mythic creatures follow the natural order. The HBO series was my introduction to this book and while it was very entertaining, too many changes occurred that were not part of the book. George and Hippolyta have a son, Horace, in the book not a daughter. There was no Korean fox woman in the book and Atticus’s dad, Montrose, is NOT gay! Wow HBO should write their own book instead of destroying such a perfect story! Some of the events that take place in the show occur in the book but the book’s version is so much better and more believable. Ruby changing into a white woman after drinking a potion made by Braithwhite was absolutely awesome. The book’s description of those events are much more fun and humorous. The curse placed on Horace by Captain Lancaster is way more entertaining than the trippy twin ghost gals from the series. And Letitia buying the huge haunted mansion, unlike the special effects from the show, is a hugely entertaining series of events. The old man who haunts Letitia’s new abode just thinks he’s in charge. I hate that whole concept where black African Americans are portrayed as being unintelligent and this book brings that to light but offering that perspective for what it is, unintelligent. This is a book I will read again and treasure much like George treasures the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs take of John Carter and Tarzan. If you have seen this HBO series and think you know what this book is about, you’ve been deceived! This book is so much better than the show and a treasure waiting to be discovered!
I cannot begin to say how much I loved this book. Such an incredible blend of themes, from supernatural to racial, and a unique look at 1950’s Segregationist America through the eyes of two families who become entangled with a Lovecraftian cult.
This story has everything weird. So much of the scary disturbing history is REAL. So many things we should have learned in American History but did not. Truth far scarier than any fiction. Mix that with the Cthulhu Mythos and you have a ghastly concoction of perfection.
The greatest trick Matt Ruff pulled off with Lovecraft Country is showing that real-world racism is ALWAYS scarier than the most terrifying monsters you can invent. Hats off to this clever novel combine many genres that I love.
Also, I should mention that readers of the novel should not expect a direct adaptation in the HBO show. There are… a lot of changes.
Absolutely loved this. Great literary horror!
The Lovecraft Country TV show is fine. I’d probably never have discovered the book without the show, and my husband really enjoyed the show. But… uh, how do I say this with without sounding like a maiden aunt? I found the show too gratuitous. HBO loves showing boobs and blood, and it’s just too much for me. I hate gore, and I don’t usually like when romance is too explicit. (If I’ve been led to care about the characters before a sex scene, I feel like I’ve accidentally walked in on a friend.)
The book has the same characters I liked in the show, but with more scifi nerdery, more character development, more of a subtle creeping horror and less bloody-body-parts horror. There’s a constant, mundane threat in daily life under segregation, and it’s used to make all the dangers and supernatural horrors frightening and intense. I especially loved Hippolyta’s storyline, which so perfectly blended closed opportunity doors and fantastically opened space portals. Also, at the risk of a mild spoiler (I hope it’s not too much of a spoiler to discover that a character can die in an HBO horror show?), there is a person who dies in the show who doesn’t die in the book. I can’t say any more without spoilers, but basically every scene that I wasn’t into didn’t happen in the book, and every relationship that I wanted to explore was developed in the book. I felt like I was reading my own Lovecraft Country fanfiction.
Lived up to the hype, but not in the way you might think. This book is made up of a series of interconnecting stories which center around two main black families, and each of the members of those families is the focus of a chapter. The description is really only about the first story, and it and the others are pieces of an overarching story. I felt the description was a bit misleading in that sense, but once I figured out what was going on I was all in!
Lovecraft Country is a little bit sci-fi, a little bit fantasy, and a little bit horror, and each individual story is absolutely wonderful. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. You get a little bit of everything which allows for multiple unique examinations of racism in America through a diverse cast of characters spanning several different genres.
After episode one of the HBO series, I started checking to see if “LoveCraft Country” was based on a book. Turns out it was and what a story! To call it original is seriously understating it. Did I say, ‘what a story’?-What A Ride! I was happy to discover that the series’ creators have so much more material to draw from if a Season 2 is in the works-please let there be a season 2! If you’ve seen the show, you know the creators are geniuses, so they can definitely get the job done without a guide. Nevertheless, the stories in “LoveCraft Country” are brilliant. Matt Ruff’s grasp of the African American experience circa 1950s America is equally brilliant and I’m eager to read more of his work.
Hats off to Matt Ruff. I have to admit, when a white writer does Black voices, I approach the work with a healthy dose of skepticism. Occurrences I’m pretty sure they can pull off, but the interiors of Black characters, their reactions to those occurrences … especially if the book purports to address race on some level, I tend not to believe they can execute with authenticity. Matt Ruff did a great job with that, in my opinion. In ‘Lovecraft Country, he writes about a group of characters with intersecting lives–returning soldier Atticus Turner, and his extended family including his father, Montrose, uncle George, distant relatives on his mother’s side, the Braithwaites; and his childhood friend Letitia Dandridge and her sister Ruby. They’re all living under the shadow of Jim Crow, which Ruff succeeds in making as much of a monster as some of the more literal “monsters” that appear in the book. He isn’t heavy-handed about it, but the metaphorical ghost of slavery is as real a presence as some of the other ghosts we encounter.
Written in episodic format (because apparently Ruff wrote these stories intending for them to become a television series), we experience each character’s brush with the supernatural which are independently fascinating and engaging. But there’s also the added element of how these supernatural events intersect with America’s dark past of race-based violence, segregation and enslavement. Ruff drops little nuggets of real history and facts about America’s racist legacy as plot points, so that you’re educated as you’re being entertained. I like that the crux of the book is that there is a hidden supernatural world that most people don’t experience and would even doubt exists. It seemed like a fitting metaphor for how Black versus white people experience life in America–there is often a Black experience, invisible to white people that Black folks find themselves having to convince white people is real.
Another element of this book I loved was the nature of the Turner family. Atticus, his father Montrose and Uncle George are all well-read, deep thinkers whose conversations often center around books they’ve read and the meaning of those books in their lives. Atticus’ young cousin Horace is an artist who draws his own comic books for his family’s amusement, and reads just as voraciously as Atticus, his father and uncle do. This should not be remarkable, but it is. Rarely do we see this kind of Black family in books, especially if the book is set in this era. Even Black writers fall into the trap of having Black characters be overly and sometimes singularly preoccupied with the business of ‘being Black’ rather than having other concerns, the same concerns that everyone else has.
There isn’t much I can say about the book that doesn’t give things away, but I definitely recommend it. Lots of discussion potential here.
This kept popping up as a recommendation for me, yet I took a long time to actually read it. I wish I hadn’t waited so long. it was a quick, entertaining read that immediately immersed me in it’s world. Different from what I expected (Cosmic horror and tentacles) but highly recommended
Deftly handling almost every genre of fiction you can think of, Ruff weaves his tale of 3 African-American families living in the 1950’s while battling racism, ghosts, witches, warlocks and other creatures. Looking forward to the HBO adaptation in August!
I enjoyed this book. The way it was written is different from any novel, or short stories book I’ve ever read. I liked it, it is a very interesting and unusual book.
Very innovative twist to the Chthulu mythos, without ever mentioning Chthulu. Well done.
Instantly a classic. Ruff is a great author on his own terms.
Infusing the Lovecraft lore into his work seemed a little surprising. However, the characters are so strong and beloved that the subtle way of bringing the mythos into the story just suddenly thrusts you into the world.
Wonderfully written that dares to got over the top but has a steady restrain through out.
I was mostly attracted to this book because of the title. Having said that, this is a really, really, great read. Matt Ruff creates these compelling interconnected stories that drawn on sci-fi, a bit of horror, and a bit of fantasy, anchoring them in the Jim Crow era of post-World War 2 America. In a post-note to the book, the author said he doesn’t usually do sequels, but I would be all over a future book that continued with these characters
Great book! I originally read it in preparation for HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation, but really enjoyed the story and the insight into an unpleasant chapter of American history.
I highly recommend this book–great characters in very interesting settings. The book weaves several stories together all under one arc; the blending of Lovecraftian elements with new and unique perspectives worked beautifully.
Try it, you’ll like it.
This was not what I was expecting when I picked it up, but in a good way. Rather than a novel taking place in Lovecraft’s world, it is more inspired by Lovecraft. Also, I don’t come across much stuff in the genres I read that feature an almost exclusively black cast. This does and speaks frankly about what life was like for them in the Jim Crow era.
Great addition to the Cthulhu Mythos.