Happy Birthday H.P. Lovecraft

Here at Gamenight events have occurred which have occupied about 90% of my free time and thus the posting has been slow. If by slow one means non existent. Nevertheless the tireless author at Grognardia reminded me that today is H.P. Lovecraft's birthday and that really needs to be observed.

I discovered H.P. Lovecraft (HPL) in high school and still find his work exciting today. His work is technically superb and manages to be both influential and unique. People can produce material which is inspired by HPL, but I have yet to read or view anything which surpasses him. I think the best you can say is that "yes, Dagon was a film almost as good as one HPL would have made." Not to knock Dagon, btw.

Beyond HPL's artistry is the appeal of his personal life. This was a man with a generous list of foibles, challenges, and flaws. He brought some tough issues with him and life added a fair number to the mix. Despite this you get the feeling from his letters that he never stopped trying- whether that was trying to write a better story, trying to support his family, or trying to make connections with the people around him. What an inspiration!

Today there are role playing games, films, books, comics and television shows which are derived from the works of H.P. Lovecraft. It's safe to say that he has touched millions of people and I suspect that his legacy has a ways to go before it disappears into history. A nice tribute to the genius of a struggling writer from Rhode Island. Happy birthday H.P. Lovecraft!