H.P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle is one of the three major categories of the fictional works of this "master of the macabre"^[1]. Although often overlooked for his Cthulhu Mythos, (and in fact considered by some to be part of the Cthulhu Mythos,) the Dream Cycle itself could be regarded as a separate mythos because of its consistent use of places and characters. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh Cthulhu Mythos is the term coined by the writer August Derleth to describe the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ...

The cycle is set in the Dreamlands, which is distinguished by the following elements: The Dreamlands is a fictional location in the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. ...

• A unique pantheon comprised of Earth's gods, known as the Great Ones, and the Other Gods
• A consistent milieu, including the Enchanted Wood, Ulthar, and Celephaïs
• Recurring characters such as Randolph Carter, Richard Upton Pickman, and King Kuranes

It should be noted that earlier stories in the Dream Cycle, such as "The Cats of Ulthar" and "The Doom that Came to Sarnath", are told as though they occurred in the real waking world. These stories are included in the Dream Cycle primarily because they contain locations and characters that are referenced in the context of dreams in later stories, such as The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Some of Lovecraft's stories, such as "Polaris", are structured similar to Dream Cycle tales, yet seem to be set in the real world, making classification of Lovecraft's stories difficult. The Dreamlands is a fictional location in the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. ... An Outer God is a fictional deity in the Cthulhu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft. ... A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. ... The Enchanted Wood is a fictional place created in the writings of H.P.Lovecraft and located in the Dreamlands. ... Ulthar is a town in H.P. Lovecrafts dream cycle, appearing in stories such as The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and The Cats of Ulthar. ... The fictional city of Celephaïs (or Celephais) appears in H. P. Lovecraft´s Dream cycle, including his novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. ... Randolph Carter is a frequently-occurring protagonist in Lovecrafts Dream-cycle works. ... The following fictitious biographies showcase the most important characters in the Cthulhu Mythos. ... An important character in Lovecrafts Dream-cycle works. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Cats of Ulthar The Cats of Ulthar is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, written June 15, 1920, and first published in the November 1920 issue of the amateur press journal Tryout. ... The Doom that Came to Sarnath is an early short story by H.P. Lovecraft. ... The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. ... Polaris (1918) is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. ...

Randolph Carter

Randolph Carter is perhaps the most frequently encountered character in the cycle, appearing in one form or another in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926), "The Silver Key" (1929), "Through the Gates of the Silver Key" (1934), "The Unnamable" (1925), and "The Statement of Randolph Carter" (1920). It is a theory that Carter is in fact one of Lovecraft's alter egos because he shares similar ideals and, like Lovecraft, suffers persistent nightmares. Additionally it is revealed in "The Unnamable" that Carter is an author of short stories that seem to be quite similar to Lovecraft's own work. Randolph Carter is a frequently-occurring protagonist in Lovecrafts Dream-cycle works. ... The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. ... See also: 1925 in literature, other events of 1926, 1927 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Silver Key is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, considered part of his Dreamlands series. ... See also: 1928 in literature, other events of 1929, 1930 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Through the Gates of the Silver Key is a short story co-written by H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price between October 1932 and April 1933. ... See also: 1933 in literature, other events of 1934, 1935 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Unnamable is a short story by science fiction and horror author H. P. Lovecraft. ... See also: 1924 in literature, other events of 1925, 1926 in literature, list of years in literature. ... The Statement of Randolph Carter is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. ... See also: 1919 in literature, other events of 1920, 1921 in literature, List of years in literature. ... The Unnamable is a short story by science fiction and horror author H. P. Lovecraft. ...

Pastiches

Some writers of Cthulhu Mythos stories have written them as pastiches of Lovecraft's Dream Cycle. Gary Myers (writer) and Brian Lumley have written the most numerous sequels to the cycle, though their styles are very different from Lovecraft. The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Gary Myers is an American writer of fantasy and horror. ... Brian Lumley (born December 12, 1937) is a writer of horror fiction. ...

All of Myers' sequels are brief, atmospheric short stories that are usually very dark in tone. Myers often imitates the style of Lord Dunsany, who strongly influenced Lovecraft's Dream Cycle tales. Best known as Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (July 24, 1878–October 25, 1957) was an Irish writer and dramatist notable for his work in fantasy and horror. ...

Lumley's pastiches, which consist of both novels and short stories, are traditional sword and sorcery tales. They are adventurous and often humorous and, unlike the stories of Myers, are usually quite light and whimsical.

Stories and novels

By H. P. Lovecraft

• "The Cats of Ulthar" (1920)
• "The Doom that Came to Sarnath" (1920)
• "Celephaïs" (1920)
• "The Other Gods" (1921)
• The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926)
• "The Silver Key" (1926)
• "Through the Gates of the Silver Key" (1932-33)

Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Cats of Ulthar The Cats of Ulthar is a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, written June 15, 1920, and first published in the November 1920 issue of the amateur press journal Tryout. ... The Doom that Came to Sarnath is an early short story by H.P. Lovecraft. ... The fictional city of Celephaïs (or Celephais) appears in H. P. Lovecraft´s Dream cycle, including his novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. ... The Other Gods is a short story written by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft on August 14, 1921. ... The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft. ... The Silver Key is a short story written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1926, considered part of his Dreamlands series. ... Through the Gates of the Silver Key is a short story co-written by H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price between October 1932 and April 1933. ...

By others

• House of the Worm (Myers, 1975; collection)
• Hero of Dreams (Lumley, 1986)
• Ship of Dreams (Lumley, 1986)
• Mad Moon of Dreams (Lumley, 1987)
• Elysia: The Coming of Cthulhu (Lumley, 1989)
• Iced on Aran (Lumley, 1990; collection)

Notes and references

1. ^ James Turner (ed.) (1998). Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, 1st ed., New York, NY: Random House, cover blurb. ISBN 0-345-42204-X.