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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MarkAHart" data-source="post: 1998384" data-attributes="member: 20415">I just recently started re-reading Lovecraft.  I have owned several books of his stories, but have always had difficult "getting into" them.  This time around, I forced myself to slow down, take in the whole story, and remain patient.  So far, I have been surprised at how good his stories are underneath the ponderous weight of adjectives.First, I think he had some fantastic ideas -- ideas and plots we now take for granted, or even consider hackneyed because they've been done so many times in so many ways.  Also, as pointed out in the article "The Shadow Over D&D" in a recent issue of DRAGON, Lovecraft and his correspondents practiced their own form of an SRD through the mythos.In writing style, Lovecraft was a product of his time, and his writing comes across dated in ways -- his dialogue (or lack of it) is one of his weakest points (I believe Stephen King pointed this out), and his writing style leans towards florid.  At the same time, his writing style also possesses a unique flavor that I think is part and parcel of the Cthulhu cycle.At times, his writing is difficult to chew through, and frustrating in its roundabout way of reaching the point.  For me on the plus side, his writing evokes a specific mood and feel that epitomizes horror.</blockquote>