Cosmic horror is what every reader of Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos craves, but it’s tendrils reach much farther into this dark unforgiving universe. Cosmic horror is more about a story’s ambience or mood and maybe even the author’s deranged state of mind. Here are some mesmerizing and terrifying reads that will captivate you in your quest for dark Elder Gods, bizarre eldritch practices and humanity’s unease before the scream of impending cosmic armageddon. The good news is they are all bite-size short stories (or short story collections) so they can easily fit your busy life.
(And Yes, this article contains some sponsored links. If you want to support us, please feel free to click on them and buy stuff you like. These are all amazing but If you had to pick one thing, then you MUST buy this cosmic horror fiction by Laird Barron).
Also, feel free to check out our friends at Lovecraftezine if you want more recommendations.
The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All by Laird Barron
Laird Barron is the king of new cosmic horror and the heir to Lovecraft’s occult throne (in our Chaos Jelly team’s humble opinion). In fact, this dude’s life history is so fucking badass that it really deserves its own post. But for now, we’ll focus on this collection which has some truly disturbing cosmic horror stories. Barron’s writing is really unique and almost always features tough, violent anti-heroes and slithering, all-powerful entities just beyond the reach of human comprehension such as Old Leach, a truly horrifying monster. One of our favorite stories in this compendium is “Blackwood’s Baby”. Don’t wait to pick up this skin crawling piece of work.
The Wide Carnivorous Sky by John Langan
Vampires in the modern world? Check! Space vampires in the modern world? Double Check! A group of ex military guys with PTSD planning to take on the aforementioned space vampire? Sold to the deranged cultist in the corner!
This is a gripping tale by cosmic horror master John Langan that moves really fast and has a great payoff in the end that is rooted in what would be realistic outcomes of such a matchup. Yes, there have been other space vampires like in Peter Watts’ Blindsight. But everyone’s read Blindsight (and it’s awesome!). But this is something totally different. Read this story for pulse pounding action that violently yanks you into the conflict at hand and relies less on boring hard scientific principles and more on pure adrenaline.
Punktown Chronicles by Jeffery Thomas
If you ever wondered what the looming impact of Cthulhu’s impending arrival would be like on a distant planet, look no further than the Punktown chronicles by Jeffry Thomas. Thomas is great at worldbuilding (universe-building even!) and his tales seamlessly bridge the gap between cyberpunk, cosmic horror and dark science fiction. His Punktown stories really showcase different alien species coexisting in a sometimes dystopian society which ultimately fall under the ravaging tentacles of alien Elder Gods. Thomas even has a story that blends the concepts of VR/AR and a militarized conflict against Lovecraftian monsters which can drive humans insane upon sight!
A Colder War by Charles Stross
We’d be absolutely remiss if we didn’t mention this incredible dark cosmic horror gem by Charles Stross. It’s a quick but fascinating read and will give you this creepy uneasy feeling as you ponder what’s out there in space beyond our current understanding. Stross weaves an intriguing tale that spans decades and has its roots in the Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R. We won’t spoil it too much but if you want to speculate on how the US military during the 50s and 60s would deal with the threat of Elder Gods based weaponry from behind the Iron Curtain, don’t wait another minute!
Craving Cthulhu on the little screen? Then check out some Lovecraftian TV series on HBO!