Even the death of imaginary things has power.

I must apologize for the delay in this post. The inclusion of the audio file was harder and more time consuming that I thought.

While I am no Luddite, I am not the most technically savvy person.

Anyway, I hope this works...Here goes.

***

I found the above (post title) statement [From Challenge magazine #64, September 1992, page 4] to be so moving, so profound that it became a central theme in my Masters in History thesis.

In addition, this quote is central to the subject of this blog entry.

From the same issue of Challenge magazine, I would like to present "When Empires Fall - A New Era" as a short podcast read by me. Please click on the link below and listen and/or download the file "when-empires-fall-ver-1-0.mp3". If necessary, please copy and paste the link into your web browser. Audio or Download should then start.

 

http://soundcloud.com/malleusthoth/when-empires-fall-ver-1-0

Sometimes fire is more than dragonsbreath.

Though it can maim and destroy, flame can also nourish and protect.
Fire illumines the night and dawn rises from the ashes.

 

I hope you enjoy it!

 

  

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT...

When the English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton first wrote the iconic "It was a dark and stormy night" as the opening phrase to his 1830 work, Paul Clifford, I sometimes wonder if he found himself faced with the same challenges that I consistently find myself facing...

 So...Now what?

 When it comes to writing, I start off inspired; full of energy and enthusiasm. But very quickly that energy and enthusiasm fade and I am stuck staring at a blank page.

 I am still trying to find my "voice" as a writer and author of this blog. Especially, in regards to what direction I shall take this blog. Perhaps I will just follow the muse and see what happens.

And right now, it seems the muse is leading me toward Arkham...

 For years, indeed decades, I have been a follower of the works of H. P. Lovecraft and the mythos that he created. And while I had read all of his fiction, I had never been much interested in his letter correspondence or his sonnets. This past August The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast[1], to which I am a much pleased subscriber, announced that at the NecronomiCon in Providence this year, they would do a live show featuring the "Fungi From Yuggoth", a collection of 36 sonnets written between December 27, 1929 and January 4, 1930 by Lovecraft.[2] Prior to this, the podcast had expanded my understanding and appreciation for Lovecraft and other weird fiction authors and since I had not read the sonnets before, I thought, "Why not?"

So I found a copy of the sonnet collection online[3], but more importantly, I found a superb, unabridged audio recording of it by William E. Hart.[4] Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed the sonnets and especially Mr. Hart's rendition. So when The H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast released it's live show on Halloween this year, a new and broader appreciation for the real literary skill of the author opened for me. I can't wait to start reading some of Lovecraft's letters.

Where are you taking me now, Lady Muse?

---

[1] http://hppodcraft.com/

[2] http://www.hypnogoria.com/html/fungifromyuggoth1.html

[3] http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/poetry/p289.aspx

[4] http://cthulhuwho1.com/2013/09/07/the-worlds-largest-h-p-lovecraft-audio-links-gateway/