It was in 2013 that I first encountered the body of works written by Lovecraft. I was interested in cooperative board games that possessed a central antagonist(s) driven by the game’s own mechanics—as opposed to a competitive board game or one in which a player took on the role of the antagonist. After enjoying the VHS-driven, a-la “party” board game Nightmare, I discovered Fantasy Flight’s Arkham Horror. (Funny enough, I would never end up playing this game after owning it for years.)

The most important consequence of my interest in Arkham Horror was that it led me to Lovecraft. Rather than crack open a “Collected Works of . . .” or read online versions of his stories, I stumbled upon pure gold: Audio Realms’ The Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft, narrated by Wayne June. This six-CD set contains some of Lovecraft’s most distinguished tales, and the production quality is second to none. Add the flavorful, frightening narration of June, and you have what I believe is the best vehicle with which to digest the fiction written by this “Son of Providence.”

I vividly recall the nostalgia of listening to The Shadow over Innsmouth. Every line led me deeper into that “ancient, blight-shadowed town” while its climax had me standing on pins and needles—I had previously been sitting cross-legged on the carpet. My wife indulged me, listening along for my second go-around and allowed herself to influenced by my enthusiasm for Lovecraft’s stories. It’s been seven years, and I’m happy to say that we’ve never looked back . . .

Yours in R’lyeh,

Tony LaMalfa