Lovecraft Country
by Matt Ruff · first published 2016
9mentions
3recommended by
8HN commenters
2016–2026first – last mentioned
38% recommend63% neutral
Chicago, 1954. When his father Montrose goes missing, 22-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied by his Uncle George—publisher of The Safe Negro Travel Guide—and his childhood friend Letitia. On their journey to the manor of Mr. Braithwhite—heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus’s ancestors—they encounter both mundane terrors of white America and malevolent spirits that seem straight out of the weird tales George devours. At the manor, Atticus discovers his father in chains, held prisoner by a secret cabal named the Order of
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This is a little more Lovecraftian Horror than science fiction, but I loved Matt Ruff's "Lovecraft Country". Equal parts what you'd expect, with an exploration of how shitty America was for black people in the 1950s. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-count... Ted Chiang's "Stories of…
on “Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?” ↗…Files) - a sleeper recommendation by a coworker that I KNOW will end up as a movie. - Underground Airlines (Modern day, but the Civil War never happened) - The Nightmare Stacks (A Laundry Files Novel) - Lovecraft Country I read a LOT more than what's listed here, but these are the noteworthy ones. I read a book every couple of days. Lots of military monster-hunting fiction, zombie apocalypse pulp, manly adventure novels,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗…people sometimes create great art, to understand we don't have to (probably shouldn't) make idols of artists, and to be nuanced in our appreciation of their output. In this vein I did enjoy reading "Lovecraft Country" a while ago, which both explored the horror of racism and embraced mythos-style themes. Scott Adams gave us Dilbert. In the 90s I found it amazing. By the 00s I'd stopped paying attention, and then…
on “Dilbert creator Scott Adams says he will die soon from same cancer as Joe Biden” ↗…racialised features. Does this mean no Cthulu for anyone? I don't believe that's a good answer either, but I also don't believe one should consume the art in ignorance. (And I very much enjoyed reading Lovecraft Country a few years back)
on “Read the Novels and Forget Everything Else” ↗Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country, which led me to the non-fiction book Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen. I'm reading the latter right now and blowing my mind. My understanding of the American history of racism was basically that it…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗This post reminded me of the upcoming book by Matt Ruff ("Sewer, Gas & Electric", "Set This House in Order", "Fool on the Hill") titled "Lovecraft Country". From the description on the author's website: "Chicago, 1954. When his father goes missing, twenty-two-year-old Army veteran Atticus Turner embarks on a road trip to New England to find him, accompanied…
on “The Green Book Map” ↗I first learned of the existence of the Green Book thanks to Matt Ruff's "Lovecraft Country", which features a similar work called the "Safe Negro Travel Guide": http://www.bymattruff.com/my-novels/lovecraft-country/a-read...
on “The Negro Travelers' Green Book (1956)” ↗A fictionalised version of this is featured in the (HP inspired) "Lovecraft Country" books. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovecraft_Country_(novel) I believe there is a TV adaption, but I've not seen it.
on “The Negro Motorist Green Book” ↗…author is wrong where she writes > White supremacists are natural villains but shouldn’t be glorified even a little, which limits their effectiveness as a fictional threat... The critical success of Lovecraft Country which features villainous racist wizards, puts this to shame, as does the success of Watchmen before it which shed light on the Bombing of Tusla (aka Black Wall Street Massacre) that a whole generation…
on “Signs Your Story Is Classist” ↗