The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. By H. P. Lovecraft. Audiobook
“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” is a novella by H. P. Lovecraft, published posthumously by Arkham House in 1943 . The story is both the longest of the stories that make up his Dream Cycle and the longest Lovecraft work to feature protagonist Randolph Carter . The Dream-Quest combines elements of horror and fantasy into an epic tale that illustrates the scope and wonder of humankind’s ability to dream .
The story follows Randolph Carter, who dreams of a majestic city but is unable to approach it . After the third time the city appears in his dreams, he prays to the gods of dream to reveal the city’s whereabouts, but then the city vanishes from his dreams altogether . Undaunted, Carter resolves to beseech the gods in person at Kadath, the mountain above which the gods of dream live . In dream, Carter consults priests in a temple that borders the Dreamlands. They tell Carter that nobody knows the location of Kadath, and warn him of great danger should he continue with his quest to reach the city and suggest that the gods purposefully stopped his visions .
Carter’s knowledge of Dreamlands customs and languages makes his quest comparatively less risky than if done by an amateur, but he must consult entities with a dangerous reputation . The Zoogs, a race of predatory rodents, direct him to Ulthar to find the priest Atal . In the cat-laden city of Ulthar, Atal mentions a huge mountainside carving of the gods’ features . Carter realizes the gods’ mortal descendants will share those features and presumably be near Kadath . While seeking passage there, Carter is kidnapped by turbaned slavers, who take him to the moon and deliver him to horrible moon-beasts, the servants of malevolent god Nyarlathotep . The cats of Ulthar, Carter’s allies, rescue him and return him to a port city .
After a long journey, Carter finds the carving, recognizing the visage of the gods in traders who dock at Celephaïs . Before he can act on his knowledge, faceless, winged creatures called nightgaunts capture him and leave him to die in the underworld . After rescuing several ghouls from the Men of Leng, Carter and the ghoul reinforcements attack a moon-beast outpost on the nameless rock . In a nearby city, Carter obtains the services of a flock of nightgaunts to transport himself and the ghouls to the gods’ castle on Kadath .
The novella is a fascinating read for those who enjoy horror and fantasy genres. It is a story of adventure, danger, and mystery that takes the reader on a journey through the Dreamlands . The story is well-written and engaging, with vivid descriptions of the various creatures and landscapes encountered by Carter . The novella is a testament to Lovecraft’s imagination and creativity, and it is a must-read for fans of his work ..
More: H. P. Lovecraft, Dream-Quest, Unknown Kadath
Arkham House, Randolph Carter, Dream Cycle
horror, fantasy, epic tale
dream, At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels, The Dreams in the Witch-House and Other Weird Stories
Ulthar, Nyarlathotep, moon-beasts