Lovecraft Country: A Novel

Matt Ruff

Feb 2016 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

Now an HBO® Series from J.J. Abrams (Executive Producer of Westworld), Misha Green (Creator of Underground) and Jordan Peele (Director of Get Out)

The critically acclaimed cult novelist makes visceral the terrors of life in Jim Crow America and its lingering effects in this brilliant and wondrous work of the imagination that melds historical fiction, pulp noir, and Lovecraftian horror and fantasy.

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 the Ancient Dawn—led by Samuel Braithwhite and his son Caleb—which has gathered to orchestrate a ritual that shockingly centers on Atticus. And his one hope of salvation may be the seed of his—and the whole Turner clan’s—destruction.

A chimerical blend of magic, power, hope, and freedom that stretches across time, touching diverse members of two black families, Lovecraft Country is a devastating kaleidoscopic portrait of racism—the terrifying specter that continues to haunt us today.

Ratings and reviews

This was a fun ride through Lovecraft Country, but the book felt like it was missing something. Matt wrote a fun, engaging story, but I think he left it a little too short. Some of the scenes, I felt, deserved a little more building. I wish he played with the supernatural threat as a tool of Jim Crow a little more. Overall, of you like sci fi and aren't a racist, I think you'll like this novel. I know I'm going to give his other books a look.

The novel's premise is well set-up, putting a new spin on Lovecraft/cult mythos in the Jim Crow Era. But by halfway through the book, I felt the plot grew encumbered by tedious side plots and new characters, eclipsing the rest of the cast before they had ample time to develop. The villains also grow pretty uninteresting, and I had to push myself to finish the last fourth. It's much more a book about social commentary and rascism than cosmic horror, so just know what you're getting into.

I enjoyed this book a lot. of course, the TV show brought me here. I enjoyed the tv show more but this was also a good read. I enjoyed the differences mostly, and the ending seems better here. would definitely recommend!

About the author

Matt Ruff is the author of Lovecraft Country and its sequel, The Destroyer of Worlds, as well as 88 Names, Bad Monkeys, The Mirage, Set This House in Order, Fool on the Hill, and Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy. He lives in Seattle, Washington.