H. P. Lovecraft was a pioneer of cosmic horror, a horror fiction sub-genre in which gothic settings and the introduction of “other-worldly” elements replace shock and gore. A feature of Lovecraft’s writing is dream-like (or rather nightmare-like!) plot twists that defy logic or reason. The protagonist in The Outsider has grown up alone in a decaying castle set among frightening woods. When he climbs the crumbling castle tower to look further afield, he finds a stone slab that leads to a more earth-like world above the clouds. He is excited to encounter other people, but soon learns a frightening truth.
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