The Trail of Cthulhu

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The Trail of Cthulhu is a horror novel by August Derleth, long-time friend and correspondent of H.P. Lovecraft. Although published in 1962, the book is actually a collection of interconnected short stories that were originally published in the 40s and 50s.

As the title suggests, the book is set within the Cthulhu Mythos. It tells the story of Laban Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury, a professor at Miskatonic University, vanished one night, only to return to campus 10 years later. Upon his return, his research has turned to the arcane. Specifically, he began looking for a common link among all ancient folklores and cults, a trail as one of his colleagues puts it.

As the book unfolds, it becomes clear that the ultimate goal of this trail is to find the Black Island and kill Cthulhu once and for all. Unfortunately, Shrewsbury finds he can't do it alone and enlists the help of brave, if ill-prepared, would-be heroes

Of course, as this is based on Lovecraft's work, Shrewsbury's meddling doesn't go unnoticed and he and his friends find themselves on the run from some very pissed-off cultists.

Like many of Derleth's Lovecraftian stories, this work is rather controversial due to his reimagining of Lovecraft's Ancient Ones as actually being evil as opposed to being beyond good and evil. Still, it -- much like Derleth himself -- is certainly not without fans.

Not to be confused with the RPG of the same name.

Tropes used in The Trail of Cthulhu include:

• All Myths Are True: All ancient myths are directly inspired by mankind's encouters with the Ancient Ones. Also, all of Lovecraft's stories are true.
• Back for the Finale: All the supporting protagonists, who were each basically Put on a Bus to make room for the next one, show up in The Black Island.
• Badass Bookworm: Shrewsbury, Arthur, and Claiborne
• Big Damn Villains: Hastur and his minions.
• Big Screwed-Up Family: Hovarth
• Continuity Nod
• Cosmic Horror Story: Starts out as this, but quickly turns into more of Lovecraft Lite only to go right back to Cosmic Horror Story at the very end.
• Cthulhu Mythos
• Dead Man Writing
• Decoy Protagonist: In the first chapter, Andrew Phelan is obviously the main character, then it turns out that each chapter has its own protagonist
• Demoted to Extra: Every character other than Shrewsbury and Hovarth (who was introduced too late into the story to have a chance to be demoted).
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Shrewsbury's goal. It works.
  • Though of course, it's implied that this victory is only temporary.
• Eldritch Abomination
• Enemy Mine: Shewsbury and Hastur
• Glasses Pull: which leads to a pretty freaky reveal
• Grand Finale: The Black Island. Remember, this was originally a series of short stories, so the final showdown was really the end of a series spanning at least 10 years rather than the end of a single book.
• He Knows Too Much
• The Library of Babel
• Lovecraft Country
• Lovecraft Lite: Subverted in the epilogue, which goes out on a very bleak note that falls more under Cosmic Horror Story than it does this.
• Nice Job Reawakening Hovarth's Interest In His Family's Past, Shrewsbury.
• Nuke'Em
• Occult Detective
• Opaque Lenses
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: subverted near the end where it turns out that the American military has become involved with Shrewsbury's research
• The Reveal: Professor Shrewsbury has no eyes
• Save the World
• Shoot the Shaggy Dog: In the end, it's arguable that all Shrewsbury accomplished was to merely prolong the inevitable and get Abel killed in the process...and set Hovarth on the road to becoming a villain (or at least a mook)...meaning that Derleth's themes might have more in common with Lovecraft's after all.
• Start of Darkness: Hovarth Blayne seems to be going in this direction by the end of the final chapter.
• The Stoic:
  • Shrewsbury
  • Phelan from the second chapter onwards.
• Supporting Protagonist: Every chapter has one. Dr. Shrewsbury is the actual hero of the whole book
• Token Evil Teammate: Hovarth
• Town with a Dark Secret: Innsmouth
• Up to Eleven: The climax of The Black Island, when compared to the climax of The Call of Cthulhu
  • Just to specify, instead of sailors who accidentally land on the island, we now have military men seeking out the island and deliberately laying explosives; Cthulhu comes out and even more specific detail is given about his freakish features and gargantuan size than in Lovecraft's story; our heroes run away from the scene, only to DETONATE CTHULHU AND THE ENTIRE ISLAND WITH A FREAKING ATOMIC BOMB once they are at a safe distance!
• Where Are They Now? Epilogue
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Abel Keane