We’re back and we’re digging through our family tree. Or should that be digging up our family tree? Either way, we dig it. While The Case of Charles Dexter Ward doesn’t precisely advocate for raising the dead, it doesn’t make it look wholly unappealing either. Just remember to store your essential saltes in a waterproof container. Tupperware is perfect. We don’t want to be messing around with ye liveliest awfulness again. It took ages to get the stains out of the carpet last time!







Main Topic: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward part 1







We are beginning our investigation into The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, which will run for five episodes. This is Lovecraft’s longest work, perhaps more deserving of the description “novel” than At the Mountains of Madness or The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. Despite this, it is arguably the most overlooked of Lovecraft’s major works. A shame, as this represents Lovecraft at his most Gothic, weaving a surprisingly subtle tale of witchcraft, necromancy, and dark family secrets.







As ever, we start out by discussing the origins and influences of the tale, before picking the story itself apart in search of gaming inspiration. We plan to conclude this run of episodes with a look into the various adaptations of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.













Links







Things we mention in this episode include:







Background and Influences









* At the Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft







* The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by HP Lovecraft







* A Dreamer and a Visionary: HP Lovecraft in His Time by ST Joshi







* I Am Providence: The Life and Times of HP Lovecraft by ST Joshi







* Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters by HP Lovecraft, ST Joshi, and David E Schultz







* Lovecraft and a World in Transition by ST Joshi







* The New Annotated HP Lovecraft, edited by Leslie Klinger







* HP Lovecraft Historical Society readings of Lovecraft







* Dark Adventure Radio Theatre







* “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” by HP Lovecraft







* “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe







* The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson







* Salem witch trials









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