The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

"...And dare the icy deserts through the dark to where Unknown Kadath, veiled in clouds and crowned with unimagined stars, holds silent and nocturnal the onyx castle of the Great Ones."

-- H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

Randolph Carter, who dwells alone in the squalor of the waking world, has dreamt three times of a sunset city which he longs to experience and explore. When the Gods of Dream prevent him from seeing it, he takes the first step down the Seven Hundred Steps of Deeper Slumber to find the city and the Gods: past the edge of the world; on the far side of the moon; in lightless underground kingdoms; to the great mountain called Kadath; and possibly to the dream or nightmare at the Center of the Universe itself.

Upon first reading THE DREAM-QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH, I knew I'd found a work which was the greatest of H.P. Lovecraft's early dream stories, the purest of his sometimes hateful or jaded philosophy, and which was crowded with the most unique imagery in any fantasy novel of the 20th century. From the sleeping village of Ulthar to the allegorical islands of the Southern Sea, from the garden lands beside the Skai to Kadath itself, Lovecraft had created a world that yearned to be experienced -- or at least seen. Kadath is an unrevised, flawed work, but this only adds to its mythical feeling; there are many fantasy novels with superior plots, but in terms of visual invention, nothing can touch KADATH.

Many people have imitated or pastiched Lovecraft's more horror-themed works. KADATH, being atypical, remains a cult hit. But ever since first exploring its pages, I've been unable to forget Lovecraft, Dunsany, Gary Myers and the others who have created these pre-surreal, pre-Tolkein fantasies. I originally tried drawing DREAM-QUEST in high school, but I gave up and restarted the project from scratch after I'd graduated from college.

THE DREAM-QUEST OF UNKNOWN KADATH is a five-issue black-and-white comic series with color covers. Issues #1-4 are 24 pages; Issue #5 is 32 pages. The comic is slightly oversize, measuring roughly 11" by 7 1/3", and sells for $2.95 in the U.S. and $4.00 in Canada.

Unfortunately, full sets of DREAM-QUEST are no longer available, as issue #3, 4 and 5 are sold out. However, eventually I intend to collect the entire series as a graphic novel including new comic adaptations of some of Lovecraft's shorter dream-stories. Look here for more news as the DREAM-QUEST GRAPHIC NOVEL develops. The art from the series is also available in an animated movie adaptation from my good friends at Guerilla Productions.

During the course of DREAM-QUEST's run, I received lots of letters. I collected some of them in the one-time DREAM-QUEST Online Letter Column.