While cosmic horror writers have been strip-mining the works of H.P. Lovecraft for decades, there’s one area of the Cthulhu Mythos that’s not often used: the planet Yuggoth, home of the brain-collecting Mi-Go from ‘The Whisperer in Darkness.’ The science fictional nature of a home planet, especially one that is meant to be the tenth planet of our solar system, doesn’t usually fit with the more mystical and transcendental interpretations of Cthulhu and his ilk.
Nevertheless, here is an excellent use of Yuggoth. A research vessel from Earth has just found the planet (this one in a distant solar system) and observes it from orbit for a while. The Yuggothi show no signs of noticing them, leaving the crew free to monitor their Cyclopean cities. It’s only when they send a probe towards the surface that they find that Yuggoth is alien by its very nature in such a simple way: it’s composed entirely of antimatter. And the resulting story taps into the insignificance of humanity better than most cosmic horror stories I’ve come across.
(Incidentally, I notice that Lupoff has written at least one other story about Yuggoth, “The Discovery of the Ghooric Zone – March 15, 2337.” I’ll have to look this up too.)
Nothing Personal by Richard A. Lupoff
Availability: Print only
Word count: 3,600
First published: Cthulhu’s Reign, edited by Darrell Schweitzer, 2010, DAW Books
Where else to find it: Dreams, collection, 2011, Mythos Books
Ten to Infinity 