The Call of Cthulhu

The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft

by H.P. Lovecraft

Shares rank 24 of 32 short stories by recommenders

People recommend it for its world-building, its use of language and an opening line they consider a standout.

3 people gave an opinion

Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Each mark is one comment

Strong world-building and language construction
“seemed to have a bit of language construction and world-building”
Comment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?”
Opening line that sets the tone
“the second line that nails it”
Comment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works”

2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“the second line that nails it”

RecommendsComment from 14 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: Opening lines of famous literary works”

“seemed to have a bit of language construction and world-building”

RecommendsComment from 22 Feb 2026 in “How far back in time can you understand English?”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.

Product	Recommend	Criticize	Approval	Months	Owned	Badge
The Last Questionby Isaac Asimov	50	2	96%	6	52 yrs3 owners	Approved
There Will Come Soft Rainsby Ray Bradbury	27	3	90%	4	—	Approved
They're Made Out of Meatby Terry Bisson	17	4	81%	4	—	Approved
Lenaby qntm	16	0	100%	7	—	Approved
The Call of Cthulhuby H.P. LovecraftThis page	3	0	100%	3	—	—