The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants

The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants is a collection of fantasy and horror short stories by British author J. Ramsey Campbell, who dropped the initial from his name in subsequent publications. It was released in 1964 by Arkham House in an edition of 2,009 copies and was the author's first book. The stories are part of the Cthulhu Mythos. Campbell had originally written his introduction to be included in the book The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces under the title "Cthulhu in Britain". However, Arkham's editor, August Derleth, decided to use it here. The contents were reprinted with some of Campbell's later Lovecraftian work in his 1985 collection Cold Print.

Contents

The Inhabitant of the Lake and Less Welcome Tenants contains the following tales:

1. "A Word From the Author"
2. "The Room in the Castle"
3. "The Horror from the Bridge"
4. "The Insects from Shaggai"
5. "The Render of the Veils"
6. "The Inhabitant of the Lake"
7. "The Plain of Sound"
8. "The Return of the Witch"
9. "The Mine on Yuggoth"
10. "The Will of Stanley Brooke"
11. "The Moon-Lens"

References in popular culture

The band Iron Maiden's song Still Life ( from the classic 1983 album Piece of Mind ) was inspired by the story The Inhabitant of the Lake. The lyrics deal with a man who sees spirits or beings in the lake and becomes obsessed with them. After many nightmares and visions of the images in the water, he eventually becomes insane and ultimately jumps into the pool with his female companion. The lyrics end with the ominous verse " Oh,we'll drown together. It, will be forever. Nightmares...forever calling me. Nightmares...now we rest in peace", so the listener can safely assume the person has killed himself, as well the female.

References

• Jaffery, Sheldon (1989). The Arkham House Companion. Mercer Island, WA: Starmont House, Inc.. pp. 71–72. ISBN 1-55742-005-X. 
• Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd.. pp. 41. 
• Joshi, S.T. (1999). Sixty Years of Arkham House: A History and Bibliography. Sauk City, WI: Arkham House. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-87054-176-5. 
• Nielsen, Leon (2004). Arkham House Books: A Collector's Guide. Jefferson, NC and London: McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 90. ISBN 0-7864-1785-4.