stevekenson | Copyright of Cthulhu

Just an odd idea that occurred to me in the shower this morning:

What if H.P.'s Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos stories were intended as a sort of spell (intentional or otherwise) to "bind" the Great Old Ones and their ilk into the pulp-paper pages of the tales, with near-perpetual copyright (and the efforts of publishers like Akham House) to help maintain it and keep the terrible Elder Gods in the world of fiction, where they belong.

But eventual errosion of copyrights, plus online piracy, leads to greater and greater "infestation" of the Mythos into the Net, until eventually Lovecraft's works become public domain and the floodgates are opened. Cthulhu Mythos "memes" seem to infect the Internet, spawning subcultures, cults, fashion and artistic trends, until it is too late to stop the rise of R'lyeh and the proper alignment of the stars....

Yeah, these are the sorts of things I think about, sometimes. Anyhow, I should get ready to head to Cambridge, since I plan to spend some time enjoying myself before heading over to Pandemonium for my book-signing.