Iranon, a young man, is a teller of stores. Upon his arrival to the city of Teloth, he tries to amuse the people by telling them tales of Aira, where he was a prince. But people don't appreciate his stories and encourage him to take a profession or to leave. A boy called Romnod suggests that they should leave the city towards Oonai, which he believes might be Aira after a regime change.
The road to Oonai is long, taking the duo several years during which Iranon doesn't seem to grow any older. But after they arrive at their destination, it is revealed that the city is not Aira, but the people welcome them and enjoy Iranons stories, singing and dancing. Through their years there, Iranon doesn't not age, but Romnod grows old and finally dies. It's only after new entertainers arrive at the city Iranon finally leaves to seek his old home.
During his travels, Iranon meets an old Sheppard of whom he inquires about the location of Aira. To his surprise, the man does know the name of the city, but he recalls how he heard stories of it in his youth from his friend, a young beggar, who was prone to invent stories of lands that did not exist. As the others laughed at the boy, he ran away and was not seen ever again. As the truth is revealed, Iranon finally grows old and dies.
The Quest of Iranon is well worth a read. It portrays well the other side of Lovecraft's writings, his penchant towards sad fantasy fables.
The Moon-Bog (1921) Danys Berry, an American of Irish ancestry, has invited his friend, the narrator to his home castle in Ireland. After buying the castle, he at first rebuilt it to its old glory of his ancestral days, but after that, set his eyes towards the large bog around the village the castle was situated. He saw it as an opportunity to earn money by draining it.
Not heeding the ghastly warnings, legends and ghost stories told by the locals, Barry set on his task by importing workers from the north. At first, things went well, but the closest the drainage day came, the stranger things turned. The narrator describes the odd music he hears during nights and the dreams they induce. The workers, despite going to bed early, wake up tired and groggy. Then, one night, the narrator witnesses how ghostly figures lead the workers to a frenzied dance in the tune of the music. Not knowing if he was dreaming the whole thing, he doesn't dare to tell anyone what he saw.
On the night before the drainage day, the narrator can't sleep. He stands up from his bed and goes to the window, where he witnesses the final fate of the workers. The ghostly figures lead them all to the waters of the bog, drowning them. At the centre of the bog, where ancient ruins lie, there is a pillar of ghostly light, where the remains of Denis Barry hang in the air, meeting his final punishment.
And all the narrator can think are the noises of the hundreds of frogs, too big for what they should be.
T.S. Joshi, a writer, critic and Lovecraft scholar has noted, that the Moon-Bog is one of the most conventional horror stories Lovecraft wrote. In that, he does have a point, as while the story is nicely written, it also feels like a traditional ghost story. It is a kind of a tale you'd expect to read from a collection of old tales to scare children. The story is even using bits and pieces of Irish folklore with the idea of the ancient ruins belonging to ancient Partholonian invaders, fabled progenitors of the Greeks.
There isn't anything particularly original in the story as such, themes of new generations and forgotten secrets of the world are a dime a dozen. It is well-written yarn though, so if you are into old ghost stories, you could read worse.
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