New on Librivox, Ben Tucker’s 70-minute public-domain audio reading of “The Call from Beyond” by Clifford D. Simak.

Back in 2016 Michael May appreciated “The Call from Beyond” for its Lovecraft derived ideas and links…

The May 1950 issue of Super Science Stories has a Simak story called “The Call From Beyond.” The very title rings of Lovecraft’s “From Beyond” and “The Call of Cthulhu.” […] He obviously had a lot of fun with the Lovecraftian elements, though they made the story unsellable to John W. Campbell at Astounding. Thus [it appeared in] Super Science Stories, a crappy low-pay mag.

Although be warned of May’s huge plot-spoilers. He recounts the entire plot including the finale.

Despite its super illustrations, the story is not one of Simak’s best. But it was written in the late 1940s and at that point he was only a few years into writing some good and enduring SF tales. It’s thus interesting to see him leaning on Lovecraft to keep his writing moving forward.