François Baranger, born in 1970, is a multi-faceted artist and illustrator. He works primarily as a concept illustrator for films (Harry Potter, The Clash of the Titans, Beauty and the Beast) and computer games (Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls). He has also illustrated a number of book covers. In 2013, he wrote his first science fiction novel, Dominium Mundi, and in 2017, he wrote the thriller The Domino Effect.
It was during his early years that he discovered Lovecraft, mainly thanks to role-playing games. Ever since, he has had a passionate interest in fantasy worlds in general, and for those created by a certain writer from Providence in particular. After dreaming for years about seeing an illustrated version of Lovecraft’s works, Baranger finally decided to create one himself, and chose the most classic short story of them all, The Call of Cthulhu.
Published books
At the Mountains of Madness – Volume One
2020
Dreadful secrets lie beneath the ice, waiting to be discovered. Strange, cyclopean structures squat amidst the mountains towering in the distance, promising only madness to those who dare to explore their alien architecture. The Dyer Expedition ventures further than any other before them, and ultimately pays the price for it.
H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, first published in 1936, is one of the greatest classics of American horror literature. The most ambitious story Lovecraft ever wrote, it has served as a source of inspirations for filmmakers and authors in the decades since his death. This is the first volume of two.
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The Call of Cthulhu
2019
Boston, 1926. Francis Thurston goes through documents left behind by his grandfather’s brother, recently deceased under mysterious circumstances. He soon discovers the existence of a cult that worships ancient and unspeakable horrors.
Mysterious murders, blood rituals in the depths of the Louisiana swamps, artists who descend into insanity after nightmarish visions, and a Cyclopean city that rises from the sea. Step by step, Thurston realizes that his relative’s research got too close to the truth. In the shadows, there are those who want to wake the sleeping god Cthulhu in order to spread madness and destruction over the entire world.
The stars are right. Is the end near?
Written in 1926 and originally published in Weird Tales in 1928, The Call of Cthulhu is one of Lovecraft’s most iconic short stories. This edition uses the original manuscript text edited by noted Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi.
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