Young Randolph Carter (if we're talking about stories with Carter in the lead role, this is the first in the chronology) glimpsed a marvelous city in his dreams. Enthralled by its beauty, he embarks on a steadfast quest, descending into the realms of dreams and experiencing numerous adventures.
"The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" is Lovecraft's farewell to stories set in dreams and inspired by Lord Dunsany. Both in structure and characteristics, the novel reveals more influence from the 18th-century Arabian novel "Vathek" by William Beckford than the works of the Irishman.