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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Casi lo abandonó con En las montañas de la locura, era un puto tostón. Solo me gustó bastate una de las seis historias que había en el libro (La sombra fuera del tiempo).
The Call of Cthulhu is the story of a man who uncovers evidence of otherworldly beings residing in a state of hibernation deep beneath the surface of the Earth’s oceans. It is told in epistolary format through transcript papers which recount the piecing together of a series of strange happenings connected to cult worship.
Born in 1890 and living only 50 years, Howard Lovecraft was a product of his time and so I will not be taking his racist and xenophobic tendencies, despite the signs of them in this tale, too much into the consideration of my rating. It is important that despite his shortcomings as a human being, we recognise the impact he has had on literature. There is absolutely no debate when it comes to the idea of separating the artist from their art because his writing is rife with overt racist metaphors, but his work, for all it has given to the genre, is undeniably still a direct influence for modern horror.
Though I debated giving this book 5 stars because I think it is masterful, I have settled on 4 because the offensive language is so frequent it becomes distracting.
With this aside, Lovecraft’s work is pure poetry, his prose nothing short of lyrical. The Call of Cthulhu paints a truly terrifying picture, this is metaphysical terror at its finest.
“The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled."
Stunning. The Call of Cthulhu is dark and despairing, and though little happens, it does not fail to leave you with an uncomfortable sense of dread at what might be to come.
Born in 1890 and living only 50 years, Howard Lovecraft was a product of his time and so I will not be taking his racist and xenophobic tendencies, despite the signs of them in this tale, too much into the consideration of my rating. It is important that despite his shortcomings as a human being, we recognise the impact he has had on literature. There is absolutely no debate when it comes to the idea of separating the artist from their art because his writing is rife with overt racist metaphors, but his work, for all it has given to the genre, is undeniably still a direct influence for modern horror.
Though I debated giving this book 5 stars because I think it is masterful, I have settled on 4 because the offensive language is so frequent it becomes distracting.
With this aside, Lovecraft’s work is pure poetry, his prose nothing short of lyrical. The Call of Cthulhu paints a truly terrifying picture, this is metaphysical terror at its finest.
“The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled."
Stunning. The Call of Cthulhu is dark and despairing, and though little happens, it does not fail to leave you with an uncomfortable sense of dread at what might be to come.
dark
tense
medium-paced
I only read: "The Call of Cthulhu", "The Shadow over Innsmouth", "The Colour out of Space", and "The Whisper in the Darkness."
A quick note upfront - the foreword to the version I read did a lot of "well, he was a horrible racist, but that didn't really matter in his works and he was a brilliant writer." While I can see how he influenced Stephen King and others, his racism did show, at least in the "Call of Cthulhu." I took this on as more of an educational read for me, and while I don't think he should be celebrated at all, now I can say I at least have a surface knowledge of his works, and I know where Cthulhu originates from.
Of these stories, "The Shadow over Innsmouth" was my favorite, as I thought it was probably the weirdest, it had a good twist, and the suspense/horror over the whole thing I thought was the strongest.
The titular "The Call of Cthulhu," while it works as kind of a setup for most of the others (with Cthulhu being the center of most of the Lovecraft mythos), was actually the weakest of these stories, to me. It also had the most blatant racism, which was a big turnoff.
The "Whisper in the Darkness" was probably my second favorite, as a family is working to revive a terrible thing that grows both figuratively and literally in horror, scale, and destruction.
The "Colour of Space" was actually outside the Cthulhu and Old Ones mythos, when everything goes wrong for a family after a meteor lands on their farmland.
Overall, knowing the viewpoint of the author, I would recommend reading these tales, especially if you're a fan of Stephen King.
A quick note upfront - the foreword to the version I read did a lot of "well, he was a horrible racist, but that didn't really matter in his works and he was a brilliant writer." While I can see how he influenced Stephen King and others, his racism did show, at least in the "Call of Cthulhu." I took this on as more of an educational read for me, and while I don't think he should be celebrated at all, now I can say I at least have a surface knowledge of his works, and I know where Cthulhu originates from.
Of these stories, "The Shadow over Innsmouth" was my favorite, as I thought it was probably the weirdest, it had a good twist, and the suspense/horror over the whole thing I thought was the strongest.
The titular "The Call of Cthulhu," while it works as kind of a setup for most of the others (with Cthulhu being the center of most of the Lovecraft mythos), was actually the weakest of these stories, to me. It also had the most blatant racism, which was a big turnoff.
The "Whisper in the Darkness" was probably my second favorite, as a family is working to revive a terrible thing that grows both figuratively and literally in horror, scale, and destruction.
The "Colour of Space" was actually outside the Cthulhu and Old Ones mythos, when everything goes wrong for a family after a meteor lands on their farmland.
Overall, knowing the viewpoint of the author, I would recommend reading these tales, especially if you're a fan of Stephen King.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So funny story: I told myself I should not listen to this at night because I worried that it would give me nightmares. I am quite the funny. (I did not have nightmares.) I also say this while calling attention to my adorable cthulhu plushy. (Folks, there's a cthulhu plush for babies. I need a baby.)
Anyroads, I'd not read Lovecraft before (I know, it's ridiculous) and wanted to at least read Call of Cthulhu. I get that the literature feels a little dated ("hasn't aged well", is what I've heard) but I thought it worked well enough. It's not the most terrifying thing I've read, but it was well worth the time. I didn't find it particularly engaging. I suppose I felt like the whole thing would be longer?
I have to give Lovecraft props for executing an amazing theme within horror: complete madness. His narrators are on the merge of suicide due to their madness. The resounding shock of having witnessed the indescribably horrific and otherworldly just destroys the people in these stories. The concept that all of these characters are so mentally damaged by the mere possibility of these monsters is quite striking. And when you think about it, the fear of the possible is one element that makes the horror genre stand out. The suspense and uncertainty (merged with the felt certainty of another encounter) is visceral.
In this case, I'd recommend reading the book instead of going audible, unless you have a reason to go audio. But it's worth your time, if you're interested.
Anyroads, I'd not read Lovecraft before (I know, it's ridiculous) and wanted to at least read Call of Cthulhu. I get that the literature feels a little dated ("hasn't aged well", is what I've heard) but I thought it worked well enough. It's not the most terrifying thing I've read, but it was well worth the time. I didn't find it particularly engaging. I suppose I felt like the whole thing would be longer?
I have to give Lovecraft props for executing an amazing theme within horror: complete madness. His narrators are on the merge of suicide due to their madness. The resounding shock of having witnessed the indescribably horrific and otherworldly just destroys the people in these stories. The concept that all of these characters are so mentally damaged by the mere possibility of these monsters is quite striking. And when you think about it, the fear of the possible is one element that makes the horror genre stand out. The suspense and uncertainty (merged with the felt certainty of another encounter) is visceral.
In this case, I'd recommend reading the book instead of going audible, unless you have a reason to go audio. But it's worth your time, if you're interested.
Great book. In my opinion, H.P. Lovecraft is a master of the horror genre.
Sure, we can predict the ending of some of the stories, but one must have in consideration if he would have been able to predict it when the stories were originally written and published (from 1919 to 1935). And then there are some reviews that call Lovecraft's stories repetitive. I don't think so. Yes, they tend to use the same form, but the content and the plot are different, although sometimes with references that connect them at some higher horror level.
For me, Lovecraft's strength is the atmospheric horror. He's really a master at it.
My favourite stories:
- Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family
- Herbert West - Reanimator
- The Colour Out of Space
- The Whisperer in the Darkness
Followed closely by:
- The Picture in the House
- The Call of Ctulhu
- The Shadow Over Innsmouth
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes