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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Boring. All tales have the same structure. I don't want to read how other people read diaries of other people where they describe what they can't describe.
The imagery and mythos within are astounding but it’s up to the reader to make more of them.
It’s impossible to look past Lovecraft’s racism and with every blank protagonist of each story and the unsympathetic portrayal of the evil-because-they’re-different monsters made me wish for Guillermo Del Toro to come swooping in to save the day.
I’m stuck loving Cthulhu, thinking the people of Innsmouth don’t sound so bad and fundamentally disagreeing with all H.P. Lovecraft’s personal views. Not the book I was expecting to be reading.
There are some genuinely great stories though that can be chilling and atmospheric; some personal favourites were:
Call of Cthulhu
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Dagon
Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family
The Picture In The House
The Hound
Cool Air
It’s impossible to look past Lovecraft’s racism and with every blank protagonist of each story and the unsympathetic portrayal of the evil-because-they’re-different monsters made me wish for Guillermo Del Toro to come swooping in to save the day.
I’m stuck loving Cthulhu, thinking the people of Innsmouth don’t sound so bad and fundamentally disagreeing with all H.P. Lovecraft’s personal views. Not the book I was expecting to be reading.
There are some genuinely great stories though that can be chilling and atmospheric; some personal favourites were:
Call of Cthulhu
The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Dagon
Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family
The Picture In The House
The Hound
Cool Air
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
To be honest, this wasn't a 4 star book.
The short stories were not on the same level, and while some were really engaging, the rest bored me so much I almost considered not finishing the book.
Yet for the sake of three stories, the rats in the walls, the lurking fear, and the music of Erich Zann, which were 4.5 star stories for me, I'm neglecting the ones I didn't like!
Outsider, and the colour out of space, were really good too. Not my favourites but they were still interesting.
The short stories were not on the same level, and while some were really engaging, the rest bored me so much I almost considered not finishing the book.
Yet for the sake of three stories, the rats in the walls, the lurking fear, and the music of Erich Zann, which were 4.5 star stories for me, I'm neglecting the ones I didn't like!
Outsider, and the colour out of space, were really good too. Not my favourites but they were still interesting.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Narration devices and world building blocks were somewhat repetitive. The style was so over the top I couldn't help but laugh at times. Also Lovecraft couldn't seem to come up with a good enough synonym for the word "queer"...
To be more exact, 3.78.
Book Insomniac
Of course Lovecraft made his way onto my reading list. He is, after all, called the “master of horror” by some. I prefer King and Poe, but these Lovecraft tales still made for an enjoyable read.
It took a while for me to slog through this book. It isn’t long. It isn’t particularly dense. Other matters just interfered with my reading time.
At this point, we know enough about Lovecraft without me adding my voice to the mix. If you enjoy horror, I recommend reading this. If you’re pressed for time, it isn’t something you necessarily have to bother reading. It’s an enjoyable read. Go pick it up if you’re curious.
American writer H.P Lovecraft (1890 – 1937) is cited often as a horror inspiration. He may be best known for his Cthulhu Mythos.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – Lovecraft
“That is not dead which can eternal life. And with strange aeons even death may die.” – Lovecraft
Book Insomniac
Of course Lovecraft made his way onto my reading list. He is, after all, called the “master of horror” by some. I prefer King and Poe, but these Lovecraft tales still made for an enjoyable read.
It took a while for me to slog through this book. It isn’t long. It isn’t particularly dense. Other matters just interfered with my reading time.
At this point, we know enough about Lovecraft without me adding my voice to the mix. If you enjoy horror, I recommend reading this. If you’re pressed for time, it isn’t something you necessarily have to bother reading. It’s an enjoyable read. Go pick it up if you’re curious.
American writer H.P Lovecraft (1890 – 1937) is cited often as a horror inspiration. He may be best known for his Cthulhu Mythos.
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – Lovecraft
“That is not dead which can eternal life. And with strange aeons even death may die.” – Lovecraft
Lovecraft is like a super-exaggerated story told by your best friend; overly dramatic in a good way. Bizarre stories!
I went in with an open mind and almost academic approach. That is, I devoted most of my mental bandwidth to figuring out what was driving the horror in each story, and merely rolled my eyes on the occasions (quite often) when it turned out to be xenophobia or racism. (Fears of miscegenation can be mapped onto stories about some white guy discovering his ancestors were part-ape or -fish, apparently.)
This cerebral, distant approach worked up until I got to the star of the show, "The Call of Cthulhu". The cosmic horror genuinely terrified me - my dad, happening by, made me jump in my seat. I also love "The Colour Out of Space". That possibly scared me even more because of how alien the being was, not even a physical threat or god per se, just a blight that slowly encroaches on an uncomprehending world. Shudders.
Honourable mentions to "Cool Air" and "The Outsider" for me personally, although I think Lovecraft's style gave away the horrifying punchline quite a ways before the ending of each.
This cerebral, distant approach worked up until I got to the star of the show, "The Call of Cthulhu". The cosmic horror genuinely terrified me - my dad, happening by, made me jump in my seat. I also love "The Colour Out of Space". That possibly scared me even more because of how alien the being was, not even a physical threat or god per se, just a blight that slowly encroaches on an uncomprehending world. Shudders.
Honourable mentions to "Cool Air" and "The Outsider" for me personally, although I think Lovecraft's style gave away the horrifying punchline quite a ways before the ending of each.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated