Scan barcode
cafeaulivre's review against another edition
4.0
Ik registreerde een boek op BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13243661
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13243661
julicke95's review against another edition
5.0
Epitome of weird horror. Not all the short stories were equally memorable ('The Shadow over Innsmouth' and 'The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath' were some of my favourites) and some of the horror is somewhat downplayed by Lovecraft's refusal to describe what it looks like (lot's of "unspeakable horrors" and such), but nevertheless a superb collection of short weird horror stories. Lovecraft's monsters are not your run-of-the-mill scary creatures with fangs, claws and blood-red eyes. Just like some of the environments his protagonists are thrusts into (notably the dreamscapes of Kadath), his monsters can only accurately be described as weird, almost unimaginably so (and yet at times eerily familiar). In this way, Lovecraft exploits both the human fascination and fear of the unknown, of both his protagonists (who pay for it dearly) and readers.
montescrito's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
beautiful, gorgeous, admirable writing. the rest wasn't for me.
beautiful, gorgeous, admirable writing. the rest wasn't for me.
oppilif's review against another edition
3.0
(and you could probably tell this about Lovecraft himself)
Each chapter of this collection is undoubtedly a masterpiece. Lovecraft is an imaginative genius. He manages to build a fantastic anti-world, containing unconceivable, titanic horrors, which is capable to intrigue and disturb even 21st century readers.
On the other hand, almost all the stories have the same narrative structure. And it is difficult to keep feeling entertained when you can guess the ending of each story.
My involvement in the book kept fading, story after story, because of this fact, so that I - paradoxically - preferred those stories which departed from Lovecraft main topics (my favourite probably was The Music of Erich Zann).
Each chapter of this collection is undoubtedly a masterpiece. Lovecraft is an imaginative genius. He manages to build a fantastic anti-world, containing unconceivable, titanic horrors, which is capable to intrigue and disturb even 21st century readers.
On the other hand, almost all the stories have the same narrative structure. And it is difficult to keep feeling entertained when you can guess the ending of each story.
My involvement in the book kept fading, story after story, because of this fact, so that I - paradoxically - preferred those stories which departed from Lovecraft main topics (my favourite probably was The Music of Erich Zann).
givethatbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the idea of reading Lovecraft as a Halloween read, so I began reading it halfway through October. It's now April and I've decided to pull the plug. I did not finish quite some of the stories, and I struggled to make my way through the last one so much that I just gave up on it.
That doesn't mean all stories were rubbish: some were quite enjoyable. There's a lot of attention to detail, and the stories are quite slow and reflective, which is nice if you're into that sort of thing. None of the stories really resonated with me, though.
That doesn't mean all stories were rubbish: some were quite enjoyable. There's a lot of attention to detail, and the stories are quite slow and reflective, which is nice if you're into that sort of thing. None of the stories really resonated with me, though.
montecrito's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
beautiful, gorgeous, admirable writing. the rest wasn't for me.
beautiful, gorgeous, admirable writing. the rest wasn't for me.
gianlucafiore's review against another edition
5.0
The last Lovecraft's story and the very last i read of him myself. A fitting conclusion for a task, reading all Lovecraft's tales, that I started more than 20 years ago.
woolfardis's review against another edition
4.0
No love for short stories have I. I never have liked them and I'm not sure I ever will, but Lovecraft seems to have them nailed to a T and I can't fault him.
Everything Lovecraftian exists in this story: Diary entries from someone very interested in folklore and the occult; strange, unavoidable pulls towards odd locations or items, excitable over-active imaginations that are all too obsessed with The Other, and countless others besides.
I personally think-and find that this accounts for my recently acquired fondness for Lovecraft-that his writing would never suite a novel-length piece of writing (she says not knowing if he did ever write a novel or not because she's too lazy to look it up). If he ever did, I hope I won't be disappointed but think I probably will be. The sheer wonder of what the imagination can come up with is spread thickly through this story, where we follow a man named Blake as he explores an old, rundown church in the Italian Quarter of a town.
It explores imagination beyond the ideal and finds that the mind can make of nothing absolutely everything. It is almost metaphorical, deep down, yet lathers up the occult and eldritch goings on to such a mass that the metaphorical becomes the absurd and the truth is then the unthinkable.
One thing I think contributes to the success of Lovecraft and his inimitable style is that Americans think 150 years counts as history. The idea of folklore being as recent as 50 years is quite ridiculous, and yet it works so well. These stories need that near distant memory, of someone knowing someone who's grandad saw something creepy happening. Or a father remembering something from his childhood but through the fog of life can't quite recall it clearly. Every little thing seems to rely on this recent folklore to create the intrigue and wonder that makes Lovecraft so bloody good. I think thinking 150 years as being a decent history is pathetic, but in the interest of these stories and the enjoyment of them, it works superbly well.
Everything Lovecraftian exists in this story: Diary entries from someone very interested in folklore and the occult; strange, unavoidable pulls towards odd locations or items, excitable over-active imaginations that are all too obsessed with The Other, and countless others besides.
I personally think-and find that this accounts for my recently acquired fondness for Lovecraft-that his writing would never suite a novel-length piece of writing (she says not knowing if he did ever write a novel or not because she's too lazy to look it up). If he ever did, I hope I won't be disappointed but think I probably will be. The sheer wonder of what the imagination can come up with is spread thickly through this story, where we follow a man named Blake as he explores an old, rundown church in the Italian Quarter of a town.
It explores imagination beyond the ideal and finds that the mind can make of nothing absolutely everything. It is almost metaphorical, deep down, yet lathers up the occult and eldritch goings on to such a mass that the metaphorical becomes the absurd and the truth is then the unthinkable.
One thing I think contributes to the success of Lovecraft and his inimitable style is that Americans think 150 years counts as history. The idea of folklore being as recent as 50 years is quite ridiculous, and yet it works so well. These stories need that near distant memory, of someone knowing someone who's grandad saw something creepy happening. Or a father remembering something from his childhood but through the fog of life can't quite recall it clearly. Every little thing seems to rely on this recent folklore to create the intrigue and wonder that makes Lovecraft so bloody good. I think thinking 150 years as being a decent history is pathetic, but in the interest of these stories and the enjoyment of them, it works superbly well.
tianna_sk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
boborbot's review against another edition
4.0
Lovecraft never disappoints, except when he does. This one has the better selection over the two previous collections, with Cthulhu-mythos staples like The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Pickman’s Model. That said, I found his earlier works of “dreamland” rather lacking and rambling, being more of One Damn Thing After Another that too much old fantasy-scifi falls into.
These collections thus far seem to me the most comfortable, affordable and among the best looking (ever the vain one) options for catching up on lovecraft’s work.
These collections thus far seem to me the most comfortable, affordable and among the best looking (ever the vain one) options for catching up on lovecraft’s work.