thebriary's review against another edition

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3.0

An interesting travelogue but it is not horror. We only know it is meant to be terrifying because the narrator tells us so. Multiple times. I found the writing to be at times too... much. As if, if it hadn't been Lovecraft, an editor would have stricken many passages as being self indulgent. And to that point, how many times can you fit the phrase "mountains of madness" into a novella?

That said, I did enjoy it. It hints enough to make you curious about the rest of this mythos if you aren't already familiar. I spent a good deal of time after reading looking up illustrations - it just stays with you.

jloh95's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

4.5

logolepsy_e's review against another edition

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2.0

Cose che ho imparato col tempo e che nel 2013, quando ho letto questo libro, ancora non sapevo: l'horror "di atmosfera" non fa per me. Ho bisogno di concretezza, non di accenni o inquietudine sottile.
Non credo che Lovecraft sia il mio autore, ma ci riproverò prima o poi con qualche racconto breve, magari più nelle mie corde.

wechseling's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-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

3.5

dantalion_xi's review against another edition

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5.0

I have to reread this at least every few years, and every time it gets to me. The enormity of man against the unfathomable forces of the universe. It's a chilling read every time.

Some would argue that it's a good starting point for reading Lovecraft, and while it's a reasonable opinion, I think that you can only appreciate how his style peaked here having read the rest of his work. It's a very mature long story, that gives the plot away slowly, and with delightful, increasing horror.

mrwizard1234's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

My favorite Lovecraft story

hen518468's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Definitely creepy overall but Lovecraft is (imo) unnecessarily verbose, which takes away from the tension and spookiness. Wish I’d read this physically because I kept wanting to rewind the audiobook for missed facts or character development.

stepriot's review against another edition

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3.0

After much reading, I've discovered I prefer the mythos stories not by Lovecraft himself. He emphasizes atmosphere while I am interested in character.

wdbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

erdnerd's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

2.5