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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
My first experience with Lovecraft! Put him off for years, first because I'm a baby and was concerned the "horror" would be too scary for me, and then because I'd heard the racism and misogyny/lack of female characters was pretty gross and gratuitous. On the former, I actually didn't find it particularly scary, and for the latter, that was unfortunately borne out in the reading and definitely affected my ability to enjoy the works. I think this was unfortunately strengthened by what felt like an utter lack of concern from the editor in regards to these issues--it felt like Lovecraft's disgusting viewpoints were viewed as a character quirk instead of deeply fucked-up, and I personally think it wouldn't have left *such* a sour taste in my mouth had the instances of racism been called out and acknowledged, instead of the 500 footnotes on random shit I cared nothing about.
Some stories here were stronger than others, though overall the stories were interesting and it was cool to see the origin of so many modern and pop-culture references/homages. I'm glad to have read some of his work if only to have a bit of that background to be able to better appreciate how his influence shows up in more modern works, but I don't plan to go searching out any of the other stories not in this collection
Some stories here were stronger than others, though overall the stories were interesting and it was cool to see the origin of so many modern and pop-culture references/homages. I'm glad to have read some of his work if only to have a bit of that background to be able to better appreciate how his influence shows up in more modern works, but I don't plan to go searching out any of the other stories not in this collection
I picked this up after enjoying Mountains of Madness and feeling there was an H.P shaped hole in my shelves. Hmmm. Maybe not.
I enjoyed aspects of the stories collected but it's a pretty long slog if read without a break. I started last year, put it aside for almost as long and recently finished it so I can put it to bed.
He certainly has vision, the sheer imagination and depth of his colliding worlds and creatures, the cultures and civilisations, the depictions; it's impressive and unlike most others of the time. Oh the dread, the horror. The overwriting, more to the point. Everything is told in such convoluted, repetitive and slow fashion as to frustrate, especially in the longer stories. There's not much in the way of suspense, purely as it takes so long to get to the denouement or reveal (which was all too frequently quite obvious). He does create a sense of claustrophobia in this fashion though, which works well but doesn't always make for enjoyable reading. Ultimately, they all feel a little too similar.
The Colour out of Space was probably the most accomplished and I did enjoy that tale. I had thought to get all 3 books for the complete collection but I'm not so sure now. Maybe dipping in and out would work better.
I enjoyed aspects of the stories collected but it's a pretty long slog if read without a break. I started last year, put it aside for almost as long and recently finished it so I can put it to bed.
He certainly has vision, the sheer imagination and depth of his colliding worlds and creatures, the cultures and civilisations, the depictions; it's impressive and unlike most others of the time. Oh the dread, the horror. The overwriting, more to the point. Everything is told in such convoluted, repetitive and slow fashion as to frustrate, especially in the longer stories. There's not much in the way of suspense, purely as it takes so long to get to the denouement or reveal (which was all too frequently quite obvious). He does create a sense of claustrophobia in this fashion though, which works well but doesn't always make for enjoyable reading. Ultimately, they all feel a little too similar.
The Colour out of Space was probably the most accomplished and I did enjoy that tale. I had thought to get all 3 books for the complete collection but I'm not so sure now. Maybe dipping in and out would work better.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism
Świetny zbiór opowiadań, najlepsze z nich to "Szepczący w ciemności" i "Zew Cthulhu"
Just in time for Halloween, I got around the reading Lovecraft.
so much for grandad of horror. was mostly bored
racism also wasnt great fun to read. i wasn’t expecting it to be so obvious in a short story but nope he really wanted it known, i guess
racism also wasnt great fun to read. i wasn’t expecting it to be so obvious in a short story but nope he really wanted it known, i guess
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
“He” is one I hadn’t read before. “Call of Cthulhu” is another favorite.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Simplemente de los mejores libros de terror
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A