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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
2.5 Stars - Mostly because I understand how much influence this had on future writers of supernatural horror. As bogged down as I get actually reading Lovecraft, it's hard not to appreciate everything he did for the genre.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
2.8 stars
This was the Audible deal of the day for Halloween. I have never read an H.P. Lovecraft book before but had always heard great things. This is a relatively short book (just under 5 hours on audio) and I feel like it is still a bit too long – too much erroneous detail. There is a ton of geology in this book which I enjoy but to the non-geologist, much of it could be omitted or simplified. While there are too many details, many explanatory details are left out. Though, I enjoyed how it was written in 1936 and hearing what science was known at this point in time (geologic time periods have not changed much in 80 years!).
Audiobook narrator [a:Edward Herrmann|105602|Edward Herrmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1354426951p2/105602.jpg] rating: 2.5 stars
I have always enjoyed Edward Hermann’s books but this one may have done better with a different and more animated narrated. Maybe he just wasn’t ‘feeling’ it during this recording? I am not sure…
This was the Audible deal of the day for Halloween. I have never read an H.P. Lovecraft book before but had always heard great things. This is a relatively short book (just under 5 hours on audio) and I feel like it is still a bit too long – too much erroneous detail. There is a ton of geology in this book which I enjoy but to the non-geologist, much of it could be omitted or simplified. While there are too many details, many explanatory details are left out. Though, I enjoyed how it was written in 1936 and hearing what science was known at this point in time (geologic time periods have not changed much in 80 years!).
Audiobook narrator [a:Edward Herrmann|105602|Edward Herrmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1354426951p2/105602.jpg] rating: 2.5 stars
I have always enjoyed Edward Hermann’s books but this one may have done better with a different and more animated narrated. Maybe he just wasn’t ‘feeling’ it during this recording? I am not sure…
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:
Yes
One of the worst books I have read. Boring. Really slow paste. Characters are one dimensional. Horror? No. Not at all.
The book is written from a geologists perspective. What can I say it shows. If I were more into geology maybe I would have been more hyped about it but since I am not interested in rocks nor scared this was a big failure for me. I wanted to read a H. P. Lovecraft book because apparently he is a master of horror. But this made me never to want to pick up another Lovecraft ever again.
The book is written from a geologists perspective. What can I say it shows. If I were more into geology maybe I would have been more hyped about it but since I am not interested in rocks nor scared this was a big failure for me. I wanted to read a H. P. Lovecraft book because apparently he is a master of horror. But this made me never to want to pick up another Lovecraft ever again.
Great story, but the narration and repetitiveness drag it down quite a bit. I don't mind technichal writing, but this was not just a scientist's journal, it used the same words over and over again to describe the wonders and horrors that the characters encounter.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I devoured this in an hour but I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.
The book starts off slow - and I mean, very slow. With the dronings of a Geologist, speaking endlessly about the altitude of the mountains and the ages of human evolution. Until about page 70, when the story starts to pick up, honestly I wish the book started there, especially as the last 50 or so pages were wonderful.
I loved reading about these mythological creatures, and their time on Earth, the wars they raged, the times they spent in the depths of the Antarctic. It was magical. Paired with tying the earlier events together and explaining them to make your heart race ever so slightly. The horrors were left fairly ambiguous, not much description of the creatures, which I liked but didn’t like. I liked that I could create the image myself, but I was quite annoyed when the narrator kept saying “I won’t tell you this it’s too scary” when ?? Come on. I know it’s meant to be written like a real report, a real story, but I do read horror for the details. Lovecraft strangely decided to describe the imagery of the mountain over the dead bodies and monsters...in a horror book? Almost 90% imagery, 10% horror. Which was a weird choice, but honestly I didn’t mind all that much.
The writing was beautiful, Lovecraft does have quite a way with words, metaphors, descriptions, even if I didn’t care for the Archeology content or the endless imagery. He does like to drone on a tad, so if you can’t handle skimming a few pages and paragraphs this may not be for you. This book was very plot heavy, not focused on the characters at all, which I liked. Seeing the exploration of the Antarctic and everything coming together did feel like I was reading a real report of it. It was done very well for the fantasy realism genre (so much that before I read Lovecraft, I did think Cthulhu was a real God in a real old-world religion). It felt so real, even with how unrealistic the premise was.
I’m stuck between 3 stars, 4 stars, or 5 stars? I settled on a 3.5, as even though I enjoyed it, I can logically say it wasn’t a very well structured/written book. My heart still races as I write this, but it’s only to do with the very end of the book. I was sure the book was going to be 2 or 3 stars for the first part, so I’m a little lost. I’d recommend the book as a lesser known horror classic by HP Lovecraft, but i’m just not sure if it would hold up if it was written today.
The book starts off slow - and I mean, very slow. With the dronings of a Geologist, speaking endlessly about the altitude of the mountains and the ages of human evolution. Until about page 70, when the story starts to pick up, honestly I wish the book started there, especially as the last 50 or so pages were wonderful.
I loved reading about these mythological creatures, and their time on Earth, the wars they raged, the times they spent in the depths of the Antarctic. It was magical. Paired with tying the earlier events together and explaining them to make your heart race ever so slightly. The horrors were left fairly ambiguous, not much description of the creatures, which I liked but didn’t like. I liked that I could create the image myself, but I was quite annoyed when the narrator kept saying “I won’t tell you this it’s too scary” when ?? Come on. I know it’s meant to be written like a real report, a real story, but I do read horror for the details. Lovecraft strangely decided to describe the imagery of the mountain over the dead bodies and monsters...in a horror book? Almost 90% imagery, 10% horror. Which was a weird choice, but honestly I didn’t mind all that much.
The writing was beautiful, Lovecraft does have quite a way with words, metaphors, descriptions, even if I didn’t care for the Archeology content or the endless imagery. He does like to drone on a tad, so if you can’t handle skimming a few pages and paragraphs this may not be for you. This book was very plot heavy, not focused on the characters at all, which I liked. Seeing the exploration of the Antarctic and everything coming together did feel like I was reading a real report of it. It was done very well for the fantasy realism genre (so much that before I read Lovecraft, I did think Cthulhu was a real God in a real old-world religion). It felt so real, even with how unrealistic the premise was.
I’m stuck between 3 stars, 4 stars, or 5 stars? I settled on a 3.5, as even though I enjoyed it, I can logically say it wasn’t a very well structured/written book. My heart still races as I write this, but it’s only to do with the very end of the book. I was sure the book was going to be 2 or 3 stars for the first part, so I’m a little lost. I’d recommend the book as a lesser known horror classic by HP Lovecraft, but i’m just not sure if it would hold up if it was written today.
I’m giving this book a five star rating.
“At The Mountains of Madness” is a brilliant Cthulhu story, written as a scientific expedition to the Antarctic. It’s dark and brooding, with a great scene of character slipping into madness.
It’s so strange and gripping. The tale pulls you in. Lovecraft’s vocabulary is a weird thing to wrap your head around, but somehow, sometimes, he slips in a minor description or statement that simply breathes atmosphere, mystery and terror. Epic! *Highly Recommend*
“At The Mountains of Madness” is a brilliant Cthulhu story, written as a scientific expedition to the Antarctic. It’s dark and brooding, with a great scene of character slipping into madness.
It’s so strange and gripping. The tale pulls you in. Lovecraft’s vocabulary is a weird thing to wrap your head around, but somehow, sometimes, he slips in a minor description or statement that simply breathes atmosphere, mystery and terror. Epic! *Highly Recommend*
Fun. I'm excited that Guillermo Del Toro wants to do a film version. That could be pretty great.
But if you want, here's the short version: Don't go to Antarctica. I don't want to tell this story but I will. Plans for trip. Geology. Rocks. Stones. Jurassic, pre-Jurassic, pre-Cambrian. More descriptions of rocks. It's cold. Don't go to Antarctica. Did I mention rocks? Then there's this other kind of rock. Necronomicon name-check. Then we walked. A lot. We saw lots of rocks along the way. Also here's more geology. Nonsense math/geometry phrases. More rocks, stones, fossils. Ancient. More walking.
You get the idea. But still, it was fun.
But if you want, here's the short version: Don't go to Antarctica. I don't want to tell this story but I will. Plans for trip. Geology. Rocks. Stones. Jurassic, pre-Jurassic, pre-Cambrian. More descriptions of rocks. It's cold. Don't go to Antarctica. Did I mention rocks? Then there's this other kind of rock. Necronomicon name-check. Then we walked. A lot. We saw lots of rocks along the way. Also here's more geology. Nonsense math/geometry phrases. More rocks, stones, fossils. Ancient. More walking.
You get the idea. But still, it was fun.
Well I liked that more than I thought I would. Rtc