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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
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
William Dryer is the first-person narrator. The short story is told by Dryer's personal accounts of his Antarctic expedition. The author uses long, elaborate sentences and heavy descriptions. The details are of landscapes, ancient ruins, and alien architecture. It sounds interesting, but the author over describes everything and repeats a lot. There isn't any action, just a very, very slow, and dry burn. It was first written in 1931, and it is considered a classic horror.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think the merit of this lies with its impact, but not necessarily the book itself.
I absolutely loved the eeriness and the commentary on humanity's insistence to try and assign meaning and definitions to things beyond our comprehension. We can send our brightest minds out into the unknown with our newest, most cutting-edge technology, and it still doesn't mean we will be able to conquer or make sense of it. I loved the quote, "It is absolutely necessary—for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of Earth's dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be left alone."
The writing is a different story. This was an absolute drag and I found myself getting really frustrated by how many passages relied on the same handful of adjectives and references. The parts that didn't need much description had too much, yet the parts that were hard to follow and needed more details had none. I may have appreciated some of these references more if I had read Lovecraft's other works first, but this should be able to stand on its own without so many self-aggrandizing sidebars.
This was way too dense for such a short read and overall, I think I much prefer Lovecraft-inspired media over actual Lovecraft. May he rest in piss ✨
I absolutely loved the eeriness and the commentary on humanity's insistence to try and assign meaning and definitions to things beyond our comprehension. We can send our brightest minds out into the unknown with our newest, most cutting-edge technology, and it still doesn't mean we will be able to conquer or make sense of it. I loved the quote, "It is absolutely necessary—for the peace and safety of mankind, that some of Earth's dark, dead corners and unplumbed depths be left alone."
The writing is a different story. This was an absolute drag and I found myself getting really frustrated by how many passages relied on the same handful of adjectives and references. The parts that didn't need much description had too much, yet the parts that were hard to follow and needed more details had none. I may have appreciated some of these references more if I had read Lovecraft's other works first, but this should be able to stand on its own without so many self-aggrandizing sidebars.
This was way too dense for such a short read and overall, I think I much prefer Lovecraft-inspired media over actual Lovecraft. May he rest in piss ✨
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
interesting concept but book is weighed down by dense descriptions with little payoff
dark
mysterious
tense
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
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Lovecraft takes you on a chilling expedition into the unknown, where scientific curiosity collides with cosmic horror. While the meticulous, almost clinical detail of the expedition, down to every measurement and skill is impressive, I personally found it a bit heavy to get through, and it didn’t draw me in as fully as some of his other works like The Call of Cthulhu. That said, the vivid, awe-inspiring imagery of the lost city and alien geometry is striking, and the story’s exploration of how forbidden knowledge strains the mind still lingers. Lovecraft captures a sense of slow, creeping madness that echoes the idea that deep intelligence and feeling come with inevitable suffering. It’s a fascinating, eerie read, even if it wasn’t entirely immersive for me.
I did enjoy the a subtle charm in the historical quirks, like the “heavy flying furs”required for expeditions, which reflects the story in its era. I wonder what he’d think about us flying now and not needing the heavy flying furs haha.
I did enjoy the a subtle charm in the historical quirks, like the “heavy flying furs”required for expeditions, which reflects the story in its era. I wonder what he’d think about us flying now and not needing the heavy flying furs haha.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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