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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
WARNING: Lovecraft’s pretty racist and elitist and any other ist you can think of, but we’ll forgive him that and call him a product of his time. If you can’t do that, then you may want to give his works a pass.
For whatever reason, some of the most famous authors of the Victorian/Edwardian era had a thing for telling instead of showing. Their stories have lots of action, but large chunks of it take place off-screen and we’re stuck hearing about it as someone tells the narrator what happened.
Such is the case here.
A good fourth of the story is dedicated to background information and it’s given to us in one of the longest monologues that I’ve ever read. To make it even more fun, this 5000+ word piece of exposition is written in accent. What accent, I’m really not sure, but it was not easy going.
I rarely enjoy reading strong accents. They’re fine when spoken aloud, but when authors write them down phonetically, they can quickly become a chore to understand. This probably has something to do with my mild dyslexia, but who knows. What I do know is that having to read stuff like this: “Wal, even ef I hain’t told nobody nothin’ yet, I’m a-goin’ to naow!” for pages on end will never fail to lower my enjoyment of a tale.
In the end, I turned to a narrated version of the story since it’s public domain and readily available on sites like youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOwsGc2IoTY). Cue instant increase in enjoyment.
Lovecraft is considered a classic author for a reason. His eerie prose defined the genre and he deserves no small praise for that. It’s also clear that he had a vivid imagination because the plot’s not bad. It just could have used some editing to make the telling a bit more engaging.
So, while this isn’t going on my favorite’s list any time soon, I would still tell you to give it a chance if you’re curious about the origins of the Cthulhu mythos. It’s creepy enough to keep you intrigued, but not horrific enough to give you nightmares.
For whatever reason, some of the most famous authors of the Victorian/Edwardian era had a thing for telling instead of showing. Their stories have lots of action, but large chunks of it take place off-screen and we’re stuck hearing about it as someone tells the narrator what happened.
Such is the case here.
A good fourth of the story is dedicated to background information and it’s given to us in one of the longest monologues that I’ve ever read. To make it even more fun, this 5000+ word piece of exposition is written in accent. What accent, I’m really not sure, but it was not easy going.
I rarely enjoy reading strong accents. They’re fine when spoken aloud, but when authors write them down phonetically, they can quickly become a chore to understand. This probably has something to do with my mild dyslexia, but who knows. What I do know is that having to read stuff like this: “Wal, even ef I hain’t told nobody nothin’ yet, I’m a-goin’ to naow!” for pages on end will never fail to lower my enjoyment of a tale.
In the end, I turned to a narrated version of the story since it’s public domain and readily available on sites like youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOwsGc2IoTY). Cue instant increase in enjoyment.
Lovecraft is considered a classic author for a reason. His eerie prose defined the genre and he deserves no small praise for that. It’s also clear that he had a vivid imagination because the plot’s not bad. It just could have used some editing to make the telling a bit more engaging.
So, while this isn’t going on my favorite’s list any time soon, I would still tell you to give it a chance if you’re curious about the origins of the Cthulhu mythos. It’s creepy enough to keep you intrigued, but not horrific enough to give you nightmares.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another great novella of Lovecraft. His writing style always keeps me hooked. I really enjoyed the way information is drip fed through conversations and observations from the main character. The ending could have been cheesy but was actually well put together.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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
Read for a book club with my partner as they really like Lovecraft, and I was not disappointed! I liked this a lot more than The Call of Cthulu as it was much longer. There is an unsettling air to the story since the monsters are never faced head on, and exist more as a background threat to humanity. The main character's immersion in the town of Innsmouth drew me in as he wandered around and tried to find out more about the place. The ending also took me completely by surprise!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
N/A
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
I have never liked Lovecraft's writing, and this novella confirms my opinion. Way too slow a pace, could have been more enjoyable at half the length.
I liked the dreary, desolated atmosphere, and the chase section, but overall it's really boring.
I read it again after years because I just finished Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys, which is a continuation of the plot but from the POV of Innsmouth's inhabitants, and I wanted to revisit the original.
It's a story about racist fear and it drags, the only thing it has going on is the clearly enduring charm of the lore. You're basically always better off with media derived and inspired by Lovecraft than with the originals.
I liked the dreary, desolated atmosphere, and the chase section, but overall it's really boring.
I read it again after years because I just finished Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys, which is a continuation of the plot but from the POV of Innsmouth's inhabitants, and I wanted to revisit the original.
It's a story about racist fear and it drags, the only thing it has going on is the clearly enduring charm of the lore. You're basically always better off with media derived and inspired by Lovecraft than with the originals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Murder, Deportation
dark
mysterious
In which Mr. Lovecraft is afraid of the ocean (again) (racist edition).