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oddityoverseer 's review for:
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
by H.P. Lovecraft
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really wanted to like this. I love the idea of cosmic horror... Unknowably large and mysterious beings that could crush us out of existence with barely a thought... That idea is terrifying!
Unfortunately, the writing style was hard for me to follow. There were many words I had to look up, and many phrasings that had me rereading sentences or even paragraphs to follow what happened. Hell, in the climax of the namesake story in this book, I MISSED a crucial part, because it was described so strangely. I only realized later when I read a review online!
That said, I know this is classic writing, and I know it inspired many later horror writers, so I have to give some credit there.
THAT said, I also learned Lovecraft was a very racist person, and it showed through in some of the stories.
I did not read all the stories here. I recommend not starting at the first one, but instead doing research about which ones people liked. Out of those I read, I'd say Rats In The Walls was probably my favorite.
Unfortunately, the writing style was hard for me to follow. There were many words I had to look up, and many phrasings that had me rereading sentences or even paragraphs to follow what happened. Hell, in the climax of the namesake story in this book, I MISSED a crucial part, because it was described so strangely. I only realized later when I read a review online!
That said, I know this is classic writing, and I know it inspired many later horror writers, so I have to give some credit there.
THAT said, I also learned Lovecraft was a very racist person, and it showed through in some of the stories.
I did not read all the stories here. I recommend not starting at the first one, but instead doing research about which ones people liked. Out of those I read, I'd say Rats In The Walls was probably my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia