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A review by mizar
Providence Compendium by Alan Moore
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I discovered Lovecraft in the beginning of my 20's through a translated collection of his early short stories. I was at the time at a transition point, where my interest in the fantastic was emerging and having exhausted the limited offerings translated in my native language, I was slowly beginning to read whatever I could get my hands on in English.
Lovecraft's writings shaped my perceptions of Horror with his long winding descriptions, his refusal to name things plainly, always pitting the rationality of his protagonists against the unnamed and their insistence to not see that which is right there before their eyes right until the final pages where they are driven either to death or mad . In his world, the universe is cold and uncaring, we live our lives ignorant of the horrors lurking just outside the light and this is for the best because there can be no winning.
Moore's offerings on the other hand flesh out the horror, bringing it forward in graphic detail. Especially the 2 previous stories in the series, 'The Courtyard' as well as 'Neonomicon" feel like a slap in the face! 'Providence' is much more subdued, with the horror elements building up gradually and at least in my perspective requiring a good knowledge of Lovecraft's body of work to be able to be appreciated in full.
Finally, Moore has accomplished something unique here. he has managed to tie up Lovecraft's dreamland cycle with his Mythos stories in a consistent narrative, while at the same time demonstrating how books, language and pop-culture in general shape our perspectives and the world around us.
Lovecraft's writings shaped my perceptions of Horror with his long winding descriptions, his refusal to name things plainly, always pitting the rationality of his protagonists against the unnamed and their insistence to not see that which is right there before their eyes right until the final pages where they are driven either to death or mad . In his world, the universe is cold and uncaring, we live our lives ignorant of the horrors lurking just outside the light and this is for the best because there can be no winning.
Moore's offerings on the other hand flesh out the horror, bringing it forward in graphic detail. Especially the 2 previous stories in the series, 'The Courtyard' as well as 'Neonomicon" feel like a slap in the face! 'Providence' is much more subdued, with the horror elements building up gradually and at least in my perspective requiring a good knowledge of Lovecraft's body of work to be able to be appreciated in full.
Finally, Moore has accomplished something unique here. he has managed to tie up Lovecraft's dreamland cycle with his Mythos stories in a consistent narrative, while at the same time demonstrating how books, language and pop-culture in general shape our perspectives and the world around us.