A review by tylawrencium
The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Lovecraft's writing varies pretty widely in quality, although I'd say in general that his later stuff is more interesting and developed than a lot (though not all) of his earlier stories. Character development isn't really a strength of his--you're reading this for the interesting worldbuilding and thought that's gone into his universe. As such, many of the stories are heavy on world and light on plot or character. There's a few exceptions that actually build up to a semi-dramatic revelation--The Rats in the Walls and The Shadow Out of Innsmouth come to mind. All in all, I'd say read the highlights and then if you like what you find, keep going. Other "bests" include The Temple, At the Mountains of Madness, The Color Out of Space, and The Music of Erich Zann.
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