When he died in 1937, destitute and emotionally as well as physically ruined, H. P. Lovecraft had no idea that he would one day be celebrated as the godfather of modern horror. A dark visionary, his work would influence an entire generation of writers, including Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, and Anne Rice. Now, the most important tales of this distinctive American storyteller have been collected in a single volume by National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates.
In tales that combine the nineteenth-century gothic sensibility of Edgar Allan Poe with a uniquely daring internal vision, Lovecraft fuses the supernatural and mundane into a terrifying, complex, and exquisitely realized vision, foretelling a psychically troubled century to come. Set in a meticulously described New England landscape, here are harrowing stories that explore the total collapse of sanity beneath the weight of chaotic events—stories of myth and madness that release monsters into our world. Lovecraft's universe is a frightening shadow world where reality and nightmare intertwine, and redemption can come only from below.
Losing interest The stories are somewhat interesting and fairly unique. I am only halfway done with the book and have lost most of my interest though. Lovecraft doesn't seem to develope any of his characters at all and his writing formula is very apparent and strictly adhered to. This makes it a bit boring, but the premises of each story are interesting enough to carry the reader along. When comparing Lovecraft to his peer, R.E. Howard - I must say that Howard outshines Lovecraft in raw power, horrific, uniqueness of stories, interesting characters, and over all style. I'd suggest this book only for people interested in researching the sci-fi genre, but it lacks much for entertainment for the educated reader.
Gothic Mythology A big thank you to Joyce Carol Oates for compiling these wonderful stories. If you have never read H.P. Lovecraft before, this collection is a great introduction.
H.P. Lovecraft, once an obscure early twentieth century writer of science fiction, mythology, and horror works, is now the inspiration for all great modern horror and suspense writers (like Stephen King).
Often compared to Edgar Allen Poe, Lovecraft was a prolific writer who was largely unpublished until after his death. Highly intelligent, he developed his own mythology and created a series of stories surrounding these myths. He also explored, what could be called today, "genetic evil;" where people inherit a primitive evil that passes along the generational bloodline.
His stories run the gamut of horror and suspense in this collection. Oates seems to have arranged them as if to pick up steam. The next story is a little longer and more involved than the last. More exciting than scary, these stories do take a long to build up and then end as if in an explosion. These stories are not for everyone, but everyone should give them a try.
My personal favorites are: The Rats in the Walls, The Call of Cthulhu, The Outsider, and The Shunned House.
Best way to get into Lovecraft If you're just getting into Lovecraft, this is, without a doubt, the best way to get started with your favorite old god, Cthulhu. It contains a perfect list of Lovecraft standards: The Outsider; The Music of Erich Zann; The Rats in the Walls; The Shunned House; The Call of Cthulhu; The Colour out of Space; The Dunwich Horror; At the Mountains of Madness; The Shadow over Innsmouth; and The Shadow Out of Time. You'll love every one, and crave more.
If you're torn between this and the Penguin editions, I'd recommend you start with this. The three Penguin volumes are complete, but each is a mixed bag of great stories with...not so great. Go for those after you read through this.
The Shadow over Lovecraft On the front cover of this book there is a quote from Stephen King - `H.P.Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.' I had read other praise for HP Lovecraft before and could not wait to get started on my first collection of tales from what I expected was one of the greatest horror writers ever to grace the earth. As I read the introduction I was even more intrigued and also because of the tragic circumstances of his life even more predisposed to like him. However, as I started to read the first tale I found myself being slightly disappointed. His work did not seem original to me - this is probably a by product of Lovecraft himself being heavily influenced by Edgar Allen Poe and every modern horror writer being influenced by both Lovecraft and Poe. I read on hoping that each story would be a little bit better than the last and still was disappointed.
Most of his stories are written in the first person, most our written as eyewitness accounts of the strange events that they themselves - the writers - have witnessed. This does give the reader a sense of realism but at times I believe Lovecraft goes too far in describing these events. Every creature, every nightmare vision is described down to the most intricate of details leaving nothing to the reader's imagination. (Is it just me or should a pre-requisite for a horror writer not be to leave something to the imagination of the reader? As our imaginations can conjure up more enduring and sinister visions that a writer could not possible describe on paper.)
I feel I have been quite harsh towards Mr Lovecraft, although I do believe my criticisms are warranted, however, I am going to offer him some praise. The Call of Cthulhu gives life to the dreaded creature, Cthulhu a sleeping creature who sleeps the sleep of the dead in his nightmarish domain. He is the High Priest of the `Great Old Ones' a race of people that inhabited this earth before we humans evolved. We are warned in this story and in many of Lovecraft's other stories that `The Great Ones' will return and displace mankind forever. This story shows excellent promise and would have been the basis of a great novel had Lovecraft gained the respect of his peers during his lifetime maybe he would have delighted even me, a Lovecraft sceptic, with more tales of Cthulhu.
A Very Fine Collection For those who might already have read H.P. Lovecraft, or for those who wish an introduction to this American master, Tales of H.P. Lovecraft: Major Works has assembled what is probably his best and certainly most famous stories. The editorship and introductory commentary by Joyce Carol Oates might come as a surprise to anyone unfamiliar with the fact this celebrated author was herself presented with the Bram Stoker Award, which recognizes excellence in horror fiction. While Oates' insights certainly enhance this book, they also demonstrate her far-reaching literary appreciations, and help to prove conclusively that Lovecraft, a once-forgotten pulp fiction writer, truly was among his nation's best and most imaginative storytellers.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
