jdhacker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
munjiru's review against another edition
4.0
Yet another collection of lovecraftian fiction to satisfy that niche craving. I remember seeing this book when it came out a few years ago and wanting to read it so bad but not being able to find it. I eventually forgot about it but it recently popped onto my radar and here we are.
This was really good. The stories have a more human focus than lovecraftian stories usually do and I found that it worked for me. Being able to get into the heads of these characters as they grappled with cosmic awe and horror was quite interesting. It’s something I haven’t seen before in the genre and having read this very engaging collection, would like to see more.
My favorite stories were:
We Three Kings - anything that puts a dark twist on religious stories will always do it for me.
Hieros Gamos - WTH did I just read? Seriously, this was some royally f*cked up shit and I loved it.
The Litany of Earth - because a well told Innsmouth story is always appreciated.
I loved pretty much the entire collection so this was a difficult top 3 to narrow down to. My least favorite story was Mr. Johnson and the Old Ones. The way the n-word was flung around by a character in there just set my teeth on edge. I get the context in which it happened but I just could not see past it to enjoy the story itself.
Overall, a solid collection of lovecraftian horrors, if you have ever found yourself yearning to dive deeper into the experiences of the people who these beings destroy.
This was really good. The stories have a more human focus than lovecraftian stories usually do and I found that it worked for me. Being able to get into the heads of these characters as they grappled with cosmic awe and horror was quite interesting. It’s something I haven’t seen before in the genre and having read this very engaging collection, would like to see more.
My favorite stories were:
We Three Kings - anything that puts a dark twist on religious stories will always do it for me.
Hieros Gamos - WTH did I just read? Seriously, this was some royally f*cked up shit and I loved it.
The Litany of Earth - because a well told Innsmouth story is always appreciated.
I loved pretty much the entire collection so this was a difficult top 3 to narrow down to. My least favorite story was Mr. Johnson and the Old Ones. The way the n-word was flung around by a character in there just set my teeth on edge. I get the context in which it happened but I just could not see past it to enjoy the story itself.
Overall, a solid collection of lovecraftian horrors, if you have ever found yourself yearning to dive deeper into the experiences of the people who these beings destroy.
dreamingdust's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating and enjoyable collection of post-Lovecraftian Mythos tales. Ruthanna Emrys’ “The Litany of Earth”, John Linwood Grant’s “Messages” and Luke R.J. Maynard’s “That Most Foreign of Veils” were my favourites of the book, but everything was very good and even the ones I liked least were only so because I found them too poetic for my tastes.
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