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shane_tiernan's review against another edition
4.0
This is another Lovecraft collection that I've been reading for years and just decided to finish this year. Surprisingly, I thought the title story was the worst of the lot. That said it still wasn't bad, just a little over the top with the "indescribable horror" stuff (yes even for Lovecraft). The other story that was rather strange was -The Temple- which felt like it was some one else writing a Lovecraft story. Other than that though many of these are solid additions to the Lovecraft library, -Shadows Over Innsmouth- probably being the highlight of the collection.
thelizardqueen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Wow. Lovecraft's eugenics and biological determinism really come through in this story. It's legitimately scary, but also tells us more about the MC/Lovecraft than any of the other themes or characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Classism, Violence, Cannibalism, Blood, and Xenophobia
fachrinaa's review against another edition
4.0
Read as part of [b:The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft|28259982|The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft|H.P. Lovecraft|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456092177l/28259982._SX50_.jpg|12926020]
batbones's review against another edition
4.0
The Lurking Fear was what drew me into this one. I enjoyed the suspense, the accentuating sense of mystery and horror, and it's clear why Lovecraft and his fictional universe stand out as one of the pillars of the horror genre. I found it very impressive how Derleth mirrors Lovecraft's writing - it's almost uncanny, that if the book had not stated discreetly in the copyrights section the stories' respective authors, I would be surprised had I been told they were written by different people. Of course, Lovecraft tends to be rather philosophical and introspective in his own tales and this is the salient feature which distinguishes them - they seem to be less plot driven, no, to put it in another way, it's not only the incidents which seem to matter but the implications behind the phenomena, if indeed they were true (as in the tales they are very much so to the protagonists). It shows because Lovecraft seems to devote many lines of musings to these assortments. (Other than that I found it a challenge to do so without much help from a reference page.) That is why I liked them the best. Perhaps The Lurking Fear was the first story of the anthology, and that explains why I loved it most out of all of the listed, or maybe it worked the other way around (in that it was put first because its quality stands out). Either way no harm done and much enjoyment ensues. Reading it intermittently across a couple of days is recommended as one's familiarity grows with the basic 'template' of each tale, it becomes a little tiring to sit through one after another.
alyssa_watson's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I liked this piece by Lovecraft. It was easy to read and easy to follow, which I have trouble with in some of Lovecraft's writings. An excellent read for my exploration into Lovecraftian mythos.
darkcoffeelover81's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hendejos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ktxx22's review against another edition
4.0
This was scary and had a good ending but it took a while to get going.