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mkpatter's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't get a chance to finish it, because it's hard to get through short stories because there just isn't the same momentum as a novel, and...it was alright. I think I prefer Poe, because he kind of has a better way with words. Plus Lovecraft is realllly old fashioned writing wise (though not content) for the time period.
miss_jakobs32's review against another edition
5.0
Aggghhhh! Finally finished. It only took me forever! It's a great book. Lovecraft is absolutely fantastic, but after a while, it all starts to run together. Take a break every now and then.
mburnamfink's review
4.0
It's with some dismay that I realized that I didn't actually own any H.P. Lovecraft, and this from a guy who doodled Elder Signs over all his high school notebooks. While his works are public domain, there's something to be said for physical books. This Canterbury Classics edition comes with a beautiful leather binding, an iridescent octopus on the cover, gold leaf pages, and an introduction giving an overview of his life and work. Inside are 26 short stories, arranged in chronological order, and covering the essential Lovecraft: The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow over Innsmouth, etc.
Reading them all in order is a burden. Early Lovecraft is not great, little gothick tinglers that require much faith and imagination from the reader that this is horrifying. When he hits his stride, Lovecraft is every bit as good as his titanic reputation deserves. The later stories contrast the growing insanity of their narrators against the dizzying cosmological nihilism of deep time, and the ancient civilizations of Elder Things and Old Ones and Mi Go and Deep Ones who once warred over Earth, and who's remnants trouble our dreams.
Selling an collection of free stories is always a little tricky, but this is worth it for the physical qualities of the binding, and for a strong editorial voice. A little bigger than the "core" Lovecraft, a little more portable than the "complete" Lovecraft, this is a great collection for any fan.
Reading them all in order is a burden. Early Lovecraft is not great, little gothick tinglers that require much faith and imagination from the reader that this is horrifying. When he hits his stride, Lovecraft is every bit as good as his titanic reputation deserves. The later stories contrast the growing insanity of their narrators against the dizzying cosmological nihilism of deep time, and the ancient civilizations of Elder Things and Old Ones and Mi Go and Deep Ones who once warred over Earth, and who's remnants trouble our dreams.
Selling an collection of free stories is always a little tricky, but this is worth it for the physical qualities of the binding, and for a strong editorial voice. A little bigger than the "core" Lovecraft, a little more portable than the "complete" Lovecraft, this is a great collection for any fan.
birdentea's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0