asifsyed's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
prialberto's review against another edition
4.0
Una de las grandes sorpresas en lo que llevo de año. Si has leído a Lovecraft verás multitud de guiños a personajes, paisajes y situaciones ya conocidos. Y si no, resulta un libro muy entretenido que parece comenzar con una investigación detectivesca más, (uno de los protagonistas es investigador privado), pero que poco a poco va derivando hacia esos terrenos de horror cósmico tan lovecraftianos. Muy recomendable.
PD. ph'nglui mglw'nafh cthulhu r'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
PD. ph'nglui mglw'nafh cthulhu r'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
the_weirdling's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a delightful discovery. I'm a big fan of Lovecraftian stories, but the sad truth is that many of those books and short stories are poorly written. (Alas!) This book was an exception. It was superbly written. The characters were compelling and real and I greatly enjoyed the way they evolved throughout the story. Many Lovecraftian tales have a bad habit of making two dimensional characters than are more cardboard prop than real people. This book managed to avoid that trap entirely.
Another well done aspect is that - while there are plenty of Lovecraft references and nods for the initiates - they aren't distracting for those who know little about the Mythos or just don't care about it. You'll still have a great romp all the same.
As an aside, I also appreciate the fact that Lovecraft's descendant is a person of color. It's a great way to thumb your nose at and repair the only part of Lovecraft that's isn't cool all these years later. (The dude was a dreadful bigot.)
It's a love letter to Lovecraft that anyone can enjoy. It exceeded my expectations in a big way and I can't wait to read the sequel.
Another well done aspect is that - while there are plenty of Lovecraft references and nods for the initiates - they aren't distracting for those who know little about the Mythos or just don't care about it. You'll still have a great romp all the same.
As an aside, I also appreciate the fact that Lovecraft's descendant is a person of color. It's a great way to thumb your nose at and repair the only part of Lovecraft that's isn't cool all these years later. (The dude was a dreadful bigot.)
It's a love letter to Lovecraft that anyone can enjoy. It exceeded my expectations in a big way and I can't wait to read the sequel.
pamwinkler's review against another edition
5.0
A hell of a lot of fun. Much better if you like Lovecraft and other horror authors, but very good.
amanda_kay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.5
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
3.0
I really like the ending to this one. Really different from the other Howard books that I've read.
jimmypat's review against another edition
4.0
With its goofy setup (PI inherits bookstore run by a descendant of H.P. Lovecraft) this book should not have been as good as it was. I had a blast reading this book- lots of fun, breakneck pace, and lots of twists (pun intended). I’m looking forward to reading the sequel.
biblio_lore's review against another edition
3.0
I want to be fair and completely clear when I say that Jonathan L. Howard is an excellent writer and he does horror just as well as fantasy. I knew this from his excellent (though somewhat polarizing) third book in the Cabal series and given that was my favorite book in that series, I know that he does Lovecraft well. The reason that I give this one a lower rating than all that is that it was the characters that I just wasn't really that in love with. Carter is easy enough to like for the most part but I felt like I was a bit less invested in him than I should be. Lovecraft, I found, was far more interesting and I think I would have liked this better if she were in the book more or if she was the main focus. I found her to be someone whose work and personality were a lot more compelling than the cop turned PI and she is worth reading this for but Carter I'm kind of more on the fence about. None of this should sway you away from the book but I would be disingenuous to say it was my favorite offering from Howard. He's still one of my favorite authors, however, and this story, while not my personal taste, is still good.
alexandramabon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
The story is, at times, quite bizarre, and the language has a cloying intimacy. I am particularly attuned to descriptions of drowning because my adult son died this way. I often wonder what it had been like for him. After reading Jonathan Howard's account, I had to put the book aside. The affect his writing had upon my very psyche was profound.
H. P. Lovecraft occupies a rarified stratum in the literary world. His writing engendered a mythos latched onto by any number of writers from those who wrote contemporaneously to those writing now, in the twenty-first century. Readers unfamiliar with his stories will see the name Lovecraft and immediately think porn, or the name Linda Lovelace will spring to mind. Anyone who is a serious reader of genre fiction will respond to such suggestions in the negative, and, usually with, at the very least, a touch of scorn.
At first blush, CARTER & LOVECRAFT is police detective turned PI dime novel the likes of which have been around for decades. However, it doesn't take long to realize that this is no John D. McDonald or Mickey Spillane pulp.
I hate spoilers, and saying more about the actual story would, of necessity, be riddled with them. If you want to know who the eponymous Carter and Lovecraft are, you need to pick up a copy and read about them for yourself. I will say that CARTER & LOVECRAFT was a totally satisfying read, no cliffhanger… a complete novel in every way. That is a refreshing change in a literary world where it seems that far too many books are part of a series. Yet, there is just enough wiggle room here to trigger a sequel or two. Should that ever happen, I will happily read such further adventures.
H. P. Lovecraft occupies a rarified stratum in the literary world. His writing engendered a mythos latched onto by any number of writers from those who wrote contemporaneously to those writing now, in the twenty-first century. Readers unfamiliar with his stories will see the name Lovecraft and immediately think porn, or the name Linda Lovelace will spring to mind. Anyone who is a serious reader of genre fiction will respond to such suggestions in the negative, and, usually with, at the very least, a touch of scorn.
At first blush, CARTER & LOVECRAFT is police detective turned PI dime novel the likes of which have been around for decades. However, it doesn't take long to realize that this is no John D. McDonald or Mickey Spillane pulp.
I hate spoilers, and saying more about the actual story would, of necessity, be riddled with them. If you want to know who the eponymous Carter and Lovecraft are, you need to pick up a copy and read about them for yourself. I will say that CARTER & LOVECRAFT was a totally satisfying read, no cliffhanger… a complete novel in every way. That is a refreshing change in a literary world where it seems that far too many books are part of a series. Yet, there is just enough wiggle room here to trigger a sequel or two. Should that ever happen, I will happily read such further adventures.