Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Call of Cthulhu

Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft

12 reviews

destiniev's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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lmy612's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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

2.0

I’ve never read anything by H. P. Lovecraft before and now I don’t know if I will.

The Call of Cthulhu is one of H. P. Lovecraft’s best known stories but it was a big flop for me. I guess people in the 1920s were scared by different things than people in the 2020s.

And let it be known, I scare easily! I rarely read horror because I generally can’t handle them and scare myself senseless. Especially at night. This wasn’t that.

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henrygravesprince's review against another edition

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medium-paced

0.25

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loreleilee's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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anastasia_raf's review against another edition

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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

1.5

Just another white man displaying ignorance and romanticizing it by dreaming up stories. He's criminally overrated.

If you're interested in reading his whatever we should be aware of:
"He was an explicit white supremacist and his racist views were apparent in his writing."
Please take the time to read this https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5883881

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savviecake's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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biiancaco's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

There is overt racism. HP Lovecraft uses many pejorative slurs. He seems to hate biracial people the most. His prejudice is clear in how he divides his protagonists and antagonists.

It is the white intelligent man vs the swarthy mentally aberrant savage. Whether it is a mestizo, a black man, or an Indian, he despises all.

Besides that, this short-story was incredibly well-written. The language is reticent of Gothic Horror, I would liken it to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Modern Day Prometheus and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

The prose is luscious, full of fun alliteration, the verbs are buoyant and evoke action and pace!
To quote a few, "shivering squatter" "mirror in marble" "yellow hair turned white" "pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon"

A touch of Realism lays a great foundation to this Weird Fiction, all thanks to HP Lovecraft's technical nautical knowledge as well as his placing of a scientist in the forefront of the story. Strange occurrences told in a straight and plain manner, feel more real.

Cthulhu is not the only "monstrous menace". The fact that the author has given him a face makes him less threatening. To HP Lovecraft, the more frightening monsters are ones unknown, they lie in wait beyond our own universe. Because really, is it logical to believe that humans are the ONLY conscious beings?

What is it that we do not know? This is the horror the character faces. He is confronted with the truth that we are not alone. And in the end of his discovery he muses that,

"Death would be a boon if only it could blot out the memories" </spoilers>

The beginning of the short story already informs us how we can avoid this futile stress.

"We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far "

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itsreyz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

I knew Lovecraft was racist but BOI did I not expect this level of xenophobia TT It was especially disturbing to listen to, stereotypes and slurs flew left and right.
The plot itself was fine, the writing generally holds up well but this is definitely not Lovecraft's best work. Bit boring imo, I found myself zoning out several times (and I tend to like slow storytelling).
I guess the fact that the xenophobia was more horrifying than the story itself kinda says it all, lol.

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trulydevious's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

1.5

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exists's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-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

2.75

It was okay, I expected it to be more scary though.

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