arthurbdd's review against another edition
3.0
Thinner than its similar predecessor A Mountain Walked, and with sloppier quality control. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2020/11/23/nightmares-in-a-red-brains-realm/
joe_mcmahon's review against another edition
5.0
All good stories overall, and a lot of interesting angles on the Mythos.
A couple of stories seem only peripherally Mythos-related, and could easily have appeared in pretty much any horror collection, but every story is enjoyable, and several would be useful starting points for a Call of Cthulu scenario.
The "Claude Asher" story was the only one I didn't finish; it was well-written, but the pacing was too slow for me to really enjoy it. The story told from the viewpoint of ghouls was brilliantly done and very sympathetic without pulling any punches, and was probably my favorite. "The Pattern" was haunting and horrible; it was beautifully done, but only peripherally a Mythos story for me. The Ligotti story was enjoyable but it didn't stick in my mind the way that his other "Festival" story does.
Over all definitely worth a read if this is your thing; there may be a couple that you skip but the collection is quite good.
A couple of stories seem only peripherally Mythos-related, and could easily have appeared in pretty much any horror collection, but every story is enjoyable, and several would be useful starting points for a Call of Cthulu scenario.
The "Claude Asher" story was the only one I didn't finish; it was well-written, but the pacing was too slow for me to really enjoy it. The story told from the viewpoint of ghouls was brilliantly done and very sympathetic without pulling any punches, and was probably my favorite. "The Pattern" was haunting and horrible; it was beautifully done, but only peripherally a Mythos story for me. The Ligotti story was enjoyable but it didn't stick in my mind the way that his other "Festival" story does.
Over all definitely worth a read if this is your thing; there may be a couple that you skip but the collection is quite good.
jayrothermel's review
1.0
My review and reading notes can be read in full here:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-stench-of-something-atrociously.html
A weak and very uneven collection.
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-stench-of-something-atrociously.html
A weak and very uneven collection.
henryarmitage's review against another edition
4.0
With the exception of two stories, a solid anthology of strong Cthulhu Mythos tales.
The Ramsey Campbell story was decent but not really Cthulhu Mythos.
The Edith Miniter story was kind of a cheesy pastiche.
I just recently read [b:The Beast Of Averoigne|26632935|The Beast Of Averoigne|Clark Ashton Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476646687l/26632935._SX50_.jpg|46668781] in [b:The Klarkash-Ton Cycle: Clark Ashton Smith's Cthulhu Mythos Fiction|3379517|The Klarkash-Ton Cycle Clark Ashton Smith's Cthulhu Mythos Fiction|Clark Ashton Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347584368l/3379517._SY75_.jpg|3419092] so I skipped this one.
With those three out of the way, there was just one great story after another. The Dreamlands, Pickman and the ghouls, Azathoth. The Red Brain by Donald Wandrei rocked. There's a homage to [b:Heart of Darkness|4900|Heart of Darkness|Joseph Conrad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392799983l/4900._SX50_.jpg|2877220].
I think most Cthulhu Mythos fans would enjoy this book.
The Ramsey Campbell story was decent but not really Cthulhu Mythos.
The Edith Miniter story was kind of a cheesy pastiche.
I just recently read [b:The Beast Of Averoigne|26632935|The Beast Of Averoigne|Clark Ashton Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1476646687l/26632935._SX50_.jpg|46668781] in [b:The Klarkash-Ton Cycle: Clark Ashton Smith's Cthulhu Mythos Fiction|3379517|The Klarkash-Ton Cycle Clark Ashton Smith's Cthulhu Mythos Fiction|Clark Ashton Smith|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347584368l/3379517._SY75_.jpg|3419092] so I skipped this one.
With those three out of the way, there was just one great story after another. The Dreamlands, Pickman and the ghouls, Azathoth. The Red Brain by Donald Wandrei rocked. There's a homage to [b:Heart of Darkness|4900|Heart of Darkness|Joseph Conrad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1392799983l/4900._SX50_.jpg|2877220].
I think most Cthulhu Mythos fans would enjoy this book.
More...