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paceace's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating and effectively creepy! It's a collection of eldritch horror stories that are all connected by the Lovecraftian pantheon, which I have gained great interest in after reading. Especially enjoyed "At the Mountains of Madness"! Bumped down primarily because of the regular racism that pops up frequently enough to pull you out of the story and perhaps the extreme obtuseness and lack of survival instinct in almost every main character (the latter is a lot easier to disregard). Would still recommend it as long as you go in prepared ;)
branomir's review against another edition
4.0
My first taste of the great Horror master of the early twentieth century. Lovecraft is an inescapable name in literature. Even someone who has never read any of his work has heard the name Ctulhu mentioned at some point in time. Half the tabletop games seem to be getting a Ctulhu edition these days and then I'm not even mentioning the games made about the Ctulhu mythos, one of which I own myself which is quite good. This collection of short stories serves as a very good intro I think and it would probably be easier to just go over them one by one, so here goes:
1) Dagon
First story, shortest in the collection. Considered by some to be the first story in the Ctulhu Mythos, though Lovecraft never made any official list. It is only a couple pages long but is wonderfully creepy and serves as a great intro.
2) The Nameless City
Atmospheric but in the end one of the lesser ones in my opinion. Didn't really manage to scare me in the end, it was all a bit too vague.
3) The Hound
Very macabre and haunting, though more a traditional horror story than most of the other ones in the bundle. I liked this one a lot. Very creepy.
4) The Festival
My least favourite entry in the series. I found it somewhat boring and not quite so scary. You could easily skip this one.
5) The Call of Ctulhu
I'm afraid this one suffered from overhyping for me. It really was good, but after hearing so much about it, I was actually expecting a bit more. Still the descriptions of the Cult are really bonechilling.
6) The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The longest story in the book and I think the longest one Lovecraft ever wrote. Here both his talent and flaws come to the foreground. The story and plot are great and very creepy, but it is stretched a bit. A smart and learned man, HPL sadly is no stranger to some infodumping, which really slows things down and you don't want that in a scary story. Also he prefers to work with suggestions and hints rather than actually describing the events in question which left me a little wanting at times and a little unsatisfied in the end. Still, a great story that show's the author's obvious talent!
7) The Dunwich Horror
For sure one of my favourites, this is where his more suggestive approach really comes into its full effect and it culminates in a great and exciting ending. One of the best stories in the book, though not necessarily that scary. Very creepy though.
8) The Whisperer in Darkness
This is the one the bundle is named after and very rightly so, without a doubt my favourite story of the collection. A tiny bit slow at times but other than that it has everything. It is suspensefull, with a great build up and a thrilling and scary ending. Full marks!
9) At the Mountains of Madness
Final story of the book and I feel a little mixed about this one. The essential plot and idea of it are great and the ending parts are scary and intense and Lovecraft at his best. Unfortunately this one suffers heavily from over description and info dumping and it sadly really slows down the plot. Took me a while to get through this one. Still a great one
In conclusion, I really liked it, I can see why he is so revered but sometimes he's a bit slow for my taste, especially for a horror. I shall explore him further, though I shan't be making it an immediate priority. :)
1) Dagon
First story, shortest in the collection. Considered by some to be the first story in the Ctulhu Mythos, though Lovecraft never made any official list. It is only a couple pages long but is wonderfully creepy and serves as a great intro.
2) The Nameless City
Atmospheric but in the end one of the lesser ones in my opinion. Didn't really manage to scare me in the end, it was all a bit too vague.
3) The Hound
Very macabre and haunting, though more a traditional horror story than most of the other ones in the bundle. I liked this one a lot. Very creepy.
4) The Festival
My least favourite entry in the series. I found it somewhat boring and not quite so scary. You could easily skip this one.
5) The Call of Ctulhu
I'm afraid this one suffered from overhyping for me. It really was good, but after hearing so much about it, I was actually expecting a bit more. Still the descriptions of the Cult are really bonechilling.
6) The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The longest story in the book and I think the longest one Lovecraft ever wrote. Here both his talent and flaws come to the foreground. The story and plot are great and very creepy, but it is stretched a bit. A smart and learned man, HPL sadly is no stranger to some infodumping, which really slows things down and you don't want that in a scary story. Also he prefers to work with suggestions and hints rather than actually describing the events in question which left me a little wanting at times and a little unsatisfied in the end. Still, a great story that show's the author's obvious talent!
7) The Dunwich Horror
For sure one of my favourites, this is where his more suggestive approach really comes into its full effect and it culminates in a great and exciting ending. One of the best stories in the book, though not necessarily that scary. Very creepy though.
8) The Whisperer in Darkness
This is the one the bundle is named after and very rightly so, without a doubt my favourite story of the collection. A tiny bit slow at times but other than that it has everything. It is suspensefull, with a great build up and a thrilling and scary ending. Full marks!
9) At the Mountains of Madness
Final story of the book and I feel a little mixed about this one. The essential plot and idea of it are great and the ending parts are scary and intense and Lovecraft at his best. Unfortunately this one suffers heavily from over description and info dumping and it sadly really slows down the plot. Took me a while to get through this one. Still a great one
In conclusion, I really liked it, I can see why he is so revered but sometimes he's a bit slow for my taste, especially for a horror. I shall explore him further, though I shan't be making it an immediate priority. :)
yode92's review against another edition
4.0
Takes a while to really get going, but the ending wholly makes up for it.
marielln's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
juliriganti's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Are most of the stories the same with a few details changed? Yes. Do I still move most of them? Yes.
katieagenbroad's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
diya95's review against another edition
4.0
The story gave me the chills....the setting the backdrop ...why isn't this a movie yet?
krupagrace's review against another edition
4.0
Eerie, creepy and frightening. I admire the ability to instil severe terrors of a world unknown through carefully strung words that you suddenly are mysteriously teleported to the world where the Necronomicon and the Chulthu are alive and kicking.
ninj's review
4.0
From the very short to the fairly lengthy, these are all cthulhu mythos stories. Some merely hint at things, and others such as the Mountains of Madness are more explicit - in fact, I would argue that in some cases more is less, and that detailing things out removes some of the horror and mystery. A few of the longer ones (Whisperer in Darness, Charles Dexter Ward) had slow burn lead-ins, and in fact I actually found the latter to be rather uneven, at times ponderous but at others really diving into its lore and mystery.