billyhopscotch's review against another edition
This book was my introduction to Lovecraft. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
pirate_jesus's review against another edition
1.0
I rate it trash. This tome compiles 21 stories, each accompanied by a brief history of its publication, and upon completion I stand firm that none of you who claim to be Lovecraft fans have actually read a damn word. It’s just something cool or goth to portray. Anything resembling a decent story is buried under terrible conventions, laziness, and blatant racism. Most companies outright refused to publish him for lack of quality, many of these stories going to tabloids or being dug-up posthumously. His constant use of the “dear reader” type of first-person narrative gets old, quick, as does the extreme stretch by which he links even the most foreign of tales to his universe by mention of Arkham and/or Miskatonic University... and let me guess, the architecture of this new place will be labeled “cyclopean...” yep, there it is! But the latter are mostly sufferable complaints. I respect the 1920’s attempt at a horror universe, pre Wu-Tang or MCU. What I can’t suffer is the writer’s version of an artist’s mental block for drawing hands. His descriptions are either hidden (indescribably alien; too horrible to recount in detail; your mind couldn’t possibly comprehend the terror; the sight of which has been blacked from memory) or disgustingly overboard (3 large pages of small font used to provide precise three measurement volume dimensions of a tentacle on a tentacle on a tentacle on a tentacle on a star shaped head, plus the appendages on each and where exactly they fall on the color wheel. No eyes though). #readingrainbow #bigdumb #toomanyknuckles #yourewrong #okiknowtwopeoplewhoactuallyenjoylovecraft
onemoremolly's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
reganross's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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
wolfpitreads's review against another edition
I'm not strong enough to fully finish this collection like this.
waybackwhen's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
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
4.0
hopedecays's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
alen97's review against another edition
4.0
I must admit that I liked it. It was scary as I was told though, so because of that I was a bit deluded. Otherwise for the rest it was really nice and enjoyable.
grrr8_catsby's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Great Tales Of Horror is a collection of 20 short stories and novellas from author H.P. Lovecraft.
Undoubtedly, Lovecraft's skill and craft as an author cannot be understated, delivering beautifully articulated passages of description while establishing a pervasively haunting atmosphere. Written nearly 100 years ago, Lovecraft's works still influence popular culture today.
Unfortunately, Lovecraft's works remind me of perhaps my least favorite book of all-time, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Both works have beautiful prose and surprisingly contemporary tone and accessibility, but fall short in regards to content.
Again, to his credit, Lovecraft has crafted truly haunting creatures of eldrich horror, but the execution of the storytelling falters more often than not. Perhaps his most famous (or, at least, most recognized) work The Call Of Cthulhu is one of the most average, underwhelming short stories I have ever read. While his prose and descriptive writing should be praised, it often distracting, and noticeably slows down the tempo.
While Lovecraft's content is the crux of his work, the content itself does require examination. Mental illness (or rather, "madness and insanity") tend to be the root of all his character's problems, and actively undermine true mental health disorders. Lovecraft's short stories tend to be told in the first person, and the characters are so generic that they are essentially all interchangeable; little to no character development is even sniffed at. Finally, Lovecraftian story-telling is a product of it's time; multiple instances of racism can be found throughout this volume (one of the protagonists even names his house cat a slur).
Lovecraftian horror elements persist to this day, and even influenced a Lovecraftian nightmare that I experienced, something no other piece of literature has been able to do up to this point. Lovecraft's writing style and horror contributions should be cherished, but do not result in an enjoyable reading experience for the average reader.
Undoubtedly, Lovecraft's skill and craft as an author cannot be understated, delivering beautifully articulated passages of description while establishing a pervasively haunting atmosphere. Written nearly 100 years ago, Lovecraft's works still influence popular culture today.
Unfortunately, Lovecraft's works remind me of perhaps my least favorite book of all-time, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Both works have beautiful prose and surprisingly contemporary tone and accessibility, but fall short in regards to content.
Again, to his credit, Lovecraft has crafted truly haunting creatures of eldrich horror, but the execution of the storytelling falters more often than not. Perhaps his most famous (or, at least, most recognized) work The Call Of Cthulhu is one of the most average, underwhelming short stories I have ever read. While his prose and descriptive writing should be praised, it often distracting, and noticeably slows down the tempo.
While Lovecraft's content is the crux of his work, the content itself does require examination. Mental illness (or rather, "madness and insanity") tend to be the root of all his character's problems, and actively undermine true mental health disorders. Lovecraft's short stories tend to be told in the first person, and the characters are so generic that they are essentially all interchangeable; little to no character development is even sniffed at. Finally, Lovecraftian story-telling is a product of it's time; multiple instances of racism can be found throughout this volume (one of the protagonists even names his house cat a slur).
Lovecraftian horror elements persist to this day, and even influenced a Lovecraftian nightmare that I experienced, something no other piece of literature has been able to do up to this point. Lovecraft's writing style and horror contributions should be cherished, but do not result in an enjoyable reading experience for the average reader.