batsysk's review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.5
Lovecraftian story that lacked a bit of depth.
jarichan's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
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
3.0
adularia25's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed the The Dream Quest Of Unknown Kadath novella quite a bit - while rolling my eyes at the obvious racism and cultural appropriation bits (evil = black skin or turbans, overtones of white males are the best!, noble savages are close to the true gods, etc...). It's also interesting how no dreamers or denizens of the Dreamland are female. Even the animals mentioned are male. Aside from those obvious flaws, the imagery is great, the locations quite creative, and the cats are awesome! The writing itself is very poetical and you can definitely tell he was influenced by Dunsany. Most of the text describing the journeying from place to place is highly evocative - so as long as no characters are mentioned, you can easily imagine such a place existing in your dreams.
As for the rest of the tales included in the collection... none quite capture the tone of the first. Which is why this gets three stars and is not rated higher.
Of those tales, only two added something to the collection. Celephais fleshes out a minor character mentioned in Unknown Kadath, detailing his drug addiction and eventual retreat into the Dreamlands, away from the harshness of reality. And The White Ship builds more of the Dreamlands, taking you on a tour of places not mentioned in the Unknown Kadath. It should be noted that both of those tales are fairly short.
Which leaves the tales that I felt subtracted from the book.
The Silver Key fleshes out more about Randolph Carter (which frankly didn't need to be fleshed out) and it includes the first reference to womenfolk in the form of a house being owned by a witch - and the first female character with Randolph's aunt. However, it mostly seems like a rant by Lovecraft about how dreamers like him get no appreciation in the "real" world. Parts of the tale come off as sounding like a small man railing against a lifetime of underappreciation, claiming to be king in some forgotten kingdom which no one else has ever visited in order to get the respect he thinks he deserves. And that the real world strips away anything creative in a person, which only the idyllic past can restore. And where can that idyllic past be found? In dreams. It's a vicious cycle.
Through the Gates of the Silver Key is, in my opinion, the worst of this collection. While it weaves an interesting horror story, it is hard to get past the unsubtle message of "white males are awesome, yeah!" And then there are the racist depictions of other characters... though at least it has two major characters who aren't white. Though yes, they are still depicted poorly - but hey, one is smart and survives! No women appear in this tale either. This seems like a continuation of the rant Lovecraft started in The Silver Key taken to new extremes by coauthor E. Hoffmann Price. Dreamers are worthless? Hah reality! Jokes on you! Because only dreams are real! Which at least backfires horribly for Randolph. For Randolph suffers the worst of all fates:
The Strange High House in the Mist fleshes out the god Nodens a bit more (who appears in mention many times in Unknown Kadath) and we get an interesting look at another point of entry into the Dreamlands. This is another tale which has a rare reference to women! The main character has a dumply little wife. The wife is described in such as way as to have no imagination and a Christian faith. So, she pretty much stands for everything Randolph railed against in The Silver Key... which paints a very interesting look into what Lovecraft believed. But honestly, it makes a pretty weak ending to the collection.
As for the rest of the tales included in the collection... none quite capture the tone of the first. Which is why this gets three stars and is not rated higher.
Of those tales, only two added something to the collection. Celephais fleshes out a minor character mentioned in Unknown Kadath, detailing his drug addiction and eventual retreat into the Dreamlands, away from the harshness of reality. And The White Ship builds more of the Dreamlands, taking you on a tour of places not mentioned in the Unknown Kadath. It should be noted that both of those tales are fairly short.
Which leaves the tales that I felt subtracted from the book.
The Silver Key fleshes out more about Randolph Carter (which frankly didn't need to be fleshed out) and it includes the first reference to womenfolk in the form of a house being owned by a witch - and the first female character with Randolph's aunt. However, it mostly seems like a rant by Lovecraft about how dreamers like him get no appreciation in the "real" world. Parts of the tale come off as sounding like a small man railing against a lifetime of underappreciation, claiming to be king in some forgotten kingdom which no one else has ever visited in order to get the respect he thinks he deserves. And that the real world strips away anything creative in a person, which only the idyllic past can restore. And where can that idyllic past be found? In dreams. It's a vicious cycle.
Through the Gates of the Silver Key is, in my opinion, the worst of this collection. While it weaves an interesting horror story, it is hard to get past the unsubtle message of "white males are awesome, yeah!" And then there are the racist depictions of other characters... though at least it has two major characters who aren't white. Though yes, they are still depicted poorly - but hey, one is smart and survives! No women appear in this tale either. This seems like a continuation of the rant Lovecraft started in The Silver Key taken to new extremes by coauthor E. Hoffmann Price. Dreamers are worthless? Hah reality! Jokes on you! Because only dreams are real! Which at least backfires horribly for Randolph. For Randolph suffers the worst of all fates:
Spoiler
To be turned into a black alien! Oh no! He's no longer a white American! Or even human! Whatever will he do!The Strange High House in the Mist fleshes out the god Nodens a bit more (who appears in mention many times in Unknown Kadath) and we get an interesting look at another point of entry into the Dreamlands. This is another tale which has a rare reference to women! The main character has a dumply little wife. The wife is described in such as way as to have no imagination and a Christian faith. So, she pretty much stands for everything Randolph railed against in The Silver Key... which paints a very interesting look into what Lovecraft believed. But honestly, it makes a pretty weak ending to the collection.
calalo's review against another edition
4.0
Hay una razón para que está sea la última historia con la que cierro toda la narrativa de Lovecraft, el solo pensar en un su prosa grumosa forjando palabras a través del subconsciente onirico ya me daba desidia por adelantado. No obstante he terminado confundido por un completo caos placentero. En una tumba de Providence los ghouls se rien sin parar de mi, se burlan de mi expresión de asombro y mi poca fe en la misma Kaddath. Una travesía tan exigente como memorable a un metanivel, tanto en la aventura como en la experiencia para los ojos de un lector. Acaso la mejor representación del sueño que fatiga al despertar pero del que como Carter, el hombre espera visitar cada noche. "Miau".
emalda's review against another edition
2.0
The art was cool, the story tedious and pompous (and the guy was racist anyway).
deeoh's review against another edition
Too many made-up places and creatures that are only referenced in memory.
sinead_abernathy's review against another edition
4.0
Όσο ονειρική ήταν η Αναζήτηση, τόσο μαγευτική ήταν και η εμπειρία ανάγνωσης αυτού του βιβλίου. Κι ας το καθυστέρησα, άξιζε πολύ. Για κάθε του λεπτομέρεια, για την ονειρική του γλώσσα, τις περιγραφές και τον δομημένο του ονειρόκοσμο.
Κύριε Σκοτεινέ, μόνο εσύ ξέρεις πόσο σε αγαπάω για αυτό το δώρο.
Κύριε Σκοτεινέ, μόνο εσύ ξέρεις πόσο σε αγαπάω για αυτό το δώρο.
wuzzy246's review against another edition
mysterious
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
3.0
asinglebird's review against another edition
3.0
Somewhere between a chaotic DnD campaign and a friend telling you about a long winded dream they had