ravenmocker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mvatza57's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
Lovecraft will always be one of the best pulp horror writers. . . Ever. His writing has influenced so many writers into creating some of the most amazing stories, plus how much pop culture has embraced his creations. Lovecraft died thinking that he was a failure, but little did he know how powerful his worlds have touched fans decades after his works being published.
iam_griff's review against another edition
4.0
Lovecraft will always be one of the best pulp horror writers. . . Ever. His writing has influenced so many writers into creating some of the most amazing stories, plus how much pop culture has embraced his creations. Lovecraft died thinking that he was a failure, but little did he know how powerful his worlds have touched fans decades after his works being published.
hstapp's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a fun read. You may start out (and continue) laughing at Lovecraft's attempts at horror, especially his attempts to write Poe style stories. After reading for a while, however, you will be drawn into his interesting worlds of dark fiction. His prose is unnecessarily complex, and some stories will leave you scratching your head and wondering what happened, but for the most part he writes an interesting tale.
Though some of his stories are quite uninteresting, being forced into the realm of bad when combined with his writing style. None of his works reach the abysmal depths to which Poe, and many other authors reach.
The essay at the end is more a summary of authors Lovecraft believes to be of note in his own field, and reviews and summaries of certain of their books. This can be handy for people seeking Supernatural fiction, they have not already discovered, but is useless for anything else.
Though some of his stories are quite uninteresting, being forced into the realm of bad when combined with his writing style. None of his works reach the abysmal depths to which Poe, and many other authors reach.
The essay at the end is more a summary of authors Lovecraft believes to be of note in his own field, and reviews and summaries of certain of their books. This can be handy for people seeking Supernatural fiction, they have not already discovered, but is useless for anything else.
nels367's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
sarah_dietrich's review against another edition
4.0
Lovecraft is wicked fun! The quality of his work varies a bit, but overall this is a great read.
matosapa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
ashtardeza's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, if I was rating the work that Ruth at cthulhuchick.com has done in compiling this collection, I'd give it a full 5 stars. She did an excellent job creating the e-book.
I had some very good memories of reading Lovecraft, and most of the stories still hold up well. What I could not get over though was the blatant racism. I realize that it was written in a different time, but it left me unable to fully appreciate the stories.
It was great to finally read the full Cthulhu mythos in order and to see it develop. It was interesting to read the originals that have influenced so many writers after.
All in all this book left me with mixed feelings. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.
I had some very good memories of reading Lovecraft, and most of the stories still hold up well. What I could not get over though was the blatant racism. I realize that it was written in a different time, but it left me unable to fully appreciate the stories.
It was great to finally read the full Cthulhu mythos in order and to see it develop. It was interesting to read the originals that have influenced so many writers after.
All in all this book left me with mixed feelings. I'm glad I read it, but I don't think I'll ever read it again.