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A review by branomir
The Whisperer in Darkness: Collected Stories Volume 1 by Matthew J. Elliott, H.P. Lovecraft
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. :)