A review by oddityoverseer
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
2.5
I really wanted to like this. I love the idea of cosmic horror... Unknowably large and mysterious beings that could crush us out of existence with barely a thought... That idea is terrifying!
Unfortunately, the writing style was hard for me to follow. There were many words I had to look up, and many phrasings that had me rereading sentences or even paragraphs to follow what happened. Hell, in the climax of the namesake story in this book, I MISSED a crucial part, because it was described so strangely. I only realized later when I read a review online!
That said, I know this is classic writing, and I know it inspired many later horror writers, so I have to give some credit there.
THAT said, I also learned Lovecraft was a very racist person, and it showed through in some of the stories.
I did not read all the stories here. I recommend not starting at the first one, but instead doing research about which ones people liked. Out of those I read, I'd say Rats In The Walls was probably my favorite.
Unfortunately, the writing style was hard for me to follow. There were many words I had to look up, and many phrasings that had me rereading sentences or even paragraphs to follow what happened. Hell, in the climax of the namesake story in this book, I MISSED a crucial part, because it was described so strangely. I only realized later when I read a review online!
That said, I know this is classic writing, and I know it inspired many later horror writers, so I have to give some credit there.
THAT said, I also learned Lovecraft was a very racist person, and it showed through in some of the stories.
I did not read all the stories here. I recommend not starting at the first one, but instead doing research about which ones people liked. Out of those I read, I'd say Rats In The Walls was probably my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Racism and Xenophobia