A review by bookishwendy
Tales of H. P. Lovecraft by Joyce Carol Oates
4.0
"On the barren shore, and on the lofty ice barrier in the background, myriads of grotesque penguins squawked and flapped their fins..." ~H. P. Lovecraft in At the Mountains of Madness
"Indeed, all that a wonder story can ever be is a vivid picture of a certain type of human mood. The moment it tries to be anything else it becomes cheap, puerile, and unconvincing." ~H. P. Lovecraft in "Notes on Writing Weird Fiction"
I don't consider myself much of a reader of horror or science fiction, but I do appreciate a good, slow-burning, atmospheric story that makes me question reality, sanity, and all of human existence...at least for a little while. At at the same time, I found myself enjoying this as "pulp" in the same way I might enjoy a monster movie out of the 50's (see the first quote above!). This particular Lovecraft story collection served as a perfect introduction to early 20th century "weird fiction", and I liked the way the stories lengthened, matured, and increased in complexity as I worked my way through. The first few stories are short, somewhat confusing and dreamlike. "The Shunned House" was the first story to feel--in that signature Lovecraft style--more or less grounded in reality, while the creepiness slowly accumulates like the fungi in a damp cellar. In At the Mountains of Madness I became fully immersed in the scientific minutiae of a 1930's antarctic expedition (it's like Into Thin Air with monsters, or maybe Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull done right). "Shadow Over Innsmouth" was the most gripping and fast-paced of all the stories complete with a thrilling chase scene. Of course, Lovecraft takes his time getting to the point, so I imagine that what some people will find intriguing (all the pseudo-science and cultish history) others will find dead dull.
Lovecraft's stories are are very internal and cerebral, and as such there is very little human emotion beyond horror and fear: by that I mean his characters seem to have little, if any, interest in human relationships. There are no love interests, the few families mentioned are horribly disturbed (as was Lovecraft's own), but there is a lot of Indiana-Jonsing about in dangerous subterranean abyssi (that's the correct HPL plural, right? :) However, the stories on their own terms are certain to provoke thought and doubt about the mere shadow of reality we humans are capable of perceiving.
"Indeed, all that a wonder story can ever be is a vivid picture of a certain type of human mood. The moment it tries to be anything else it becomes cheap, puerile, and unconvincing." ~H. P. Lovecraft in "Notes on Writing Weird Fiction"
I don't consider myself much of a reader of horror or science fiction, but I do appreciate a good, slow-burning, atmospheric story that makes me question reality, sanity, and all of human existence...at least for a little while. At at the same time, I found myself enjoying this as "pulp" in the same way I might enjoy a monster movie out of the 50's (see the first quote above!). This particular Lovecraft story collection served as a perfect introduction to early 20th century "weird fiction", and I liked the way the stories lengthened, matured, and increased in complexity as I worked my way through. The first few stories are short, somewhat confusing and dreamlike. "The Shunned House" was the first story to feel--in that signature Lovecraft style--more or less grounded in reality, while the creepiness slowly accumulates like the fungi in a damp cellar. In At the Mountains of Madness I became fully immersed in the scientific minutiae of a 1930's antarctic expedition (it's like Into Thin Air with monsters, or maybe Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull done right). "Shadow Over Innsmouth" was the most gripping and fast-paced of all the stories complete with a thrilling chase scene. Of course, Lovecraft takes his time getting to the point, so I imagine that what some people will find intriguing (all the pseudo-science and cultish history) others will find dead dull.
Lovecraft's stories are are very internal and cerebral, and as such there is very little human emotion beyond horror and fear: by that I mean his characters seem to have little, if any, interest in human relationships. There are no love interests, the few families mentioned are horribly disturbed (as was Lovecraft's own), but there is a lot of Indiana-Jonsing about in dangerous subterranean abyssi (that's the correct HPL plural, right? :) However, the stories on their own terms are certain to provoke thought and doubt about the mere shadow of reality we humans are capable of perceiving.