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Great Tales of Horror
"H.P. Lovecraft: Great Tales of Horror" features twenty of horror master H.P. Lovecraft's classic stories, among them some of the greatest works of horror fiction ever written, including: "The Rats in the Walls," "Pickman's Model," "The Colour out of Space," "The Call of Cthulhu," "The Dunwich Horror," "The Shadow over Innsmouth," "At the Mountains of Madness," "The Shadow out of Time," and "The Haunter of the Dark."
600 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
693 people are currently reading
5549 people want to read
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,039 books19.2k followersHoward Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 201 reviews
August 3, 2022
A collection of Lovecraft’s greatest works of horror fiction ever written. Lovecraft is considered one of the greatest horror writers ever and with good reason. I read these stories before going to bed, which was a bad idea. This book definitely gave me a couple of sleepless nights.
September 2, 2020
Cthulhu thinks you are a dust mote.
I'm just kidding; Cthulhu doesn't think about you at all.
The joy of reading H.P. Lovecraft's fiction in one giant helping is the clear emergence of his mythology: namely, that from the perspective of the cosmos, the fleeting, cranky species known as homo sapien doesn't even register on the radar. Our mistake is not in believing in the existence in aliens, but believing that we are interesting enough to warrant abduction and extensive probing.
Lovecraft's fiction has a prescience that stems partially from his anticipation of nuclear panic and our evolutionary history, and also from his place as grandfather to modern horror. Stephen King and Wes Craven, bow down!
Now, if anyone can tell me where I can find a good copy of the Necronomicon? I'm in the mood for untold horrors beyond human conception.
I'm just kidding; Cthulhu doesn't think about you at all.
The joy of reading H.P. Lovecraft's fiction in one giant helping is the clear emergence of his mythology: namely, that from the perspective of the cosmos, the fleeting, cranky species known as homo sapien doesn't even register on the radar. Our mistake is not in believing in the existence in aliens, but believing that we are interesting enough to warrant abduction and extensive probing.
Lovecraft's fiction has a prescience that stems partially from his anticipation of nuclear panic and our evolutionary history, and also from his place as grandfather to modern horror. Stephen King and Wes Craven, bow down!
Now, if anyone can tell me where I can find a good copy of the Necronomicon? I'm in the mood for untold horrors beyond human conception.
October 6, 2019
Started 11-2016 and finished 10-2019
The Call of Cthulhu: 4* Brr..
The Colour out of Space: 5* I'm scared
The Lurking fear: 4,5* I'm still scared
The music of Erich Zann: 3*
Dagon: 3*
Pickman's model: 3,5*
The Dunwich horror: 4*
The statement of Randolph Carter: 2,5*
In the vault: 3,5* Oh, the irony.
Cool air: 3 *
The Thing on the Doorstep: 3 *
The Dreams in the Witch House: 4 *
The Shadow over Inssmouth: 4 *
At the mountains of Madness: 5*
Herbert West- Reanimator: 3*
The Rats in the Walls: 4*
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: 2.5 - 3*
The Whisperer in Darkness: 3*
The Haunter of the Dark: 4*
The Shadow Out of Time: 3.5*
The Call of Cthulhu: 4* Brr..
The Colour out of Space: 5* I'm scared
The Lurking fear: 4,5* I'm still scared
The music of Erich Zann: 3*
Dagon: 3*
Pickman's model: 3,5*
The Dunwich horror: 4*
The statement of Randolph Carter: 2,5*
In the vault: 3,5* Oh, the irony.
Cool air: 3 *
The Thing on the Doorstep: 3 *
The Dreams in the Witch House: 4 *
The Shadow over Inssmouth: 4 *
At the mountains of Madness: 5*
Herbert West- Reanimator: 3*
The Rats in the Walls: 4*
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: 2.5 - 3*
The Whisperer in Darkness: 3*
The Haunter of the Dark: 4*
The Shadow Out of Time: 3.5*
November 9, 2017
So I finally got the chance to finish this monster when hurricane Irma left me without power for a week. Nothing like sitting in the dark with a horror story while watching all your neighbors get power back!
Either way, I finished it and I really loved it! There are definitely times where his writing can seem a little slow, but the more I read the more I got used to his style and appreciated the story-telling. I've been finding myself excited to talk about these stories and recommending them to anyone who will listen, and even though I'm not usually a big fan of horror, I'm really glad I gave these a try!
Either way, I finished it and I really loved it! There are definitely times where his writing can seem a little slow, but the more I read the more I got used to his style and appreciated the story-telling. I've been finding myself excited to talk about these stories and recommending them to anyone who will listen, and even though I'm not usually a big fan of horror, I'm really glad I gave these a try!
July 1, 2020
H.P. Lovecraft has a particular way he likes to tell stories. A quaint way, I suppose. Rather than tell the story of an active hero who confronts his main conflict and either succeeds or fails in his efforts, he gives us second hand stories, with the action told out of order, and the conflict approached sideways.
The author puts most of the action offstage, seen by reflection rather than by natural light. The heart of the action either takes place long, long ago, or it takes place in a hidden way, behind closed doors, coming to light later. Most of the narration is rather like a police report, or a long diary entry explaining research that has taken years to collect. (Most of his stories are guilty of unnecessary detail and redundant action. I wondered again and again if it would have struck me in a different way 80 years ago, whether I would have relished what I often found dreary.) Rarely do his characters participate in the real story, with the major crisis occurring in real time; they usually are there to investigate what has already happened, to piece it together by hints and clues, more detective story than action story.
The result is that the truly horrific or amazing or terrifying actions are only partly seen, only partly revealed, a bit at a time. They are glimpsed, and guessed at, and hidden from or run from, but rarely experienced by the narrator directly. (Some stories, like "The Thing on the Doorstep," and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," feel more cinematic and more modern by having moments of true action, but they are the exception.) Sometimes ancient objects or alien relics are catalogued completely, blandly, scientifically, as in "At the Mountains of Madness," or "The Shadow out of Time," but at the same time with much fainting and upset all around, with key portions left out by the narrator because they are too terrifying to reveal.
Lovecraft's strategy is to make the strange and exotic remain somewhat veiled, only partly seen, protecting it from the sanitizing light of first person experience. He feared making his cosmic or supernatural creatures too familiar, robbing them of their impact. In the same way that movie monsters are more frightening before they are revealed, his horrors are usually kept away from our close scrutiny, with details hinted at but left unsaid.
80 and 90 years after they were written, after decades of science fiction and horror in books and movies dealing with similar themes, our reaction is doubtless much different from that of the original audience. For Lovecraft, the essence of horror is realizing the cold truth revealed by science, by Darwin and astronomers and archaeologists and physicists: that humans are not the only creatures in the universe, or even the original creatures of earth, and that our assumption that we were a special creation, one that is watched over by a loving creator, is nothing but a comforting myth. It is realizing that almost the entire history of life preceded our own, and we are not central to the story of the universe. We are, in fact, minor characters, or nearly invisible and inconsequential props, overshadowed by greater, wiser, more powerful, less comprehensible others.
Lovecraft's fiction uses scale to dethrone humanity, to reduce us to insignificance--galactic distances, deep time measure in eons, unfathomable intelligences without compassion or even sanity--awakening his reader to the notion that humans and human history are vanishingly small and unimportant and fragile and impermanent in a universe that doesn't need us and doesn't care whether we exist another instant. He takes us, thematically, into a terrifying, giant room off our house that we never knew existed. Then, as we are adjusting to this new reality, he shows us a door to a room off that one which dwarfs the first--and then hints at a terrifying door at the end of that room leading to something greater and more incomprehensible and soul-shattering than anything so far.
After that, disoriented, mind blown, he brings us back to small town America to emphasize how our secure and pleasant existence is an illusion. He feeds the fear that perhaps there are malevolent actors, titanic and remorseless, who would gladly squish us if we foolishly succeeded in getting their attention. Over and over in the stories, his characters are like Jack, too curious for their own good, tapping the giant on the shoulder, wondering what happens next.
Usually, the squishing comes next. Thematically speaking.
Lovecraft would very much like us to quit trying to wake the giant.
The author puts most of the action offstage, seen by reflection rather than by natural light. The heart of the action either takes place long, long ago, or it takes place in a hidden way, behind closed doors, coming to light later. Most of the narration is rather like a police report, or a long diary entry explaining research that has taken years to collect. (Most of his stories are guilty of unnecessary detail and redundant action. I wondered again and again if it would have struck me in a different way 80 years ago, whether I would have relished what I often found dreary.) Rarely do his characters participate in the real story, with the major crisis occurring in real time; they usually are there to investigate what has already happened, to piece it together by hints and clues, more detective story than action story.
The result is that the truly horrific or amazing or terrifying actions are only partly seen, only partly revealed, a bit at a time. They are glimpsed, and guessed at, and hidden from or run from, but rarely experienced by the narrator directly. (Some stories, like "The Thing on the Doorstep," and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," feel more cinematic and more modern by having moments of true action, but they are the exception.) Sometimes ancient objects or alien relics are catalogued completely, blandly, scientifically, as in "At the Mountains of Madness," or "The Shadow out of Time," but at the same time with much fainting and upset all around, with key portions left out by the narrator because they are too terrifying to reveal.
Lovecraft's strategy is to make the strange and exotic remain somewhat veiled, only partly seen, protecting it from the sanitizing light of first person experience. He feared making his cosmic or supernatural creatures too familiar, robbing them of their impact. In the same way that movie monsters are more frightening before they are revealed, his horrors are usually kept away from our close scrutiny, with details hinted at but left unsaid.
80 and 90 years after they were written, after decades of science fiction and horror in books and movies dealing with similar themes, our reaction is doubtless much different from that of the original audience. For Lovecraft, the essence of horror is realizing the cold truth revealed by science, by Darwin and astronomers and archaeologists and physicists: that humans are not the only creatures in the universe, or even the original creatures of earth, and that our assumption that we were a special creation, one that is watched over by a loving creator, is nothing but a comforting myth. It is realizing that almost the entire history of life preceded our own, and we are not central to the story of the universe. We are, in fact, minor characters, or nearly invisible and inconsequential props, overshadowed by greater, wiser, more powerful, less comprehensible others.
Lovecraft's fiction uses scale to dethrone humanity, to reduce us to insignificance--galactic distances, deep time measure in eons, unfathomable intelligences without compassion or even sanity--awakening his reader to the notion that humans and human history are vanishingly small and unimportant and fragile and impermanent in a universe that doesn't need us and doesn't care whether we exist another instant. He takes us, thematically, into a terrifying, giant room off our house that we never knew existed. Then, as we are adjusting to this new reality, he shows us a door to a room off that one which dwarfs the first--and then hints at a terrifying door at the end of that room leading to something greater and more incomprehensible and soul-shattering than anything so far.
After that, disoriented, mind blown, he brings us back to small town America to emphasize how our secure and pleasant existence is an illusion. He feeds the fear that perhaps there are malevolent actors, titanic and remorseless, who would gladly squish us if we foolishly succeeded in getting their attention. Over and over in the stories, his characters are like Jack, too curious for their own good, tapping the giant on the shoulder, wondering what happens next.
Usually, the squishing comes next. Thematically speaking.
Lovecraft would very much like us to quit trying to wake the giant.
May 27, 2013
This book collects all of the very best magnificent fiction of H. P. Lovecraft. Strangely, the constant complaint against the stories here at Goodreads is that they are all too similar, but this is absurd--none of these stories resemble each other. "The Colour out of Space" is as unique a tale as is "The Haunter of the Dark," with no similarities, except for excellence in the writing. Lovecraft's weird tales have depths that can never be completely plumbed, and thus one can return to his work again and again and always find new wonders. I've been reading him constantly since the early 1970's, and his stories never lose their richness, their eeriness, their beauty. Even the lesser tales, such as "The Hound" and "The Unnamable," have much to offer the reader. Lovecraft's approach to the weird is entirely his own, and he brilliantly blended supernatural aspects with the then new genre of science fiction. His imagination is ingenious, and he can be extremely scary. His main interest as an author was the creation of mood and atmosphere. People have condemned his lack of ability in portraying characters, but the people of his fiction serve as tools that have a precise function, and yet he makes them fascinating and unique. What a great book!!
April 26, 2022
It took me a while to finish this book ( 600 pages but with regular font more like 1200 LOL). I enjoyed the majority of these below short stories ( a few of them are quite long and are novellas).
You can definitely see the Universe that Lovecraft created with all the mythos intertwined in the stories and multiple character names and locations showing up ( much like King and his shared universe- well we know King loved Lovecraft).
The Call of Cthulhu: Classis story. probably one of the best out of the 20 here. Be aware if you know too much LOL. The Cult will know.
The Colour out of Space: AMAZING SCI FI Horror
The Lurking fear: decent
The music of Erich Zann: really dont remember this one so not one of the good ones LOL.
Dagon: pretty good
Pickman's model: Very fun
The Dunwich horror: another 5 star classic
The statement of Randolph Carter: I do not remember this one
In the vault: Very clever, and short.
Cool air: I enjoyed this one.
The Thing on the Doorstep: this was 4 out of 5.
The Dreams in the Witch House: One of my least favorites
The Shadow over Insmouth: ANother classic
At the mountains of Madness: Very good novella.
Herbert West- Reanimator: One of the ones I looked forward to reading ( bec of the movie) and it didnt disappoint.
The Rats in the Walls: EHH
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: I was reading Meddling Kids when I was also reading this LOL. Def a coincidence that worked out.
The Whisperer in Darkness: Loved the ending. clever too
The Haunter of the Dark: Not that good but short and entertaining. Church scenes were creepy
The Shadow Out of Time: one of the least favorites of mine
You can definitely see the Universe that Lovecraft created with all the mythos intertwined in the stories and multiple character names and locations showing up ( much like King and his shared universe- well we know King loved Lovecraft).
The Call of Cthulhu: Classis story. probably one of the best out of the 20 here. Be aware if you know too much LOL. The Cult will know.
The Colour out of Space: AMAZING SCI FI Horror
The Lurking fear: decent
The music of Erich Zann: really dont remember this one so not one of the good ones LOL.
Dagon: pretty good
Pickman's model: Very fun
The Dunwich horror: another 5 star classic
The statement of Randolph Carter: I do not remember this one
In the vault: Very clever, and short.
Cool air: I enjoyed this one.
The Thing on the Doorstep: this was 4 out of 5.
The Dreams in the Witch House: One of my least favorites
The Shadow over Insmouth: ANother classic
At the mountains of Madness: Very good novella.
Herbert West- Reanimator: One of the ones I looked forward to reading ( bec of the movie) and it didnt disappoint.
The Rats in the Walls: EHH
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: I was reading Meddling Kids when I was also reading this LOL. Def a coincidence that worked out.
The Whisperer in Darkness: Loved the ending. clever too
The Haunter of the Dark: Not that good but short and entertaining. Church scenes were creepy
The Shadow Out of Time: one of the least favorites of mine
August 9, 2022
Great collection! It has some short stories, like "Dagon," that you can read in a few minutes. Plus it has the action-packed novellas, like "The Dunwich Horror" and "Shadow Over Innsmouth." It even has "At the Mountains of Madness" which a lot of people think is Lovecraft's masterpiece. Highly recommneded!
Want to read
June 7, 2022o I finally got the chance to finish this monster when hurricane Irma left me without power for a week. Nothing like sitting in the dark with a horror story while watching all your neighbors get power back!
August 20, 2018
This was... a chore.
I can count on one hand the number of stories collected in here that actually stuck with me in any way; "The Colour Out of Space" and "The Lurking Fear" both managed to get under my skin (in a good way!), but there's something to be said about the fact that both were among the first three in the book. As I read further, the more tedious it became simply due to the fact that reading all of these stories back to back highlighted just how similar they all were.
I'd give some props to "At the Mountains of Madness" as well, but not without saying that it was definitely too long and dragged out, and that I was so jaded with Lovecraft's writing at this point that I just wanted to be done.
Nearly all of the short stories have the exact same story arc, just with different names and monsters. There were a couple that subverted the ending at least a little, but not enough to bring me back into it. On top of that, so many of the stories dragged on way past what they should have been (looking at you, Mountains of Madness) which, admittedly, probably had a lot to do with the serialized nature of how they were originally published. Add in the painfully blatant racism (a product of the time, sure, but no less nauseating) and I found myself clawing through pages just to finish the damn thing.
In all honesty, I probably would've been better off to just call it quits and pick up something different, but by the point I realized that, I was already too far in and too stubborn to give up.
I can count on one hand the number of stories collected in here that actually stuck with me in any way; "The Colour Out of Space" and "The Lurking Fear" both managed to get under my skin (in a good way!), but there's something to be said about the fact that both were among the first three in the book. As I read further, the more tedious it became simply due to the fact that reading all of these stories back to back highlighted just how similar they all were.
I'd give some props to "At the Mountains of Madness" as well, but not without saying that it was definitely too long and dragged out, and that I was so jaded with Lovecraft's writing at this point that I just wanted to be done.
Nearly all of the short stories have the exact same story arc, just with different names and monsters. There were a couple that subverted the ending at least a little, but not enough to bring me back into it. On top of that, so many of the stories dragged on way past what they should have been (looking at you, Mountains of Madness) which, admittedly, probably had a lot to do with the serialized nature of how they were originally published. Add in the painfully blatant racism (a product of the time, sure, but no less nauseating) and I found myself clawing through pages just to finish the damn thing.
In all honesty, I probably would've been better off to just call it quits and pick up something different, but by the point I realized that, I was already too far in and too stubborn to give up.
April 9, 2020
Exceptionally composed, the every factor is dialled you to a 10 in most efforts here, Lovecraft is just a sheer master and a joy to read - I devoured a story a day and loved just Baker every minute of it.
October 6, 2013
So much has been written about him, and I get that he redefined horror, adding several new mythologies. I don't feel the need to review this in depth.
I will only point out my specific opinion. My issue is that his writing style is florid and thick - not easy on the reader at all. He doesn't provide air, choosing a style with very little dialogue. Many sentences run on. He utilizes LOTS of passive sentences, with multiple dependent and independent clauses. I think he was trying to up the fear by writing in a claustrophobic style, but I got quickly tired reading it. It didn't "sail," and I noticed I was furrowing my brows and rereading sentences repeatedly.
I personally loved "The Lurking Fear" and think it would make a cool movie, if someone did it well. There were several others I liked. The Cthulu mythos - I think the only reason it's survived is because it was a relatively new and nihilistic type of horror. I like the ideas, but again, the style wore me out.
That's all I'll say. I'm sure that's enough to start an endless dialogue on why I'm wrong.
I will only point out my specific opinion. My issue is that his writing style is florid and thick - not easy on the reader at all. He doesn't provide air, choosing a style with very little dialogue. Many sentences run on. He utilizes LOTS of passive sentences, with multiple dependent and independent clauses. I think he was trying to up the fear by writing in a claustrophobic style, but I got quickly tired reading it. It didn't "sail," and I noticed I was furrowing my brows and rereading sentences repeatedly.
I personally loved "The Lurking Fear" and think it would make a cool movie, if someone did it well. There were several others I liked. The Cthulu mythos - I think the only reason it's survived is because it was a relatively new and nihilistic type of horror. I like the ideas, but again, the style wore me out.
That's all I'll say. I'm sure that's enough to start an endless dialogue on why I'm wrong.
October 2, 2021
There were some good stories, but I found most long-winded and kind of boring. Things were also frequently “too horrible to describe” when I would have liked descriptions.
March 24, 2019
I suspect that Lovecraft wrote sentences by filling a bulletin board with "spooky" adjectives and adverbs, blindfolding himself, and throwing darts at it.
The man writes sentences like a student who just discovered a thesaurus and wants to fill his assignment with as many big words as possible. He writes sentences like he's trying to be Edgar Allan Poe, but it is glaringly obvious Lovecraft lacks something Poe had in abundance: talent.
This was a chore to get through.
Reading one Lovecraft story was lackluster. Reading an entire collection was torture, and not just because the writing style is as unwieldy as a shopping cart with a wonky wheel. The stories are redundant--the same plot points are repeated, the same motifs, the same narrators with different names. By the end, the stories were so formulaic and predictable that I found myself zoning out and imagining what it would feel like to fistfight Lovecraft behind the Safeway.
The stories are also full of racism, for added spice. And before you tell me he was "a product of his time," allow me to paraphrase a post I saw regarding Lovecraft's racism: the man was so racist we have letters from other racists telling him to tone down the racism. His prejudices are glaringly obvious in his stories (see: Shadow Over Innsmouth as a not-so-subtle metaphor for the dangers of "racial mixing").
The reason I'm giving this two stars is because there were, admittedly, some really good ideas in here. If "The Mountains of Madness" had been about half as long and had about half as many adverbs, it would have been a good story. Lovecraft's ideas were important for the development of modern horror. As a fan of horror, I'm glad these stories exist, because other writers and directors have taken his ideas and executed them better.
If you are hellbent on reading some Lovecraft, "The Color Out of Space" and "The Dreams in the Witch House" were two of the more palatable stories. "Call of Cthulhu" was dull and did not live up to the hype. "The Shadow Out of Time" was a hell of an interesting concept, but it felt too damn long.
I finished this collection because I cannot bring myself to leave a book unfinished. If you are like me, spare yourself the suffering and use this book as kindling.
Anyway. I hope Lovecraft is reading this review from hell, and that it hurts his feelings. Peace.
The man writes sentences like a student who just discovered a thesaurus and wants to fill his assignment with as many big words as possible. He writes sentences like he's trying to be Edgar Allan Poe, but it is glaringly obvious Lovecraft lacks something Poe had in abundance: talent.
This was a chore to get through.
Reading one Lovecraft story was lackluster. Reading an entire collection was torture, and not just because the writing style is as unwieldy as a shopping cart with a wonky wheel. The stories are redundant--the same plot points are repeated, the same motifs, the same narrators with different names. By the end, the stories were so formulaic and predictable that I found myself zoning out and imagining what it would feel like to fistfight Lovecraft behind the Safeway.
The stories are also full of racism, for added spice. And before you tell me he was "a product of his time," allow me to paraphrase a post I saw regarding Lovecraft's racism: the man was so racist we have letters from other racists telling him to tone down the racism. His prejudices are glaringly obvious in his stories (see: Shadow Over Innsmouth as a not-so-subtle metaphor for the dangers of "racial mixing").
The reason I'm giving this two stars is because there were, admittedly, some really good ideas in here. If "The Mountains of Madness" had been about half as long and had about half as many adverbs, it would have been a good story. Lovecraft's ideas were important for the development of modern horror. As a fan of horror, I'm glad these stories exist, because other writers and directors have taken his ideas and executed them better.
If you are hellbent on reading some Lovecraft, "The Color Out of Space" and "The Dreams in the Witch House" were two of the more palatable stories. "Call of Cthulhu" was dull and did not live up to the hype. "The Shadow Out of Time" was a hell of an interesting concept, but it felt too damn long.
I finished this collection because I cannot bring myself to leave a book unfinished. If you are like me, spare yourself the suffering and use this book as kindling.
Anyway. I hope Lovecraft is reading this review from hell, and that it hurts his feelings. Peace.
Read
May 2, 2020This was my first time reading any of Lovecraft’s work. His style of writing is very descriptive, often in first person and he can take a while to get the point. Although the stories are slow at times and repetitive I found myself liking the style more the further I read. The stand outs for me were: The Music of Erich Zann, Cool Air, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, Herbert West - Reanimator and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
However there was blatant racism in the book especially with the use of slurs towards African Americans and naming a black cat after such a slur. It is certainly an important detail and something that needs to be pointed out.
However there was blatant racism in the book especially with the use of slurs towards African Americans and naming a black cat after such a slur. It is certainly an important detail and something that needs to be pointed out.
February 26, 2021
I am absolutel stunned how well these stories work after 100 years. Sure, some I didn't like (the whisperer in darkness), but most were stunning (shadows over innsmouth, rats in the walls, etc.)
December 30, 2015
If you don't know anything about Lovecraft and his stories, look it up on Wikipedia. I'm only going to tell you what I thought of the book.
As a collection of short stories (Some could be called Novellas), this runs a whole range of quality.
Creepy. Fun. Disturbing. Silly. Dated. Timeless.
First you are going to have to suspend your disbelief about what we know in modern science. Even taking into account the fantasy elements, there is a lot that is just plain wrong and can't be explained away. (*Example being "At the Mountains of Madness." The Antarctic is fully explored, there is no lost city or mountains taller then the Himalayas) Don't worry about it, just roll with it.
Second, it's your personal imagination that needs to run wild. These are short stories, simple, usually first person narration, and short. There's not a lot of room for lots of explaining. Let your imagination do some work.
Third. The language is a bit dated. Phraseology is different and can be somewhat confusing. This is from an age where class and race distinctions were very important, and it shows in his writing. Also Lovecraft was a racist. A really bad raciest. (by color, religion, nationality, etc.) It's all very true, but try and enjoy the writing, not the writer.
Horror is a supposed to be a strong word, and it's used a lot. Along with a pile of synonyms. However, almost 100 years later, we've already seen it all, right. The edginess is a bit worn off. Rather then Great Tails of Horror, "Great Tails of Super Weird and Creepy" might be a better title. But still "Super Weird and Creepy" can be very entertaining.
A few stories were a total bust, but mostly this was a good read. I read it on and off for over a year to keep from getting bored by the language.
"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," "Dreams in the Which House," and "The Dunwhich Horror," are my top stories. "Rats in the Walls," and "The Lurking Fear" being close runners up.
As a collection of short stories (Some could be called Novellas), this runs a whole range of quality.
Creepy. Fun. Disturbing. Silly. Dated. Timeless.
First you are going to have to suspend your disbelief about what we know in modern science. Even taking into account the fantasy elements, there is a lot that is just plain wrong and can't be explained away. (*Example being "At the Mountains of Madness." The Antarctic is fully explored, there is no lost city or mountains taller then the Himalayas) Don't worry about it, just roll with it.
Second, it's your personal imagination that needs to run wild. These are short stories, simple, usually first person narration, and short. There's not a lot of room for lots of explaining. Let your imagination do some work.
Third. The language is a bit dated. Phraseology is different and can be somewhat confusing. This is from an age where class and race distinctions were very important, and it shows in his writing. Also Lovecraft was a racist. A really bad raciest. (by color, religion, nationality, etc.) It's all very true, but try and enjoy the writing, not the writer.
Horror is a supposed to be a strong word, and it's used a lot. Along with a pile of synonyms. However, almost 100 years later, we've already seen it all, right. The edginess is a bit worn off. Rather then Great Tails of Horror, "Great Tails of Super Weird and Creepy" might be a better title. But still "Super Weird and Creepy" can be very entertaining.
A few stories were a total bust, but mostly this was a good read. I read it on and off for over a year to keep from getting bored by the language.
"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward," "Dreams in the Which House," and "The Dunwhich Horror," are my top stories. "Rats in the Walls," and "The Lurking Fear" being close runners up.
August 30, 2020
Here are the stories in this volume:
(*, Stories I count as among my favourites)
The Call of Cthulhu*
The Colour out of Space
The Lurking Fear*
The Music of Erich Zann*
Dagon
Pickman's Model
The Dunwich Horror
The Statement of Randolph Carter
In the Vault
Cool Air
The Thing on the Doorstep
The Dreams in the Witch House
The Shadow over Innsmouth*
At the Mountains of Madness*
Herbert West-Reanimator
The Rats in the Walls*
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Whisperer In Darkness
The Haunter of the Dark
The Shadow out of Time*
If anyone would like to get to know H.P Lovcraft, this is the book I would borrow/recommend them. I would also recommend them not to try and read it from cover to cover, cuase it might get a overwhelming,( part of the reason I have taken so long to finish it.)
The man was quite something in my opinion. If I had to review each and every story seperatly I am afraid that I would not do a very good task. Some stories are real good, some have boring, over elaborate parts, but in the end it all comes together in a way not many authors I know can acomplish. (Again, I do not know that many authors...)
Lovecraft was I believe quite far ahead of his time. I will be re-reaing some of these stories again in the future.The stories are not so much "Horror" for me , but more suspense tales. I say this because the way he wrote most of the time when faced with a certain "Horror" the person in the storie would eithet loose his mind or faint or refer to it as Utter MADNESS! (I also understand this was H.P's way to leave it to the reader to interpret their own conclusions towards it.)
It works on many occasions is all I am saying.
(*, Stories I count as among my favourites)
The Call of Cthulhu*
The Colour out of Space
The Lurking Fear*
The Music of Erich Zann*
Dagon
Pickman's Model
The Dunwich Horror
The Statement of Randolph Carter
In the Vault
Cool Air
The Thing on the Doorstep
The Dreams in the Witch House
The Shadow over Innsmouth*
At the Mountains of Madness*
Herbert West-Reanimator
The Rats in the Walls*
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Whisperer In Darkness
The Haunter of the Dark
The Shadow out of Time*
If anyone would like to get to know H.P Lovcraft, this is the book I would borrow/recommend them. I would also recommend them not to try and read it from cover to cover, cuase it might get a overwhelming,( part of the reason I have taken so long to finish it.)
The man was quite something in my opinion. If I had to review each and every story seperatly I am afraid that I would not do a very good task. Some stories are real good, some have boring, over elaborate parts, but in the end it all comes together in a way not many authors I know can acomplish. (Again, I do not know that many authors...)
Lovecraft was I believe quite far ahead of his time. I will be re-reaing some of these stories again in the future.The stories are not so much "Horror" for me , but more suspense tales. I say this because the way he wrote most of the time when faced with a certain "Horror" the person in the storie would eithet loose his mind or faint or refer to it as Utter MADNESS! (I also understand this was H.P's way to leave it to the reader to interpret their own conclusions towards it.)
It works on many occasions is all I am saying.
January 15, 2021
Wow.... what a journey I’ve been on with this tome. This was my first experience with lovecraft, or any sci-fi/horror fiction for that matter, so I knew it would be a great place to start. Reading multiple lovecraft stories back to back can get quite repetitive, with similar themes and story structures. His writing is so thick and heavy that I often read in 5-page chunks at a time before doing something else.
What stuck with me the most about Lovecraft was his use of natural scenery. Each story’s setting somehow VIVDLY stands out, even when you read multiple very similar stories. I took time to write down while reading-
“One characteristic of Lovecraft stories is the characterization of the setting of his stories. The earth as it is, is already a cosmically frightening place, no eldritch details are needed, and this sense of physical intimidation is palpable in most of his stories.”
Reading lovecraft reminds me what a dark, vast, and unknown universe I am a part of, and that was a fun and disturbing reminder to get.
What stuck with me the most about Lovecraft was his use of natural scenery. Each story’s setting somehow VIVDLY stands out, even when you read multiple very similar stories. I took time to write down while reading-
“One characteristic of Lovecraft stories is the characterization of the setting of his stories. The earth as it is, is already a cosmically frightening place, no eldritch details are needed, and this sense of physical intimidation is palpable in most of his stories.”
Reading lovecraft reminds me what a dark, vast, and unknown universe I am a part of, and that was a fun and disturbing reminder to get.
August 11, 2016
I started this hefty tome almost exactly eight months ago because I had been interested in reading Lovecraft for a long time and saw this book was only $9 at Barnes & Nobles... What an excellent purchase. I read a short story or two in between reading other books, and while Lovecraft's prose is dense sometimes, the imagination that he pours into these stories is absolutely stunning. Now that I've read some of his work, I can see how deeply his typography has influenced our culture. His idea that humans are insignificant specks in the universe otherwise populated by monstrous Elder Gods and hideous creatures (the mere sight of which can drive a human mad) has inspired authors, moviemakers, game creators, and much more. These stories cover the whole spectrum of fear, from merely spine-tingling to feverish, page-turning horror, and they're all incredibly original and unique. I highly recommend everybody read a story or two if they've never read H.P. Lovecraft... Cthulu is calling!
March 9, 2020
This collection of Lovecraft's stories is a good one for Lovecraft fans and those who are discovering or rediscovering Lovecraft. My favorite is Music of Erich Zann which is an eerie story about the supernatural power of music. My preference is the non-mythos stories like The Thing on the Doorstep (which is murder and magic) Cool Air, and In the Vault. Cosmic creatures and the Great Old Ones are what most Lovecraft fans love to gobble up. But I honestly think that the mythos Cthulhu stories have overshadowed Lovecraft as a writer. In his non-mythos stories you can dig into his richly atmospheric prose and let yourself by completely haunted by his darkness.
June 25, 2014
I have very little experience with Lovecraft, but I know what an influence his work has been on 20th Century Horror, and I have been more and more intrigued to explore his works. This volume has about 20 of his stories, and from the looks, they are the most famous ones. I am excited!
5/13 I am now 1/3rd of the way through this collection of stories. I hope to be done by the end of May, but I am not a fast reader, and Lovecraft doesn't really allow you to skim. That's one thing I am consistently noticing: he paints very detailed, precise pictures. Some think it's tiresome, while others think it's part of the desired experience. I was listening to an interview with a gentlemen who did a dissertation on Lovecraft on the Horror Etc. Podcast, and the word they use to describe his style is baroque. He even went so far as to suggest that, along with Lovecraft's preference for scholarly protagonists, his style shows how much he admired those who spent their lives studying dense, highly challenging subject matter. This is especially important in light Lovecraft's being unable to complete high school, due to his nervous condition. In essence, Lovecraft wrote as if he was writing for the ivy league, academic audience which he so much wanted to be a part of, but never could.
Once I got used to his rhythm, and started using the Kindle app on my phone to help with some of the language, I can say I've very much enjoyed the stories so far. Each piece seems to be part of the same world, and reading them all in close succession like this allows one to appreciate the rich tapestry of imaginative and horrific imagery Lovecraft was creating throughout his career. I enjoyed The Lurking Fear and The Thing on the Doorstep best so far. The latter story had quite a bit more pathos than what I had normally come to expect from him. I felt it was, somehow, more personal..even biographic. The Colour out of Space was an interesting and chilling tale, for sure, but I had trouble actually finding its antagonistic creature frightening. He had some very unique ideas of what an alien, predatory entity could be in a weird universe, and sometimes its hard to wrap your mind around just what he has created on page. The Dunwich Horror and The Dreams in the Witch House struck me as examples of classic, Cthulhu mythos tales, and along with Call of Cthulhu, I recommend them to anyone wanting to get an idea of just what the mythos is about.
A final editorial thought before I continue: this edition provides some background for each story, including the circumstances surrounding its publishing. Based on how shabbily his work was found by critics in his time, and yet how influential and important he has become, even since 10-20 years after his death, I think Lovecraft is a great example of why artistic criticism is useless. Literary criticism has its place, certainly, but is mostly useless in predicting future relevance and reception of an author's work.
Closing notes: So...I am finished. I took a long, steady journey into Lovecraft-land. I understand why people love him, and I also understand why some would find him tedious. I feel somewhat initiated into the Cthulhu mythos...almost like I just finished a class on cosmic horror. I think what I love most about Lovecraft is his fantastic imagination. I researched his works while reading through this behemoth volume, and found that, while certainly talented, he was rather rough as linguists go, and that is why literature buffs have been so hesitant to embrace him as a great literary mind. But I do believe he deserves the title, and I enjoyed his work very much. I also am ready for some easier reading for a while.
For anyone who cannot stand his writing style, if you love horror/scifi, I understand that there are some really good graphic adaptations of his works out there. Do check those out if you cannot enjoy his writing, as it's really his ideas and dreams/nightmares that make him relevant.
Some quick notes to any medium level readers, like myself, who want to delve into his work more, heed these tips: Allow his descriptions to paint you a picture and not get in the way of the plot. That is what, I believe, he meant to do.
2. Even if you have his work in print, "cheat", and read in kindle form if possible. I bought his complete works on Kindle for about $4, I took the stories with me to read everywhere and I utilized the word look-up feature heavily. Also, he writes in huge, block paragraphs, and the print of this edition was quite small, so being able to adjust the font helped me get through pages of descriptions.
3. The reason Lovecraft is important is the fantastically horrifying concepts which he developed for his stories. In a time where horror was strictly limited to the realm of werewolves, vampires, and ghosts, he created new and fantastic boogeymen, sometimes just in the form of an insane, alternate reality where nothing of what we know is true or as it seems. Indeed, we'd have no Stephen King's IT or The Thing without Lovecraft. If you read his stories in a collection like this, you can also appreciate the commonalities between them that set them in same, insane universe; a creation of the same scale as Tolkien's Middle-Earth (back off, Ring-nerds!).
And last, do some research on the man himself. I found him to be an interesting person, though flawed and even repulsive. If you do this, you find some pathos in his stories, elements connected to who he was as a person, making his writing, somehow, more human.
5/13 I am now 1/3rd of the way through this collection of stories. I hope to be done by the end of May, but I am not a fast reader, and Lovecraft doesn't really allow you to skim. That's one thing I am consistently noticing: he paints very detailed, precise pictures. Some think it's tiresome, while others think it's part of the desired experience. I was listening to an interview with a gentlemen who did a dissertation on Lovecraft on the Horror Etc. Podcast, and the word they use to describe his style is baroque. He even went so far as to suggest that, along with Lovecraft's preference for scholarly protagonists, his style shows how much he admired those who spent their lives studying dense, highly challenging subject matter. This is especially important in light Lovecraft's being unable to complete high school, due to his nervous condition. In essence, Lovecraft wrote as if he was writing for the ivy league, academic audience which he so much wanted to be a part of, but never could.
Once I got used to his rhythm, and started using the Kindle app on my phone to help with some of the language, I can say I've very much enjoyed the stories so far. Each piece seems to be part of the same world, and reading them all in close succession like this allows one to appreciate the rich tapestry of imaginative and horrific imagery Lovecraft was creating throughout his career. I enjoyed The Lurking Fear and The Thing on the Doorstep best so far. The latter story had quite a bit more pathos than what I had normally come to expect from him. I felt it was, somehow, more personal..even biographic. The Colour out of Space was an interesting and chilling tale, for sure, but I had trouble actually finding its antagonistic creature frightening. He had some very unique ideas of what an alien, predatory entity could be in a weird universe, and sometimes its hard to wrap your mind around just what he has created on page. The Dunwich Horror and The Dreams in the Witch House struck me as examples of classic, Cthulhu mythos tales, and along with Call of Cthulhu, I recommend them to anyone wanting to get an idea of just what the mythos is about.
A final editorial thought before I continue: this edition provides some background for each story, including the circumstances surrounding its publishing. Based on how shabbily his work was found by critics in his time, and yet how influential and important he has become, even since 10-20 years after his death, I think Lovecraft is a great example of why artistic criticism is useless. Literary criticism has its place, certainly, but is mostly useless in predicting future relevance and reception of an author's work.
Closing notes: So...I am finished. I took a long, steady journey into Lovecraft-land. I understand why people love him, and I also understand why some would find him tedious. I feel somewhat initiated into the Cthulhu mythos...almost like I just finished a class on cosmic horror. I think what I love most about Lovecraft is his fantastic imagination. I researched his works while reading through this behemoth volume, and found that, while certainly talented, he was rather rough as linguists go, and that is why literature buffs have been so hesitant to embrace him as a great literary mind. But I do believe he deserves the title, and I enjoyed his work very much. I also am ready for some easier reading for a while.
For anyone who cannot stand his writing style, if you love horror/scifi, I understand that there are some really good graphic adaptations of his works out there. Do check those out if you cannot enjoy his writing, as it's really his ideas and dreams/nightmares that make him relevant.
Some quick notes to any medium level readers, like myself, who want to delve into his work more, heed these tips: Allow his descriptions to paint you a picture and not get in the way of the plot. That is what, I believe, he meant to do.
2. Even if you have his work in print, "cheat", and read in kindle form if possible. I bought his complete works on Kindle for about $4, I took the stories with me to read everywhere and I utilized the word look-up feature heavily. Also, he writes in huge, block paragraphs, and the print of this edition was quite small, so being able to adjust the font helped me get through pages of descriptions.
3. The reason Lovecraft is important is the fantastically horrifying concepts which he developed for his stories. In a time where horror was strictly limited to the realm of werewolves, vampires, and ghosts, he created new and fantastic boogeymen, sometimes just in the form of an insane, alternate reality where nothing of what we know is true or as it seems. Indeed, we'd have no Stephen King's IT or The Thing without Lovecraft. If you read his stories in a collection like this, you can also appreciate the commonalities between them that set them in same, insane universe; a creation of the same scale as Tolkien's Middle-Earth (back off, Ring-nerds!).
And last, do some research on the man himself. I found him to be an interesting person, though flawed and even repulsive. If you do this, you find some pathos in his stories, elements connected to who he was as a person, making his writing, somehow, more human.
January 29, 2025
There were some stories I truly enjoyed, but sometimes my eyes hurt just reading parts that come off as dry. A friend of mine put it nicely, it really banks on the reader having an imagination
December 7, 2022
Whether it's busting my ass wading through relentless enemies in Bloodborne, freaking out in Amnesia or fawning over Necronomicon-inspired art from H.R Giger, Lovecraft has always been the pinpoint of most things I adore. That aside, I never properly read any of his works until now, and I must say I do feel a fool having waited so long.
As best I can understand this book seems to collect most of his most memorable and famous works, such as The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror and At the Mountains of Madness. Although I enjoyed all to a certain degree, I think it's safe to say that all stories have varying degrees of quality, albeit very high quality. Lovecraft weaves cosmic horror into a web of inconceivable atrocities, and it's amazing. Each story teems with existential dread and seemingly normal narratives that fall into horrific disarray; it's no wonder his pieces have continued to inspire and influence modern day media. The only thing I will say, however, is that his writing is at times extremely hard to actually be frightened or unnerved by. Often, with his use of archaisms or highly "abrupt" language, it tends to draw a veil over the reader and lessens the connection between the two, which kind of diminishes the fear impact. It's a shame but I don't think this can be blamed entirely on Lovecraft due to the time in which it was written, nor do I think it affects the enjoyment of reading his work. In fact, I hunger for another Lovecraftian book to devour. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
* marks favorite
The Call of Cthulhu: 5/5*
The Colour out of Space: 4/5*
The Lurking Fear: 4/5*
The Music of Erich Zann: 3/5
Dagon: 3/5
Pickman's Model: 4*
The Dunwich Horror: 4/5*
The Statement of Randolph Carter: 3/5
In The Vault: 4/5*
Cool Air: 3/5
The Thing on the Doorstep: 4/5*
The Dreams in the Witch House: 3/5
The Shadow over Innsmouth: 5/5*
At the Mountains of Madness: 4/5
Herbert West -- Reanimator: 5/5*
The Rats in the Walls: 5/5* God. This still haunts me.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: 2/5
The Whisperer in Darkness: 4/5
The Haunter of the Dark: 4/5
The Shadow out of Time: 3/5
As best I can understand this book seems to collect most of his most memorable and famous works, such as The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror and At the Mountains of Madness. Although I enjoyed all to a certain degree, I think it's safe to say that all stories have varying degrees of quality, albeit very high quality. Lovecraft weaves cosmic horror into a web of inconceivable atrocities, and it's amazing. Each story teems with existential dread and seemingly normal narratives that fall into horrific disarray; it's no wonder his pieces have continued to inspire and influence modern day media. The only thing I will say, however, is that his writing is at times extremely hard to actually be frightened or unnerved by. Often, with his use of archaisms or highly "abrupt" language, it tends to draw a veil over the reader and lessens the connection between the two, which kind of diminishes the fear impact. It's a shame but I don't think this can be blamed entirely on Lovecraft due to the time in which it was written, nor do I think it affects the enjoyment of reading his work. In fact, I hunger for another Lovecraftian book to devour. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
* marks favorite
The Call of Cthulhu: 5/5*
The Colour out of Space: 4/5*
The Lurking Fear: 4/5*
The Music of Erich Zann: 3/5
Dagon: 3/5
Pickman's Model: 4*
The Dunwich Horror: 4/5*
The Statement of Randolph Carter: 3/5
In The Vault: 4/5*
Cool Air: 3/5
The Thing on the Doorstep: 4/5*
The Dreams in the Witch House: 3/5
The Shadow over Innsmouth: 5/5*
At the Mountains of Madness: 4/5
Herbert West -- Reanimator: 5/5*
The Rats in the Walls: 5/5* God. This still haunts me.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward: 2/5
The Whisperer in Darkness: 4/5
The Haunter of the Dark: 4/5
The Shadow out of Time: 3/5
December 19, 2021
I rate it trash. This tome compiles 21 stories, each accompanied by a brief history of its publication, and upon completion I stand firm that none of you who claim to be Lovecraft fans have actually read a damn word. It’s just something cool or goth to portray. Anything resembling a decent story is buried under terrible conventions, laziness, and blatant racism. Most companies outright refused to publish him for lack of quality, many of these stories going to tabloids or being dug-up posthumously. His constant use of the “dear reader” type of first-person narrative gets old, quick, as does the extreme stretch by which he links even the most foreign of tales to his universe by mention of Arkham and/or Miskatonic University... and let me guess, the architecture of this new place will be labeled “cyclopean...” yep, there it is! But the latter are mostly sufferable complaints. I respect the 1920’s attempt at a horror universe, pre Wu-Tang or MCU. What I can’t suffer is the writer’s version of an artist’s mental block for drawing hands. His descriptions are either hidden (indescribably alien; too horrible to recount in detail; your mind couldn’t possibly comprehend the terror; the sight of which has been blacked from memory) or disgustingly overboard (3 large pages of small font used to provide precise three measurement volume dimensions of a tentacle on a tentacle on a tentacle on a tentacle on a star shaped head, plus the appendages on each and where exactly they fall on the color wheel. No eyes though). #readingrainbow #bigdumb #toomanyknuckles #yourewrong #okiknowtwopeoplewhoactuallyenjoylovecraft
October 26, 2015
Wow, talk about overrated. Each short story has the exact same carbon copy protagonist and always follows the exact same setup; It's very boring, to say the least. There were a couple of ok stories at least, such as The Thing On The Doorstep, which is why I'm giving this two stars instead of just one. But overall these stories were just plain boring and repetitive. Worst of all, these short stories were supposed to be, at the very least, creepy, but this just did not do it for me. I suppose I just don't find "big, scawy monstwers" to be at all frightening. I made it up to The Case of Charles Dexter Ward when I decided to put it aside.
May 26, 2014
If you have never traveled in the world of H.P. Lovecraft then you owe it to yourself to explore. At the very least travel to Arkham, Massachusetts and visit Miskatonic University's library to read the Necronomicon.
On a serious note, H.P. Lovecraft was gifted with the ability to paint vivid pictures and tell fanciful stories that truly ensnare the reader. While this collection is not an all encompassing one, it is a great way to dip one's toes into the dark waters that is H.P. Lovecraft's world.
On a serious note, H.P. Lovecraft was gifted with the ability to paint vivid pictures and tell fanciful stories that truly ensnare the reader. While this collection is not an all encompassing one, it is a great way to dip one's toes into the dark waters that is H.P. Lovecraft's world.
November 14, 2014
Darn! I thought I was going to really like this. The only trouble I've found is that the book is so difficult to follow sometimes as it was written almost a century ago. I love the stories but they are soooo confusing sometimes. Loved the Reanimator. My favorite by far. I would only reccomend it for someone who is really ready to lose some serious productivity.
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