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H.P. Lovecraft: the Masterworks: Volume I
New from Passage Classics
The cosmic-horror visions of H.P. Lovecraft have haunted and thrilled readers for over a century. Crafting nightmares out of the far future and the distant past with a vividness all his own, Lovecraft's writing has inspired countless copycats but no true successors. H.P. The Masterworks combines the author's best works with new illustrations from acclaimed comic artist Alex Wisner.
The cosmic-horror visions of H.P. Lovecraft have haunted and thrilled readers for over a century. Crafting nightmares out of the far future and the distant past with a vividness all his own, Lovecraft's writing has inspired countless copycats but no true successors. H.P. The Masterworks combines the author's best works with new illustrations from acclaimed comic artist Alex Wisner.
Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2024
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About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,111 books19.3k 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 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 19, 2024
Every year around Halloween I feel compelled, by the spirit of the season, to read something spooky. This time I chose a volume of HP Lovecraft stories. Until now I didn't really "get" HP Lovecraft. Fish monsters and gigantic ancient ruins aren't *that* scary, though I get why this imagery has influenced a great many artists.
I think I understand now after reading this volume. The best stories in this collection (Pickman's Model, The Rats in the Walls, and Shadow over Innsmouth) are about generational evil. A choice made by an ancestor carries on as a curse "to the third or fourth generation." The intelligent and capable protagonists are not able to escape this curse through mere intelligence and capability, as they are deformed by their evil lineage. It is a rebuke to Nietzsche--what if the will alone is insufficient to triumph? If this is true (and Biblical corroboration suggests it is), I as a father, cannot pretend that my sins will die with me.
That will keep up me up at night. So, mission accomplished!
I think I understand now after reading this volume. The best stories in this collection (Pickman's Model, The Rats in the Walls, and Shadow over Innsmouth) are about generational evil. A choice made by an ancestor carries on as a curse "to the third or fourth generation." The intelligent and capable protagonists are not able to escape this curse through mere intelligence and capability, as they are deformed by their evil lineage. It is a rebuke to Nietzsche--what if the will alone is insufficient to triumph? If this is true (and Biblical corroboration suggests it is), I as a father, cannot pretend that my sins will die with me.
That will keep up me up at night. So, mission accomplished!
April 30, 2025
I really wanted to like it, but just not my genre.
Read
June 21, 2025the shadow over innsmouth was my favorite
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews