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The Zombie Stories of H. P. Lovecraft: Featuring Herbert West--Reanimator and More!
"A fantastic anthology by the true master of horror fiction. Highly recommended." — Book Nutter's Book Reviews
"This is an excellent collection of Lovecraft's 'zombie' stories, which serves both as a treat to old fans and a sampler to people who haven't read Lovecraft before. I would highly recommend this collection." — Of Stacks and Cups
Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, and other experts on horror fiction deem H. P. Lovecraft the master teller of weird tales. These six chilling stories ― all published between 1921 and 1933 ― offer compelling journeys into the land of the undead.
The collection begins with "The Outsider," the tale of a recluse whose overwhelming loneliness emboldens him to seek out human contact. Subsequent stories include "Herbert West―Reanimator," written as a satire of Frankenstein and used as the source for a popular horror film; "In the Vault," in which an undertaker experiences supernatural revenge; "Cool Air," an account of a doctor's fanatical obsession with defying death; and "Pickman's Model," focusing on an artist's gallery of nightmares. "The Thing on the Doorstep" concludes the compilation with the compelling tale of a man whose body is preyed upon by a spirit that refuses to die.
"Highly recommended. A great way to re-animate Lovecraft's standing as a master of the horror genre." —Looking for a Good Book
"A delightfully horrific collection of tales that will thrill any horror fan!" — A Universe in Words
"This is an excellent collection of Lovecraft's 'zombie' stories, which serves both as a treat to old fans and a sampler to people who haven't read Lovecraft before. I would highly recommend this collection." — Of Stacks and Cups
Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, and other experts on horror fiction deem H. P. Lovecraft the master teller of weird tales. These six chilling stories ― all published between 1921 and 1933 ― offer compelling journeys into the land of the undead.
The collection begins with "The Outsider," the tale of a recluse whose overwhelming loneliness emboldens him to seek out human contact. Subsequent stories include "Herbert West―Reanimator," written as a satire of Frankenstein and used as the source for a popular horror film; "In the Vault," in which an undertaker experiences supernatural revenge; "Cool Air," an account of a doctor's fanatical obsession with defying death; and "Pickman's Model," focusing on an artist's gallery of nightmares. "The Thing on the Doorstep" concludes the compilation with the compelling tale of a man whose body is preyed upon by a spirit that refuses to die.
"Highly recommended. A great way to re-animate Lovecraft's standing as a master of the horror genre." —Looking for a Good Book
"A delightfully horrific collection of tales that will thrill any horror fan!" — A Universe in Words
100 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2015
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,550 books19.7k 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 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 26, 2015
***** The Outsider
A re-read.
It doesn't get any more gothic than this!
Alone in a dreary dark castle, a young man has no memories of every being anywhere else, of ever seeing another human soul. He learns of the outside world from the castle's extensive libraries, and develops the desire to see the light. Thus, he embarks on a dangerous excursion to try to reach the exterior.
This story is a classic example of the paradox at the heart of Lovecraft's art and life: He was xenophobic well past what was considered average at the time, but yet he writes of horrors - "outsiders" - from an inside perspective, with remarkable sympathy.
*** Herbert West - Reanimator
Although presented here as one story, this is actually a series of six linked stories about the mad scientist, Dr. Herbert West. More than anything else by Lovecraft, these feel like true pulp fiction, written for pure shocking entertainment, with a dashed-off, distinctly "non-literary" feel. Originally published as a serial, the magazine that they were written for apparently (and unfortunately) demanded that Lovecraft 're-cap' previous events in each installment, which makes for repetitive, tedious reading when you're not waiting a month between segments.
Once the re-cap bits are dealt with, though, the story itself is great fun. It can be viewed as a parody of or an homage to Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' - but where Dr. Frankenstein was an earnest experimenter, Dr. West is a straight-up psychopath. Each segment tries to outdo the one before with gross and disturbing gory details. [One 'alert' - the third segment clearly reflects what can be most generously interpreted as the narrator's racism, in a way that's a different sort of unpleasant.]
I haven't seen the movie that was based on these stories. Someone told me, back when it was a recent release, that its cheesy schlockiness didn't do Lovecraft justice. But after reading the stories, I actually feel that a schlocky, campy adaptation is appropriate to the source material.
**** In The Vault:
A re-read (I've read this one more than once before).
An undertaker accidentally locks himself inside a tomb full of coffins awaiting burial. Although he's an unimaginative, workman-like sort - not one to be bothered by the proximity of corpses - after what transpires that night, he'll never be the same.
Objectively, this is an exceedingly well-crafted piece, but the 'big reveal' just doesn't bother me as much as it's clearly supposed to. It's predicated on an assumption of a religious belief in
**** Cool Air:
Forced by circumstances to take lodging in a cheap rooming house, the narrator is delighted to discover that one of his neighbors is a well-educated doctor - a man of 'quality,' even if he's a bit eccentric. The most obvious oddity is that he's a recluse, never leaving his rented rooms - and he keeps those rooms air-conditioned to a shockingly low temperature. However, it will eventually be revealed that there was a reason for his 'madness.'
**** Pickman's Model:
A re-read.
When someone speaks of an artist's model, the first thing that probably leaps to mind is an attractive woman. But when an artist specializes in painting the weird, the grotesque and the macabre, the feminine form is likely not what he's seeking out. When the artist in this story invites a fan to see his secret studio, in the depths of Boston's North end slums, what is revealed has implications for the whole city.
**** Thing on the Doorstep:
A re-read.
"It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer." Is that a great first line, or what?
A frightening tale of stolen identity and ancient, immortal horrors.
The narrator, Dan, was friends with Edward Derby since childhood. However, he saw Edward grow up into an unassertive, weak-willed man, who eventually merely transferred his dependence on his parents onto his new wife, Asenath... an Innsmouth woman with strangely protuberant eyes.
Of course we know that anyone from Innsmouth is bound to be bad news, but in this case, the horror runs even deeper than one might guess.
This story is full of all of the favorite Lovecraftian motifs... and would be nearly perfect, except for the fact that the narrative depends on the aggravating plot point that And that concept is more than a bit unacceptable to me. It's a shame, because this story is near-perfect in ever other respect. (Full disclosure: there are New England Asenaths in my family tree - don't dis them!) ;-)
Although Lovecraft's work is all available in many locations, it's nice to have a small collection come out to revisit some stories and encourage me to read a few that I've previously overlooked.
Many thanks to Dover and NetGalley for this copy of the book. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
A re-read.
It doesn't get any more gothic than this!
Alone in a dreary dark castle, a young man has no memories of every being anywhere else, of ever seeing another human soul. He learns of the outside world from the castle's extensive libraries, and develops the desire to see the light. Thus, he embarks on a dangerous excursion to try to reach the exterior.
This story is a classic example of the paradox at the heart of Lovecraft's art and life: He was xenophobic well past what was considered average at the time, but yet he writes of horrors - "outsiders" - from an inside perspective, with remarkable sympathy.
*** Herbert West - Reanimator
Although presented here as one story, this is actually a series of six linked stories about the mad scientist, Dr. Herbert West. More than anything else by Lovecraft, these feel like true pulp fiction, written for pure shocking entertainment, with a dashed-off, distinctly "non-literary" feel. Originally published as a serial, the magazine that they were written for apparently (and unfortunately) demanded that Lovecraft 're-cap' previous events in each installment, which makes for repetitive, tedious reading when you're not waiting a month between segments.
Once the re-cap bits are dealt with, though, the story itself is great fun. It can be viewed as a parody of or an homage to Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' - but where Dr. Frankenstein was an earnest experimenter, Dr. West is a straight-up psychopath. Each segment tries to outdo the one before with gross and disturbing gory details. [One 'alert' - the third segment clearly reflects what can be most generously interpreted as the narrator's racism, in a way that's a different sort of unpleasant.]
I haven't seen the movie that was based on these stories. Someone told me, back when it was a recent release, that its cheesy schlockiness didn't do Lovecraft justice. But after reading the stories, I actually feel that a schlocky, campy adaptation is appropriate to the source material.
**** In The Vault:
A re-read (I've read this one more than once before).
An undertaker accidentally locks himself inside a tomb full of coffins awaiting burial. Although he's an unimaginative, workman-like sort - not one to be bothered by the proximity of corpses - after what transpires that night, he'll never be the same.
Objectively, this is an exceedingly well-crafted piece, but the 'big reveal' just doesn't bother me as much as it's clearly supposed to. It's predicated on an assumption of a religious belief in
**** Cool Air:
Forced by circumstances to take lodging in a cheap rooming house, the narrator is delighted to discover that one of his neighbors is a well-educated doctor - a man of 'quality,' even if he's a bit eccentric. The most obvious oddity is that he's a recluse, never leaving his rented rooms - and he keeps those rooms air-conditioned to a shockingly low temperature. However, it will eventually be revealed that there was a reason for his 'madness.'
**** Pickman's Model:
A re-read.
When someone speaks of an artist's model, the first thing that probably leaps to mind is an attractive woman. But when an artist specializes in painting the weird, the grotesque and the macabre, the feminine form is likely not what he's seeking out. When the artist in this story invites a fan to see his secret studio, in the depths of Boston's North end slums, what is revealed has implications for the whole city.
**** Thing on the Doorstep:
A re-read.
"It is true that I have sent six bullets through the head of my best friend, and yet I hope to show by this statement that I am not his murderer." Is that a great first line, or what?
A frightening tale of stolen identity and ancient, immortal horrors.
The narrator, Dan, was friends with Edward Derby since childhood. However, he saw Edward grow up into an unassertive, weak-willed man, who eventually merely transferred his dependence on his parents onto his new wife, Asenath... an Innsmouth woman with strangely protuberant eyes.
Of course we know that anyone from Innsmouth is bound to be bad news, but in this case, the horror runs even deeper than one might guess.
This story is full of all of the favorite Lovecraftian motifs... and would be nearly perfect, except for the fact that the narrative depends on the aggravating plot point that And that concept is more than a bit unacceptable to me. It's a shame, because this story is near-perfect in ever other respect. (Full disclosure: there are New England Asenaths in my family tree - don't dis them!) ;-)
Although Lovecraft's work is all available in many locations, it's nice to have a small collection come out to revisit some stories and encourage me to read a few that I've previously overlooked.
Many thanks to Dover and NetGalley for this copy of the book. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
September 21, 2015
I have to admit that I am no stranger to Lovecraft's stories, having read just about everything by him that I could. This collection of his "zombie" stories are not about the typical zombies you read about so often today. Rather, these are Lovecraft's own versions of "zombies"; creatures brought back from death's door (in some cases), or merely "reanimated" for a time, as in others.
In re-reading each of these stories, I experienced that same "chilled to the bone" sensation as when I read them initially. Some of the more popular titles, "Herbert West, Reanimator", and Pickman's Model certainly attest to the longevity of Lovecraft's words. These tales are no less harrowing and all-encompassing no matter how many times one reads them.
Some of my personal favorites: "In the Vault", and "The Thing on the Doorstep" were also included in this collection. "In the Vault" was one that I was always particularly entranced with, as I always felt that it had a most satisfying conclusion....
The last two titles included here were "The Outsider", and "Cool Air". Each of these stories captivates the reader's attention from the very beginning, but neither reveal their true, stark terror until the very end.
Overall, an exceptional collection of works that belongs upon the shelves of any Lovecraft enthusiast!
Highly recommended!
*I received an e-copy of this title from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
In re-reading each of these stories, I experienced that same "chilled to the bone" sensation as when I read them initially. Some of the more popular titles, "Herbert West, Reanimator", and Pickman's Model certainly attest to the longevity of Lovecraft's words. These tales are no less harrowing and all-encompassing no matter how many times one reads them.
Some of my personal favorites: "In the Vault", and "The Thing on the Doorstep" were also included in this collection. "In the Vault" was one that I was always particularly entranced with, as I always felt that it had a most satisfying conclusion....
The last two titles included here were "The Outsider", and "Cool Air". Each of these stories captivates the reader's attention from the very beginning, but neither reveal their true, stark terror until the very end.
Overall, an exceptional collection of works that belongs upon the shelves of any Lovecraft enthusiast!
Highly recommended!
*I received an e-copy of this title from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
November 24, 2021
The Outsider - 5/5
This was a hidden gem that I wasn’t expecting to be as good as it was. A very short story that somehow captures the same level of dread and gothic atmosphere of works like The Curse of Yig and the Diary of Alonzo Typer in a just a few pages. The gothic aesthetic is very reminiscent to E.F. Benson’s The Room in the Tower and Poe’s House of Usher (only in terms of setting not story.)
***
Herbert West-Reanimator - 3/5
Has all the essential elements of a good Hammer Film Productions piece. It’s gritty and gross, cheesy yet fun and verbose. Feels like a skeletal frame of Frankenstein, just not nearly as long and emotionally complex. Frankenstein is the better book in my opinion, but I gotta give Lovecraft credit for whipping up something that’s pretty damn morbid.
***
In the Vault - 3/5
When you refuse to pay respects to the dead, the dead might just decide to mess with your head. More lighthearted and moralistic than most of Lovecraft’s works and even has a subtle tone of comedy in its delivery. It seems more like something Poe would write.
***
Cool Air - 4/5
Afraid of death? No worries, just freeze yourself and gain immortality through artificial preservation. One of Lovecraft’s more down-to-earth tales that relies on traditional horror themes instead of his more dream-like and alien works.
***
Pickman’s Model - 5/5
One of my all time favorites by Lovecraft. Pickman has quite the fetish for horrifying, macabre monstrosities that would give most people severe trauma and spends a large portion of his time bringing these abominations to life in the form of art. Is it really just art though? Not quite.
Pickman is a demented sicko that actually uses cannibal feasts, horrible monsters, cultists sacrificing people, people eating the dead and all kinds of other twisted scenes as his personal models which explains his ridiculous talent for making his art so grimly realistic. Not going to lie though, I would like to meet this guy. He has quite an imagination. The imagery in this story is incredibly demented and fascinating.
***
The Thing on the Doorstep 5/5
Wow, that was quite the mind-blowing trip. It starts off with the narrator claiming that he visited his best friend in an asylum and put six bullets in his head, immediately following up with the statement that he’s not a murderer. It doesn’t take long for the readers to figure out that there’s something horribly wrong here.
The narrator’s best friend was a relatively down-to-earth chap until he met his wife from Innsmouth (a very bad place if you’ve read The Shadow over Innsmouth) and begins to develop a taste for the dark arts. He gets his hands on the Necronomicon and his wife leads him down a very dark path which leads to possession, soul switching, demon summoning and all kinds of other wacky supernatural events.
It turns out that the person in the asylum that the narrator killed wasn’t really his friend, but a monster using his body in hopes of bringing calamity to the world. The narrator is left with quite a few mental scars, but he potentially saved the world at the end of the day. A trippy and fascinating horror tale.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
This was a hidden gem that I wasn’t expecting to be as good as it was. A very short story that somehow captures the same level of dread and gothic atmosphere of works like The Curse of Yig and the Diary of Alonzo Typer in a just a few pages. The gothic aesthetic is very reminiscent to E.F. Benson’s The Room in the Tower and Poe’s House of Usher (only in terms of setting not story.)
***
Herbert West-Reanimator - 3/5
Has all the essential elements of a good Hammer Film Productions piece. It’s gritty and gross, cheesy yet fun and verbose. Feels like a skeletal frame of Frankenstein, just not nearly as long and emotionally complex. Frankenstein is the better book in my opinion, but I gotta give Lovecraft credit for whipping up something that’s pretty damn morbid.
***
In the Vault - 3/5
When you refuse to pay respects to the dead, the dead might just decide to mess with your head. More lighthearted and moralistic than most of Lovecraft’s works and even has a subtle tone of comedy in its delivery. It seems more like something Poe would write.
***
Cool Air - 4/5
Afraid of death? No worries, just freeze yourself and gain immortality through artificial preservation. One of Lovecraft’s more down-to-earth tales that relies on traditional horror themes instead of his more dream-like and alien works.
***
Pickman’s Model - 5/5
One of my all time favorites by Lovecraft. Pickman has quite the fetish for horrifying, macabre monstrosities that would give most people severe trauma and spends a large portion of his time bringing these abominations to life in the form of art. Is it really just art though? Not quite.
Pickman is a demented sicko that actually uses cannibal feasts, horrible monsters, cultists sacrificing people, people eating the dead and all kinds of other twisted scenes as his personal models which explains his ridiculous talent for making his art so grimly realistic. Not going to lie though, I would like to meet this guy. He has quite an imagination. The imagery in this story is incredibly demented and fascinating.
***
The Thing on the Doorstep 5/5
Wow, that was quite the mind-blowing trip. It starts off with the narrator claiming that he visited his best friend in an asylum and put six bullets in his head, immediately following up with the statement that he’s not a murderer. It doesn’t take long for the readers to figure out that there’s something horribly wrong here.
The narrator’s best friend was a relatively down-to-earth chap until he met his wife from Innsmouth (a very bad place if you’ve read The Shadow over Innsmouth) and begins to develop a taste for the dark arts. He gets his hands on the Necronomicon and his wife leads him down a very dark path which leads to possession, soul switching, demon summoning and all kinds of other wacky supernatural events.
It turns out that the person in the asylum that the narrator killed wasn’t really his friend, but a monster using his body in hopes of bringing calamity to the world. The narrator is left with quite a few mental scars, but he potentially saved the world at the end of the day. A trippy and fascinating horror tale.
***
If you're looking for some dark ambient music for reading horror, dark fantasy and other books like this one, then be sure to check out my YouTube Channel called Nightmarish Compositions: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPs...
September 22, 2015
Loathsome, blasphemous, hellish creatures galore!
What better to start the autumn horror season than an entire collection, stuffed full of HP Lovecraft's overblown language and trademark use of four adjectives whenever one would do – a truly hideous, bloated, blasphemous, loathsome collection of tales from beyond the tomb.
There are five individual stories in the book, plus the Herbert West – Reanimator series, which is made up of six linked episodes. The 'zombie' reference in the title is a bit of a cheat – only the Herbert West stories contain what we might think of today as zombies, and I suspect were probably influential on the development of the zombie genre, but Lovecraft himself doesn't use the word. Most of the rest do have a connection to people returning from the dead in one way or another, but in one or two of them the link is tenuous indeed.
All bar the last story were written between 1921-26, Lovecraft's early period before he developed the themes and style of his best known Cthulhu Mythos stories. There are some mentions of things, however, such as Arkham and the library at Miskatonic University, that he would go on to develop and use in the later stories. Even at this early stage in his career Lovecraft had developed his love for overblown language, though not yet (thankfully) his penchant for ridiculously overlong descriptions of ancient alien buildings. The final story, The Thing on the Doorstep, was written in 1933 and is much more in the Cthulhu style – as a result it is by far the longest story in the book, though still reasonably tightly focused in comparison to some of his other work.
The included stories are:
The Outsider (1921) – a rather good story of a boy who grows up locked away in a castle deep within a forest. One day he ascends the black tower and after much peril finds himself in the world of men – but there is also a hideous, blasphemous creature here and a nice, if somewhat predictable, twist ending. (On that point, I always feel a little reluctant to use the word predictable with these early, influential writers, because I suspect they're only predictable now because so many people have subsequently recycled what were probably original plots at the time.)
Herbert West – Reanimator (1921-22) – This starts off brilliantly with a horrifying tale of a medical student obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Each episode is told by his fellow student (unnamed) who starts out as a willing assistant but gradually becomes more appalled at West's experiments and ends up fearing for his own life. The stories get darker and more gruesome as they go on – these are horror in the true sense of the word and very imaginative. Each story stands alone but there is also a strand that runs through them all, and the horrific ending is chillingly foreshadowed throughout. Unfortunately the series was spoiled for me by one episode in which Lovecraft uses some really vile dehumanising language about a black character. I try hard not to let contemporary attitudes get in the way when reading books of an earlier period, but that's sometimes harder than others. It's generally accepted, I think, that Lovecraft was particularly racist, more even than different times can account for, but this is the first of his stories that I've read where it has been quite so blatantly and disgustingly expressed. A pity – otherwise the series is excellent and spine-chillingly horrific.
In the Vault (1925) – Another lovely bit of horror, although I admit this one made me laugh rather than shiver. A lazy undertaker becomes trapped in a vault with the coffins containing several of his customers. A cautionary tale to remind us all that we should do our jobs properly – angry customers can make their complaints in many ways...
Cool Air (1926) – Again good! A mysterious doctor lives in rooms in a boarding house, where he has installed a refrigeration system to keep the temperature unusually low. It's fairly easy to work out what's going on in this one, but it doesn't matter – the writing keeps it creepily horrible anyway. And when the refrigeration system breaks down and the temperature rises – ooh! Let's put it this way – you may want to be sure you have an emergency ice-lolly on stand-by when reading this one...
Pickman's Model (1926) – the only one I thought was really quite poor. A painter paints weird and horrible pictures that terrify everyone who sees them. I found the twist in this one was not only obvious but weak, and it had the Lovecraftian fault of going on and on with repetitive descriptions for far too long.
The Thing on the Doorstep (1933) – a story of Arkham and the hideous fish people of Innsmouth. The most traditionally Lovecraftian of the stories, and a very good one to end on. A man who has been over-protected all his life falls for a beautiful but strange girl from Innsmouth, and against the advice of his friends and family marries her. But soon it seems that she has some kind of evil control over him, and his sanity, perhaps his very life, is at risk. Again I think the reader knows what's going on here long before the participants do, but it's very well written and has some genuinely disturbing images, particularly towards the end.
Now that I've read a reasonable amount of Lovecraft I think I can say I actually prefer his earlier stuff, before he developed his rambling style and before he got so heavily into the whole Cthulhu, ancient alien business. If you can overlook the racist language in Herbert West, then this is a very good collection, which should tingle your spine quite pleasantly...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Dover Publications.
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What better to start the autumn horror season than an entire collection, stuffed full of HP Lovecraft's overblown language and trademark use of four adjectives whenever one would do – a truly hideous, bloated, blasphemous, loathsome collection of tales from beyond the tomb.
There are five individual stories in the book, plus the Herbert West – Reanimator series, which is made up of six linked episodes. The 'zombie' reference in the title is a bit of a cheat – only the Herbert West stories contain what we might think of today as zombies, and I suspect were probably influential on the development of the zombie genre, but Lovecraft himself doesn't use the word. Most of the rest do have a connection to people returning from the dead in one way or another, but in one or two of them the link is tenuous indeed.
All bar the last story were written between 1921-26, Lovecraft's early period before he developed the themes and style of his best known Cthulhu Mythos stories. There are some mentions of things, however, such as Arkham and the library at Miskatonic University, that he would go on to develop and use in the later stories. Even at this early stage in his career Lovecraft had developed his love for overblown language, though not yet (thankfully) his penchant for ridiculously overlong descriptions of ancient alien buildings. The final story, The Thing on the Doorstep, was written in 1933 and is much more in the Cthulhu style – as a result it is by far the longest story in the book, though still reasonably tightly focused in comparison to some of his other work.
The included stories are:
The Outsider (1921) – a rather good story of a boy who grows up locked away in a castle deep within a forest. One day he ascends the black tower and after much peril finds himself in the world of men – but there is also a hideous, blasphemous creature here and a nice, if somewhat predictable, twist ending. (On that point, I always feel a little reluctant to use the word predictable with these early, influential writers, because I suspect they're only predictable now because so many people have subsequently recycled what were probably original plots at the time.)
Herbert West – Reanimator (1921-22) – This starts off brilliantly with a horrifying tale of a medical student obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. Each episode is told by his fellow student (unnamed) who starts out as a willing assistant but gradually becomes more appalled at West's experiments and ends up fearing for his own life. The stories get darker and more gruesome as they go on – these are horror in the true sense of the word and very imaginative. Each story stands alone but there is also a strand that runs through them all, and the horrific ending is chillingly foreshadowed throughout. Unfortunately the series was spoiled for me by one episode in which Lovecraft uses some really vile dehumanising language about a black character. I try hard not to let contemporary attitudes get in the way when reading books of an earlier period, but that's sometimes harder than others. It's generally accepted, I think, that Lovecraft was particularly racist, more even than different times can account for, but this is the first of his stories that I've read where it has been quite so blatantly and disgustingly expressed. A pity – otherwise the series is excellent and spine-chillingly horrific.
In the Vault (1925) – Another lovely bit of horror, although I admit this one made me laugh rather than shiver. A lazy undertaker becomes trapped in a vault with the coffins containing several of his customers. A cautionary tale to remind us all that we should do our jobs properly – angry customers can make their complaints in many ways...
Cool Air (1926) – Again good! A mysterious doctor lives in rooms in a boarding house, where he has installed a refrigeration system to keep the temperature unusually low. It's fairly easy to work out what's going on in this one, but it doesn't matter – the writing keeps it creepily horrible anyway. And when the refrigeration system breaks down and the temperature rises – ooh! Let's put it this way – you may want to be sure you have an emergency ice-lolly on stand-by when reading this one...
Pickman's Model (1926) – the only one I thought was really quite poor. A painter paints weird and horrible pictures that terrify everyone who sees them. I found the twist in this one was not only obvious but weak, and it had the Lovecraftian fault of going on and on with repetitive descriptions for far too long.
The Thing on the Doorstep (1933) – a story of Arkham and the hideous fish people of Innsmouth. The most traditionally Lovecraftian of the stories, and a very good one to end on. A man who has been over-protected all his life falls for a beautiful but strange girl from Innsmouth, and against the advice of his friends and family marries her. But soon it seems that she has some kind of evil control over him, and his sanity, perhaps his very life, is at risk. Again I think the reader knows what's going on here long before the participants do, but it's very well written and has some genuinely disturbing images, particularly towards the end.
Now that I've read a reasonable amount of Lovecraft I think I can say I actually prefer his earlier stuff, before he developed his rambling style and before he got so heavily into the whole Cthulhu, ancient alien business. If you can overlook the racist language in Herbert West, then this is a very good collection, which should tingle your spine quite pleasantly...
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Dover Publications.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
September 13, 2015
This is an excellent anthology, ideal for someone new to H.P.Lovecraft or for an established fan. It includes some of his "zombie" stories. The word zombie is used fairly loosely, as it's not necessarily the traditional zombie we're used to a lá The Walking Dead, but does deal with the theme of rising from the grave.
The six stories included are:
The Outsider: A gothic fiction story of an imprisoned man, who attempts to search for human contact after becoming desperate with loneliness.
Herbert West - Reanimator: A doctor and his assistant attempt to discover what happens after death, and whether it is possible to bring the dead back to life. If you're a fan of horror movies - you may recognize the plot from the 1985 horror movie "Re-Animator".
In The Vault: An undertaker is trapped in the vault where coffins are stored, and must try to find a way to escape.
Cool Air: A strange narrator tells a story of his meeting with a doctor who is obsessed with defying death.
Pickman's Model: A story that explores the horror behind a painter's extremely graphic creations.
The Thing on the Doorstep: A macabre story of either the supernatural, or insanity.
If you enjoy classic horror then this is an anthology for you. Although I'd read several of the stories before, I felt they were presented well here and would be a good read for any fans of H.P. Lovecraft, classic horror, or just a creepy story. Very atmospheric.
My thanks go to Dover Publications and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of this title.
The six stories included are:
The Outsider: A gothic fiction story of an imprisoned man, who attempts to search for human contact after becoming desperate with loneliness.
Herbert West - Reanimator: A doctor and his assistant attempt to discover what happens after death, and whether it is possible to bring the dead back to life. If you're a fan of horror movies - you may recognize the plot from the 1985 horror movie "Re-Animator".
In The Vault: An undertaker is trapped in the vault where coffins are stored, and must try to find a way to escape.
Cool Air: A strange narrator tells a story of his meeting with a doctor who is obsessed with defying death.
Pickman's Model: A story that explores the horror behind a painter's extremely graphic creations.
The Thing on the Doorstep: A macabre story of either the supernatural, or insanity.
If you enjoy classic horror then this is an anthology for you. Although I'd read several of the stories before, I felt they were presented well here and would be a good read for any fans of H.P. Lovecraft, classic horror, or just a creepy story. Very atmospheric.
My thanks go to Dover Publications and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy of this title.
November 20, 2015
'The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft: Featuring Herbert West-Reanimator and More!' by H.P. Lovecraft delivers on it's title. It's a short work, at 99 cents for the Kindle version, that works out to close to a penny per page.
The featured stories are the ones featuring Herbert West. These are the stories where the great B-movie from 1985 came from. Herbert West is a student obsessed with experiments to bring the dead back to life. He's mostly unsuccessful in the early attempts and things get more and more gruesome as he gets closer to the truth. The stories are told by Herbert's friend and co-conspirator.
There are other great stories in this volume, including my favorite about a miserly undertaker who ends up locked in with some things that aren't too happy about his scrimping, and a longer one called 'The Thing on the Doorstep' about a man who is hunted and haunted by something that just won't die.
I enjoyed this book. It would be a great introduction to this author. It doesn't feature any of the more famous stories, but it's a short enough work to maybe whet the appetite for more.
The featured stories are the ones featuring Herbert West. These are the stories where the great B-movie from 1985 came from. Herbert West is a student obsessed with experiments to bring the dead back to life. He's mostly unsuccessful in the early attempts and things get more and more gruesome as he gets closer to the truth. The stories are told by Herbert's friend and co-conspirator.
There are other great stories in this volume, including my favorite about a miserly undertaker who ends up locked in with some things that aren't too happy about his scrimping, and a longer one called 'The Thing on the Doorstep' about a man who is hunted and haunted by something that just won't die.
I enjoyed this book. It would be a great introduction to this author. It doesn't feature any of the more famous stories, but it's a short enough work to maybe whet the appetite for more.
July 31, 2017
Despite my love for the occult and the horrifying, I have managed to spend twenty-three years on this planet without reading a single Lovecraftian word. I know, it's not an accomplishment to be very proud of but alas, such is my life. However, thanks to Dover Publications I have rectified this grievous error and am now officially on the path of becoming slightly obsessed with Lovecraft and his world. Thanks to Dove Publications and Netgalley for providing me with an edition of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Aah, what is better than being frightened out of your mind while actually sitting cosily on your own sofa? That is exactly the experience that The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft will give you! As I said above, I never read any H.P. Lovecraft until now. I had, of course, heard of him and of something called Cthulhu but I wasn't entirely sure what it was all about. Reading The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft became another one of those 'smacking myself in the face' moments as I realised I could have been reading and enjoying Lovecraft all along. For me, his stories completely live up to his hype. He crafts a world so dark and terrifying, and yet so human and real, that it's almost impossible that he all made it up himself. Like the best fiction, Lovecraft takes you out of your own world so soundly that you bring some of it back with you when you return to reality.
The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft features six stories: 'The Outsider;, 'Herbert West - Reanimator', 'In the Vault', 'Cool Air', 'Pickman's Model' and 'The Thing on the Doorstep'. The latter, 'The Thing on the Doorstep' is probably my favourite since it actually features a female character, but is also the one that most deeply delves into the mystical and occult aspects of Lovecraft's world. I kept looking up places and names only to realise that they were all his creation. All these stories share the common theme of being "zombie stories", more on that below, so their twist doesn't necessarily come with a lot of surprise. As such, extra credit is due to Lovecraft that even when knowing the nature of his tale, it can still terrify and surprise you. Nowadays a lot of horror and thriller films are very "realistic", they try to scare you with things that are a part of your every day life and that you can grasp, even if they veer into the supernatural. For Lovecraft, horror is cosmic, in the sense that the human mind cannot grasp life and that the true meaning of the universe is alien to us. As such, his protagonists either venture into dark places and return utterly changed or hold so hard to their idea of reality that they lose their own sanity. And this, in my eyes, is was scarier than what the cinema offers us nowadays because it is also way more enticing.
Whether you read a story at a time or, like me, become so fascinated you can't put the book down, The Zombie Stories of H.P.Lovecraft are a must read for any horror fan. I'd especially recommend it if you're also new to Lovecraft since it gives you a great taste of his style without plunging you too deeply into his world.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
Aah, what is better than being frightened out of your mind while actually sitting cosily on your own sofa? That is exactly the experience that The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft will give you! As I said above, I never read any H.P. Lovecraft until now. I had, of course, heard of him and of something called Cthulhu but I wasn't entirely sure what it was all about. Reading The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft became another one of those 'smacking myself in the face' moments as I realised I could have been reading and enjoying Lovecraft all along. For me, his stories completely live up to his hype. He crafts a world so dark and terrifying, and yet so human and real, that it's almost impossible that he all made it up himself. Like the best fiction, Lovecraft takes you out of your own world so soundly that you bring some of it back with you when you return to reality.
The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft features six stories: 'The Outsider;, 'Herbert West - Reanimator', 'In the Vault', 'Cool Air', 'Pickman's Model' and 'The Thing on the Doorstep'. The latter, 'The Thing on the Doorstep' is probably my favourite since it actually features a female character, but is also the one that most deeply delves into the mystical and occult aspects of Lovecraft's world. I kept looking up places and names only to realise that they were all his creation. All these stories share the common theme of being "zombie stories", more on that below, so their twist doesn't necessarily come with a lot of surprise. As such, extra credit is due to Lovecraft that even when knowing the nature of his tale, it can still terrify and surprise you. Nowadays a lot of horror and thriller films are very "realistic", they try to scare you with things that are a part of your every day life and that you can grasp, even if they veer into the supernatural. For Lovecraft, horror is cosmic, in the sense that the human mind cannot grasp life and that the true meaning of the universe is alien to us. As such, his protagonists either venture into dark places and return utterly changed or hold so hard to their idea of reality that they lose their own sanity. And this, in my eyes, is was scarier than what the cinema offers us nowadays because it is also way more enticing.
Whether you read a story at a time or, like me, become so fascinated you can't put the book down, The Zombie Stories of H.P.Lovecraft are a must read for any horror fan. I'd especially recommend it if you're also new to Lovecraft since it gives you a great taste of his style without plunging you too deeply into his world.
For full review: http://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2...
September 15, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 4.25 of 5
Does anyone write psychological horror better than Howard Phillips Lovecraft?
I first started reading Lovecraft when I was a teen and much of his work was a little more than I could understand. But thanks to many publishers re-issuing his works (such as this collection), I've been fortunate to re-familiarize myself - and come to a much greater appreciation for - the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
This slim volume, published by masters of the re-issue, Dover Publications, contains six short stories that are a GREAT introduction to Lovecraft for those who might not already know his work. the stories, mostly from the 1920's, prove that you don't need to be graphic with splatter descriptions but that true horror comes from foul deeds and the unknown. Sometimes we never see a corpse coming back to life, but we KNOW that's what's happened and it's scarier because we didn't see it. We create the image based on the information we are given. And that's darned scary.
"Herbert West -- Reanimator" was the basis for the film "Re-Animator" which mostly bombed. Though it was as much a comedy as it was a horror film ... yeah, like that makes sense ... and is now a 'cult classic.'
One of the things we see in this brief collection is a theme that Lovecraft often explored: knowledge and curiosity. The reanimating of the dead comes from a human desire to understand - a scientific curiosity - rather than today's literary zombies which are the results of various diseases. It's powerful.
The stories included here are:
"The Outsider"
"Herbert West -- Reanimator"
"In the Vault"
"Cool Air"
"Pickman's Model"
"The Thing on the Doorstep"
This is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the dark fantasy/horror genre, for anyone who has read Lovecraft but not in a while, and for anyone who is curious as to why Lovecraft is 'famous.'
Looking for a good book? The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft is a great way to re-animate Lovecraft's standing as a master of the horror genre.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Does anyone write psychological horror better than Howard Phillips Lovecraft?
I first started reading Lovecraft when I was a teen and much of his work was a little more than I could understand. But thanks to many publishers re-issuing his works (such as this collection), I've been fortunate to re-familiarize myself - and come to a much greater appreciation for - the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
This slim volume, published by masters of the re-issue, Dover Publications, contains six short stories that are a GREAT introduction to Lovecraft for those who might not already know his work. the stories, mostly from the 1920's, prove that you don't need to be graphic with splatter descriptions but that true horror comes from foul deeds and the unknown. Sometimes we never see a corpse coming back to life, but we KNOW that's what's happened and it's scarier because we didn't see it. We create the image based on the information we are given. And that's darned scary.
"Herbert West -- Reanimator" was the basis for the film "Re-Animator" which mostly bombed. Though it was as much a comedy as it was a horror film ... yeah, like that makes sense ... and is now a 'cult classic.'
One of the things we see in this brief collection is a theme that Lovecraft often explored: knowledge and curiosity. The reanimating of the dead comes from a human desire to understand - a scientific curiosity - rather than today's literary zombies which are the results of various diseases. It's powerful.
The stories included here are:
"The Outsider"
"Herbert West -- Reanimator"
"In the Vault"
"Cool Air"
"Pickman's Model"
"The Thing on the Doorstep"
This is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the dark fantasy/horror genre, for anyone who has read Lovecraft but not in a while, and for anyone who is curious as to why Lovecraft is 'famous.'
Looking for a good book? The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft is a great way to re-animate Lovecraft's standing as a master of the horror genre.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2015
Six chilling zombie stories by the master teller of weird tales; all published between 1921 and 1933. The first storie is “The Outsider”, a tale of a recluse whose overwhelming loneliness emboldens him to seek out human contact. Next up is “Herbert West – Reanimator”, written as a satire of Frankenstein and used as the source for a popular horror film. “In the Vault” is all about an undertaker who by accident locks himself in while doing his job and experiences supernatural revenge. Next are “Cool Air”, about a doctor’s fanatical obsession with defying death; and “Pickman’s Model”, focusing on an artist’s gallery of nightmares. Concluding story “The Thing on the Doorstep” is a compelling tale of a man whose body is preyed upon by a spirit that refuses to die.
I absolutely adore H.P. Lovecraft and this book is an excellent anthology. It contains some of his “zombie” stories, but the word zombie is used very loosely, as it is not about the traditional, walking dead, zombies you might be thinking of. Nevertheless, the six stories in this book are all chilling and will make a lasting impression.
Perfect Halloween read and an essential in the autumn horror season.
I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adore H.P. Lovecraft and this book is an excellent anthology. It contains some of his “zombie” stories, but the word zombie is used very loosely, as it is not about the traditional, walking dead, zombies you might be thinking of. Nevertheless, the six stories in this book are all chilling and will make a lasting impression.
Perfect Halloween read and an essential in the autumn horror season.
I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 3, 2015
The Zombie Stories of H. P. Lovecraft- Here is another sampling of Howard Phillips Lovecraft's groundbreaking dark forbidding work. This time the theme is stories associated with zombies and their like, but sometimes this thin premise is stretched a bit. Still, if you are unfamiliar with Lovecraft, this is a good place to start, with some prominent stories offered. There is, of course, Herbert West-Reanimator, where in Mr. West manages to bring animation to dead corpses. Cool Air finds a man who lives in a frigid atmosphere in order to prolong life. Also you will find Pickman's Model a classic Lovecraft story that gets better with each reading. The Outsider, In The Vault, The Thing On The Doorstep round out the contents. These stories were written between 1921 to 1933, and carry in them the powerful dread and alarming details that have made Lovecraft a paragon of horror for numerous generations. Dover does a great job providing a nice clean transfer with an active table of contents. If you are the least bit interested in classic horror, this might be just for you.
October 20, 2015
This, to me, was not to the usual Dover standard. In having no editorialisation, it was down to me to read around the six short stories here included, and too many times those in the know said that the samples of his output collected here are amongst his worse. Yes, the stories go through the whole of his career from Poe-styled black dramas to the Cthulhu Mythos that took him over (to his detriment, I feel) and therefore span a key time in the line between gothic fiction and more modern horror, but I have to agree they aren't great. Nor are they particularly well anthologised – several of the instances don't have anything like a zombie. Instead they're of a uniform, plummy, dialogue-free style, which could grate but certainly served as a historical snapshot. They're not horrendously bad, but the result of reading at length of a sub-Frankenstein Doctor, and a man with a wife possessed (or should that be by a wife possessed?) doesn't amount to all that much.
December 4, 2015
Do you know H. P. Lovecraft? I was introduced to him by a dear girlfriend who also liked horror novels, short stories and more. He was writing before Stephen King. His horror is not torture or violence. This excellent collection of his stories will leave you with the feelings of the helplessness of the characters in the stories. The reading of these stories will linger in your mind as they are the type of horror that could give you nightmares if you were a child.
It is a wonderful experience to read these stories as it recalls fond memories for me. It is also some of the best horror you can read. Don't overlook this book if you are a devoted horror lover! Please note: these stories aren't about the author's Cthulhu stories.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
It is a wonderful experience to read these stories as it recalls fond memories for me. It is also some of the best horror you can read. Don't overlook this book if you are a devoted horror lover! Please note: these stories aren't about the author's Cthulhu stories.
Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Netgalley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
October 3, 2015
I read this book for NetGalley.
This collection of Lovecraft short stories is an excellent introduction to his works. I've read most of his short stories and novels through the years, and these were all familiar.
They are a nice change from the usual zombie stories (except for the Reanimator series, they really have nothing to do with zombies, but other more horrifying themes). Lovecraft was one of the most influential modern horror writers, and this short anthology is a quick and easy way to become familiar with his writings. These stories are excellent examples of the different themes sprinkled throughout his writings, including the Cthulhu Mythos. For a quick Lovecraft fix, or to sample what his writing was all about, read this book. You will not be disappointed!
This collection of Lovecraft short stories is an excellent introduction to his works. I've read most of his short stories and novels through the years, and these were all familiar.
They are a nice change from the usual zombie stories (except for the Reanimator series, they really have nothing to do with zombies, but other more horrifying themes). Lovecraft was one of the most influential modern horror writers, and this short anthology is a quick and easy way to become familiar with his writings. These stories are excellent examples of the different themes sprinkled throughout his writings, including the Cthulhu Mythos. For a quick Lovecraft fix, or to sample what his writing was all about, read this book. You will not be disappointed!
September 21, 2015
This is truly a fantastic anthology by the true master of horror fiction. Even the renowned Stephen King (another favorite author of mine) says he was influenced by H.P Lovecraft.
These zombie stories are a bit different than the current day type of zombie but Lovecraft was a master at creating horrific stories with such atmosphere and suspense that they are far superior to anything we have today.
H.P Lovecraft's work is classic and I am glad to see them revived once again. Highly recommended. In fact, I plan to purchase a copy for myself as the stories are ones that I will read again and again.
I received a copy of this anthology via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
These zombie stories are a bit different than the current day type of zombie but Lovecraft was a master at creating horrific stories with such atmosphere and suspense that they are far superior to anything we have today.
H.P Lovecraft's work is classic and I am glad to see them revived once again. Highly recommended. In fact, I plan to purchase a copy for myself as the stories are ones that I will read again and again.
I received a copy of this anthology via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
March 4, 2020
This is an excellent collection of Lovecraft's 'zombie' stories, which serves both as a treat to old fans and a sampler to people who haven't read Lovecraft before. Being of the latter group, I was pleased with the choice of stories included in this collection. These are not your typical zombie stories but they are probably more terrifying than the modern versions you'd find on TV today. This collection also introduced me to Lovecraft's unique writing style and after reading it, I can only look forward to reading more of his stories.
November 12, 2015
The Zombie Stories of H.P. Lovecraft
***
It’s a short collection of early Lovecraft stories, and only one really has zombies. The upside is that two of Lovecraft’s better works are here, “Cool Air” and “Pickman’s Model.” The rest of the stories are solid, if unspectacular.
Full reviews available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com
***
It’s a short collection of early Lovecraft stories, and only one really has zombies. The upside is that two of Lovecraft’s better works are here, “Cool Air” and “Pickman’s Model.” The rest of the stories are solid, if unspectacular.
Full reviews available at: http://www.thebookendfamily.weebly.com
December 22, 2015
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Absolutely brilliant. H.P Lovecraft is the master of horror and this book just proves it even more. The stories are short but amazingly creepy.
Absolutely brilliant. H.P Lovecraft is the master of horror and this book just proves it even more. The stories are short but amazingly creepy.
October 21, 2018
Wonderfully Scarey!
I'm more familiar with the authors cosmic horror, but these stories of zombies, ghouls and undeath are quite creepy, too. Pickman's Model and The Thing on the Doorstep were probably my favorites.
I'm more familiar with the authors cosmic horror, but these stories of zombies, ghouls and undeath are quite creepy, too. Pickman's Model and The Thing on the Doorstep were probably my favorites.
October 9, 2018
Classic.
October 8, 2020
Today when we think of horror our minds bring about images of Stephen King’s It and a pile of his other books or George Romero and Wes Craven in the film world. Horror has taken on a certain violence to create fear in the audience, and the latest wave of torture horror movies move to shock the viewer. But before Dawn of the Dead and The Walking Dead there were the original horror and zombies tales. Before all this, a man named Howard Phillips Lovecraft produced some of the best original horror in American literature. During his lifetime, he was virtually unknown except in pulp magazines. He gained fame after his death and even among non-readers many horror fans know of Reanimator, Dagon, and the Cthulhu South Park episode.
What separates Lovecraft from other writers is his sense his writing leaves on readers. The zombie stories in this Dover collection, although not including the popular Cthulhu mythos, display some of the finer work of the writer. From the opening story “The Outsider,” the reader experiences something more than typical horror. There is an overwhelming feeling of dread and despair that lingers long after reading the story. The reader will feel the darkness, the cold stone enclosure, the damp, moldy, mossy passageways. It is not torture or violence that create the fear it is the setting and inserting the reader into hopelessness that surrounds the characters. That is the stuff of nightmares. It lingers deep in the brain almost as a personal experience.
Lovecraft creates lasting horror images. Whether the image is Herbert West’s pathological drive, Egyptian mythology, or the killing of one’s best friend there is a soul-wrenching memory created in the reader’s mind. He or she feels as helpless as the characters in the story. Simply putting the book down and walking away is nearly impossible. It will haunt you. Your only hope is to finish in a vain attempt to find closure. An excellent introduction to the master of horror.
What separates Lovecraft from other writers is his sense his writing leaves on readers. The zombie stories in this Dover collection, although not including the popular Cthulhu mythos, display some of the finer work of the writer. From the opening story “The Outsider,” the reader experiences something more than typical horror. There is an overwhelming feeling of dread and despair that lingers long after reading the story. The reader will feel the darkness, the cold stone enclosure, the damp, moldy, mossy passageways. It is not torture or violence that create the fear it is the setting and inserting the reader into hopelessness that surrounds the characters. That is the stuff of nightmares. It lingers deep in the brain almost as a personal experience.
Lovecraft creates lasting horror images. Whether the image is Herbert West’s pathological drive, Egyptian mythology, or the killing of one’s best friend there is a soul-wrenching memory created in the reader’s mind. He or she feels as helpless as the characters in the story. Simply putting the book down and walking away is nearly impossible. It will haunt you. Your only hope is to finish in a vain attempt to find closure. An excellent introduction to the master of horror.
March 24, 2020
His writing style was not really my cup of tea. The Outsider (the first story) was probably the best and set me up to think I would enjoy the tales, but they felt very repetitive. There was not much action. The characters were pretentious. Having said that, I think the Reanimator story was far superior to the movie.
August 4, 2020
I had read all these stories before, but it was nice to read them again and have them in one collection. This book contains "The Outsider"; "Herbert West -- Reanimator"; "In the Vault"; "Cool Air"; "Pickman's Model"; and "The Thing on the Doorstep." It's a short book (89 pages) but I would recommend it as an introduction to Lovecraft's work.
December 27, 2015
An enjoyable short story collection with two or three drawbacks. First, the opening piece is a parodic retelling of Frankenstein's monster in the H.P. Lovecraft style and it really made me wonder - with this florid language, do I really want to read a whole collection that has even a tenth of the tone in the parody? This story probably would have been better off placed near the middle or end of the collection. Second, and this is no fault of the collection, but the stories don't stun you, if you know what I mean. I thought the twists were telegraphed from the first few paragraphs (but short stories don't let you really build suspense over a long period) such that the big reveal in the last sentence or two wasn't as shocking as the author may have intended. Finally, the low-key racism is just trying and tiresome, but that's a criticism that could be leveled at a lot of works of art.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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