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Cthulhu Mythos Tales
The complete Cthulhu Mythos by master horror writer H. P. Lovecraft in one volume.
The Cthulhu Mythos is a collection of 23 loosely connected short stories by H. P. Lovecraft, one of the earliest masters of dark fantasy and horror. From "Dagon" to "The Call of Cthulhu" to "The Haunter of the Dark," each story connects to the ancient cosmic entities known as the Great Old Ones, buried in a deep sleep beneath the earth and incomprehensible to mankind. For the few mortals who dare to glimpse this unknowable world, the result is a complete disconnection from what was once considered reality. Lovecraft's stories are grim, fantastical, dark, horrifying—and yet endlessly fascinating.
The Cthulhu Mythos is a collection of 23 loosely connected short stories by H. P. Lovecraft, one of the earliest masters of dark fantasy and horror. From "Dagon" to "The Call of Cthulhu" to "The Haunter of the Dark," each story connects to the ancient cosmic entities known as the Great Old Ones, buried in a deep sleep beneath the earth and incomprehensible to mankind. For the few mortals who dare to glimpse this unknowable world, the result is a complete disconnection from what was once considered reality. Lovecraft's stories are grim, fantastical, dark, horrifying—and yet endlessly fascinating.
615 pages, Flexibound
First published September 30, 2013
947 people are currently reading
3517 people want to read
About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,110 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 - 30 of 150 reviews
May 28, 2016
I had no idea that this book previously existed as 2013 trade paperback, which is ye edition that has been review'd here. This new hardcover edition is in ye Barnes & Noble leatherbound series, and it is half the size (594 pages) of the previous edition from B&N, THE COMPLETE FICTION (1098 pages). This is one of ye loveliest editions of H. P. Lovecraft's weird fiction that I have seen, beautifully design'd and with great art by John Coulthart (including a 16 x 20 inches poster, "Cthulhu Rising"). The endpapers feature Coulthart's exquisite illustration of "R'lyeh" on pale green paper.
Contents:
Introduction by S. T. Joshi
Dagon
Nyarlathotep
The Nameless City
Azathoth
The Hound
The Festival
The Call of Cthulhu
The Colour out of Space
History of the Necronomicon
The Curse of Yig
The Dinwich Horror
The Whisperer in Darkness
The Mound
At the Mountains of Madness
The Shadow over Innsmouth
The Dreams in the Witch House
The Man of Stone
The Horror in the Museum
The Thing on the Doorstep
Out of the Aeons
The Tree on the Hill
The Shadow out of Time
The Haunter of the Dark
Original Dates of Publication
I like that the book includes some of the rarely published "revisions & collaborations" works that Lovecraft wrote "with" other writers. It has now been determined that HPL wrote most of the text for such tales as "The Curse of Yig" and "The Mound". The story of the snake god remains one of Lovecraft's most powerful creations, and it exhibits his able use of characterization (the complaint of many that Lovecraft was poor at portraying character is nonsense). Lovecraft was an excellent writer, and his timeless tales will remain in print for all of mortal time. It's fantastic to have them presented in such a handsome format with this new publication. Publication date is set for August (I received an early review edition from ye publisher). Highly recommended, and this would be a superb edition with which to introduce friends to the fiction of E'ch-Pi-El.
Contents:
Introduction by S. T. Joshi
Dagon
Nyarlathotep
The Nameless City
Azathoth
The Hound
The Festival
The Call of Cthulhu
The Colour out of Space
History of the Necronomicon
The Curse of Yig
The Dinwich Horror
The Whisperer in Darkness
The Mound
At the Mountains of Madness
The Shadow over Innsmouth
The Dreams in the Witch House
The Man of Stone
The Horror in the Museum
The Thing on the Doorstep
Out of the Aeons
The Tree on the Hill
The Shadow out of Time
The Haunter of the Dark
Original Dates of Publication
I like that the book includes some of the rarely published "revisions & collaborations" works that Lovecraft wrote "with" other writers. It has now been determined that HPL wrote most of the text for such tales as "The Curse of Yig" and "The Mound". The story of the snake god remains one of Lovecraft's most powerful creations, and it exhibits his able use of characterization (the complaint of many that Lovecraft was poor at portraying character is nonsense). Lovecraft was an excellent writer, and his timeless tales will remain in print for all of mortal time. It's fantastic to have them presented in such a handsome format with this new publication. Publication date is set for August (I received an early review edition from ye publisher). Highly recommended, and this would be a superb edition with which to introduce friends to the fiction of E'ch-Pi-El.
February 26, 2020
Το 2015 κυκλοφορεί για το PlayStation το παιχνίδι Bloodborne. Ένα παιχνίδι όπου από τότε μέχρι σήμερα έχω αφιερώσει ΠΟΛΛΕΣ ώρες. Είτε παίζοντας το, είτε βλέποντας άλλους να παίζουν, είτε διαβάζοντας για αυτό, είτε ζωγραφίζοντας/σχεδιάζοντας εικόνες εμπνευσμένες από αυτό.
Ο κύριος λόγος είναι η σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα του. Η αίσθηση που σου προκαλεί το γοτθικό του περιβάλλον και η μαυρίλα του εικαστικού του. Θυμάμαι να σταματάω το παιχνίδι και απλά να κοιτάω τον κόσμο του. Την αρχιτεκτονική του. Την γεωμετρία του. Ήμουν ένας τουρίστας σε έναν εικονικό κόσμο γεμάτο κοσμικό τρόμο.
Αναζητώντας τα κρυφά νοήματα του παιχνιδιού και κυρίως την πηγή έμπνευσης των δημιουργών και του σκηνοθέτη του, ερχόμουν συνέχεια απέναντι με ένα όνομα... H.P. LOVECRAFT...οπότε ήταν θέμα χρόνου.
...
...
...
Έχοντας πλέον τελειώσει την συγκεκριμένη συλλογή οφείλω να ομολογήσω ότι δεν απογοητεύτηκα καθόλου.
Αν και απέχει πολύ από τα συνηθισμένα μου αναγνώσματα, η γραφή του Lovecraft με κέρδισε.
Δεν τρόμαξα αλλά ανατρίχιασα. Δεν ούρλιαξα αλλά σίγουρα γούρλωσα τα μάτια σε μερικά σημεία. Ήξερα ότι διαβάζω ιστορίες με πλαστά φαντάσματα και τέρατα ΑΛΛΑ υπήρχε μια αληθοφάνεια στον τρόπο αφήγησης του Lovecraft όπου όσο διάβαζες, το κείμενο σε έκανε να πιστέψεις σε αυτό.
Εκτίμησα λίγο παραπάνω και ξεχώρισα την απόγνωση που υπάρχει στον λόγο του, το λεξιλόγιό του, το συντακτικό του, τις εκφράσεις του... Έκρυβαν μια μελαγχολία, μια μαυρίλα σαν αυτή του Bloodborne, μια αγωνία και ταυτόχρονα μια παραίτηση.
Δεν είναι τόσο τα κυκλώπεια τέρατα ή τα ανατριχιαστικά πλοκάμια όπου θα σε τρομάξουν. Είναι η ασημαντότητα του ανθρώπου. Η αδυναμία του να πράξει. Η αδυναμία του να ακουστεί και να πιστέψουν τα λεγόμενα του. Η αίσθηση της μοναξιάς και της εγκατάλειψης.
Οι περισσότερες ιστορίες, μετά την κορύφωση και την αποκάλυψη κάποιου τέρατος ή παραφυσικού στοιχείου, εστίαζαν ξανά στον Άνθρωπο. Έναν άνθρωπο πλέον αδύναμο και παραιτημένο από τη ζωή. Έναν άνθρωπο στεγνό.
Οι ιστορίες σε αγγίζουν γιατί αν αντικαταστήσεις ή αφαιρέσεις τα τέρατα και την όλη μυθοπλασία του συγγραφέα, τα ανθρώπινα συναισθήματα που μένουν είναι αληθινά. Άνθρωποι βιώνουν και αισθάνονται απόγνωση, παραιτούνται από την ζωή, στεγνώνουν, χωρίς την απειλή του Cthulhu...
...
Κάθε του ιστορία μου επιβεβαίωνε ότι ο Lovecraft είναι όντως ο πατέρας του Cosmic Horror.
Σε πολλά σημεία εντόπισα ιστορίες και σκηνικά τα οποία συνειδητοποιούσα ότι αποτελούν την πηγή έμπνευσης για πρόσφατες ιστορίες σε media όπως ηλεκτρικά παιχνίδια (Bloodborne) και ταινίες (Annihilation).
...
Η έκδοση που έχω (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Collection) είναι εκπληκτική και προτείνεται άφοβα αν και οι ιστορίες του είναι εύκολο να βρεθούν και δωρεάν στο διαδίκτυο με μια απλή αναζήτηση για όσους θέλουν να τον δοκιμάσουν. Κάτι το οποίο προτείνω σε όλους τους λάτρεις του είδους και όχι μόνο.
Ο κύριος λόγος είναι η σκοτεινή ατμόσφαιρα του. Η αίσθηση που σου προκαλεί το γοτθικό του περιβάλλον και η μαυρίλα του εικαστικού του. Θυμάμαι να σταματάω το παιχνίδι και απλά να κοιτάω τον κόσμο του. Την αρχιτεκτονική του. Την γεωμετρία του. Ήμουν ένας τουρίστας σε έναν εικονικό κόσμο γεμάτο κοσμικό τρόμο.
Αναζητώντας τα κρυφά νοήματα του παιχνιδιού και κυρίως την πηγή έμπνευσης των δημιουργών και του σκηνοθέτη του, ερχόμουν συνέχεια απέναντι με ένα όνομα... H.P. LOVECRAFT...οπότε ήταν θέμα χρόνου.
...
...
...
Έχοντας πλέον τελειώσει την συγκεκριμένη συλλογή οφείλω να ομολογήσω ότι δεν απογοητεύτηκα καθόλου.
Αν και απέχει πολύ από τα συνηθισμένα μου αναγνώσματα, η γραφή του Lovecraft με κέρδισε.
Δεν τρόμαξα αλλά ανατρίχιασα. Δεν ούρλιαξα αλλά σίγουρα γούρλωσα τα μάτια σε μερικά σημεία. Ήξερα ότι διαβάζω ιστορίες με πλαστά φαντάσματα και τέρατα ΑΛΛΑ υπήρχε μια αληθοφάνεια στον τρόπο αφήγησης του Lovecraft όπου όσο διάβαζες, το κείμενο σε έκανε να πιστέψεις σε αυτό.
Εκτίμησα λίγο παραπάνω και ξεχώρισα την απόγνωση που υπάρχει στον λόγο του, το λεξιλόγιό του, το συντακτικό του, τις εκφράσεις του... Έκρυβαν μια μελαγχολία, μια μαυρίλα σαν αυτή του Bloodborne, μια αγωνία και ταυτόχρονα μια παραίτηση.
Δεν είναι τόσο τα κυκλώπεια τέρατα ή τα ανατριχιαστικά πλοκάμια όπου θα σε τρομάξουν. Είναι η ασημαντότητα του ανθρώπου. Η αδυναμία του να πράξει. Η αδυναμία του να ακουστεί και να πιστέψουν τα λεγόμενα του. Η αίσθηση της μοναξιάς και της εγκατάλειψης.
Οι περισσότερες ιστορίες, μετά την κορύφωση και την αποκάλυψη κάποιου τέρατος ή παραφυσικού στοιχείου, εστίαζαν ξανά στον Άνθρωπο. Έναν άνθρωπο πλέον αδύναμο και παραιτημένο από τη ζωή. Έναν άνθρωπο στεγνό.
Οι ιστορίες σε αγγίζουν γιατί αν αντικαταστήσεις ή αφαιρέσεις τα τέρατα και την όλη μυθοπλασία του συγγραφέα, τα ανθρώπινα συναισθήματα που μένουν είναι αληθινά. Άνθρωποι βιώνουν και αισθάνονται απόγνωση, παραιτούνται από την ζωή, στεγνώνουν, χωρίς την απειλή του Cthulhu...
...
Κάθε του ιστορία μου επιβεβαίωνε ότι ο Lovecraft είναι όντως ο πατέρας του Cosmic Horror.
Σε πολλά σημεία εντόπισα ιστορίες και σκηνικά τα οποία συνειδητοποιούσα ότι αποτελούν την πηγή έμπνευσης για πρόσφατες ιστορίες σε media όπως ηλεκτρικά παιχνίδια (Bloodborne) και ταινίες (Annihilation).
...
Η έκδοση που έχω (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Collection) είναι εκπληκτική και προτείνεται άφοβα αν και οι ιστορίες του είναι εύκολο να βρεθούν και δωρεάν στο διαδίκτυο με μια απλή αναζήτηση για όσους θέλουν να τον δοκιμάσουν. Κάτι το οποίο προτείνω σε όλους τους λάτρεις του είδους και όχι μόνο.
May 17, 2023
This was a wild ride.
Some of the stories were, indeed, terrifying - i am still of the opinion that The Shadow out of time is the absolute best. But then again, I recently developed a liking towards sci-fi so my opinion can't be trusted just yet. Rtc.
Some of the stories were, indeed, terrifying - i am still of the opinion that The Shadow out of time is the absolute best. But then again, I recently developed a liking towards sci-fi so my opinion can't be trusted just yet. Rtc.
December 27, 2016
Completing Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos is a nice accomplishment for me this year. I had never read much of his work in the past, and made a goal to try and get through something large in 2016; never an easy task with two little ones running around. After a slow start with shorter tales like Dagon, Azathoth and The Festival, Lovecraft seemed to find a good stride beginning with The Call of Cthulhu and using that story as a way to begin the creation of his larger universe. I appreciated that story more after I had made my way through much of these tales. As a standalone it didn't offer much, but as a history lesson for what Lovecraft means to say as a whole, it is essential. One of my favorite stories comes close after that titled The Colour Out of Space. It's here where Lovecraft begins to show the horror side of his writing, thoroughly chilling me with the tale of a farmer's family fighting a losing battle with an all-powerful entity. The closing section of this story is reminiscent of Poe, though more macabre, something I didn't think possible. At the Mountains of Madness was a story I was most looking forward to, but ultimately found a bit underwhelming. I can see why filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro has sought to make this into a movie for years, and would still enjoy seeing the attempt, but for me it dragged after the initials chapters. The Whisperer in Darkness again tapped into a bit of Poe, but what Lovecraft was able to do by the time I consumed this story was deftly weave in the Elder Ones without sacrificing the uniqueness of the story. I found myself recalling this one fondly many times in later tales. Another high point near the collection's conclusion was The Thing On the Doorstep. The ominous knocking and cadence identified with the main character's friend gave me a shiver or two reading well into the night. What Lovecraft excelled at with the Cthulhu mythos was the ability to weave sci-fi with horror into a large tapestry, while still presenting each story as a unique tale. I admire the complexity that goes along with that, and even if the stories do get a bit repetitive, I appreciate what they mean to American literature.
October 19, 2020
I know, I know. How could I rate something so classic so low?
H. P. Lovecraft admittedly has some really cool and interesting ideas. I'm glad that these elements continued to affect our culture even into the modern day. I would say they do this despite his writing style.
He has cool ideas, but he is adept at burying them under a frustratingly large pile of bullcrap. I want to experience existential horror, read forbidden knowledge, not read excessive, dry, repetitive descriptions of bleak, desolate landscapes. I don't to read lengthy and uninteresting monologues, sometimes written in very hard to decipher dialects. I don't want constant measurements of every single building or lifeform that these characters encounter.
These stories are also all the exact same. They follow the same beats, have the same setup, mystery, and conclusion. Every single story here has some long foreseen twist or edgy declarative at the end. It gets really tiring after a while. The characters are repetitive too. They change name, occupation, but all thats just descriptive. Nothing substantial or integral to any of the characters or stories ever changes.
Lovecraft is also completely incapable of writing down a verb or noun without attaching some thesaurus grade adverb or adjective onto it. Sometimes less is more, which is really sad to say when I'm talking about short stories.
Tangents about nothing abound. He repeats the same little catchphrases and motifs every story.
This collection was just really boring and repulsive. And I didn't even mention the disgusting racist elements which everyone is familiar with nowadays. There are authors that do Lovecraftian horror much better than Lovecraft does. Go check them out.
H. P. Lovecraft admittedly has some really cool and interesting ideas. I'm glad that these elements continued to affect our culture even into the modern day. I would say they do this despite his writing style.
He has cool ideas, but he is adept at burying them under a frustratingly large pile of bullcrap. I want to experience existential horror, read forbidden knowledge, not read excessive, dry, repetitive descriptions of bleak, desolate landscapes. I don't to read lengthy and uninteresting monologues, sometimes written in very hard to decipher dialects. I don't want constant measurements of every single building or lifeform that these characters encounter.
These stories are also all the exact same. They follow the same beats, have the same setup, mystery, and conclusion. Every single story here has some long foreseen twist or edgy declarative at the end. It gets really tiring after a while. The characters are repetitive too. They change name, occupation, but all thats just descriptive. Nothing substantial or integral to any of the characters or stories ever changes.
Lovecraft is also completely incapable of writing down a verb or noun without attaching some thesaurus grade adverb or adjective onto it. Sometimes less is more, which is really sad to say when I'm talking about short stories.
Tangents about nothing abound. He repeats the same little catchphrases and motifs every story.
This collection was just really boring and repulsive. And I didn't even mention the disgusting racist elements which everyone is familiar with nowadays. There are authors that do Lovecraftian horror much better than Lovecraft does. Go check them out.
February 26, 2018
I have read some of Lovecraft's stories in the past on the internet, but it was much more fun to read this collection of his stories related to his Cthulhu mythos. I want to take a moment to talk about the Barnes and Noble edition of this book that I read. It's nice and hefty, it has a great smell (am I the only one who loves the smell of certain new books?), and it's gilt edged pages are a nice touch. Above all, I love the leather binding which made me feel at times like I was actually reading from the dread Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred, or the Unaussprechlichen Kulten of Friedrich von Junzt, or even the Pnaktoic Manuscripts themselves.
Aside from the aesthetic pleasures of the book, I like the way it was organized. The stories are roughly organized chronologically in the order Lovecraft wrote them. Reading through the book you can see the slow development of his mythos over the course of 13 years. Personally, I think that there was a point near the middle of this period when his stories are the best. His earlier stories are a bit clumsy and vague, his later stories spend too much time explaining things. The best stories convey the sense of cosmic horror and helplessness without revealing too much information about the alien antagonists. Some of my favorites were "The Curse of Yig," "The Dunwich Horror," "The Whisperer in Darkness," and "The Shadow over Innsmouth". I think his best story in this collection is "The Dreams in the Witch House" which I had read before.
Aside from the aesthetic pleasures of the book, I like the way it was organized. The stories are roughly organized chronologically in the order Lovecraft wrote them. Reading through the book you can see the slow development of his mythos over the course of 13 years. Personally, I think that there was a point near the middle of this period when his stories are the best. His earlier stories are a bit clumsy and vague, his later stories spend too much time explaining things. The best stories convey the sense of cosmic horror and helplessness without revealing too much information about the alien antagonists. Some of my favorites were "The Curse of Yig," "The Dunwich Horror," "The Whisperer in Darkness," and "The Shadow over Innsmouth". I think his best story in this collection is "The Dreams in the Witch House" which I had read before.
August 23, 2024
4 stelle perché alcune delle novelle incluse creano un'atmosfera di tensione e lento decadimento che ho apprezzato, considerando quanto sia difficile incutere paura attraverso il mezzo della scrittura (ma dopotutto, se Lovecraft è considerato un maestro, un motivo ci sarà).
Punti bonus per l'edizione in inglese che:
- non ha modificato i termini originali, quindi i personaggi sono descritti come "queer" perché sono "strani" - anche se mi piace pensare che sono tutti gay, inclusi il cielo e l'erba e le case delle città sperdute che vengono caratterizzate con questo termine;
- ha mantenuto gli aggettivi razzisti e tutto il disdegno che traspare dai racconti dove sono coinvolte persone non caucasiche (La Maschera di Innsmouth è il romanzo breve che meglio dettaglia la "paura dei diversi", poiché basata interamente sulla xenofobia mostrata per gli uomini pesce, i quali potrebbero però essere benissimo sostituiti con persone di qualsiasi etnia diversa dalla propria)
- mi ha permesso di leggere i dialoghi dei personaggi redneck che parlano tutti con l'accento da campagnoli americani: "it'll git her ef we ain't keerful".
Comunque io confermo tutto, ero la moglie che diventa fosforescente prima di morire.
Punti bonus per l'edizione in inglese che:
- non ha modificato i termini originali, quindi i personaggi sono descritti come "queer" perché sono "strani" - anche se mi piace pensare che sono tutti gay, inclusi il cielo e l'erba e le case delle città sperdute che vengono caratterizzate con questo termine;
- ha mantenuto gli aggettivi razzisti e tutto il disdegno che traspare dai racconti dove sono coinvolte persone non caucasiche (La Maschera di Innsmouth è il romanzo breve che meglio dettaglia la "paura dei diversi", poiché basata interamente sulla xenofobia mostrata per gli uomini pesce, i quali potrebbero però essere benissimo sostituiti con persone di qualsiasi etnia diversa dalla propria)
- mi ha permesso di leggere i dialoghi dei personaggi redneck che parlano tutti con l'accento da campagnoli americani: "it'll git her ef we ain't keerful".
Comunque io confermo tutto, ero la moglie che diventa fosforescente prima di morire.
October 30, 2021
First of all, a small rent: "OMG LOVECRAFT WAS A RACIST!!111!!"
You should just stop judging his stories only due to this, because of course he was racist - particularly in the first half of his life - because he was BORN IN THE FREAKING TWENTIES!!!
Stop judging 100 years old authors with today morality!
And in addition to this, growing up he pretty much changed his ideas and did go beyond many racial prejudices common for white men in his time.
--------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: I didn't read actually this particular edition, but I had on Kindle unlimited a collection with every Lovecraft story, and I read only the Mythos stories that are present in also this edition - with the exception of the Mountain of Madness, that I read years ago and that was too long to re-read before my Kindle unlimited subscription expired.
Lovecraft is just so an important author of the horror genre, and he may be considered hand down the father of modern horror, being an inspiration of a lot of contemporary authors.
I found him not so easy to read (but easier than Poe without a doubt), since his stories never focus on characters, but more on the cosmic horror and the madness surrounding them.
From one side, it was charming to see how Lovecraft portrayed the human uselessness in front of ancient horrors of the universe that nobody can imagine, from the other side this thing made his narration much more harder to follow - at least for me, since I generally prefer character-based stories.
My favourite stories were the big ones: "Call of Cthulhu", "The Dunwich Horror", "The Mound", "The Whisperer in the Darkness" and my favourite of all is "The Shadow over Innsmouth".
Other long stories didn't hook me up like others, while really short ones were interesting but nothing really memorable, since many are also commissions and not 100% made by Lovecraft himself.
You should just stop judging his stories only due to this, because of course he was racist - particularly in the first half of his life - because he was BORN IN THE FREAKING TWENTIES!!!
Stop judging 100 years old authors with today morality!
And in addition to this, growing up he pretty much changed his ideas and did go beyond many racial prejudices common for white men in his time.
--------------------------------
DISCLAIMER: I didn't read actually this particular edition, but I had on Kindle unlimited a collection with every Lovecraft story, and I read only the Mythos stories that are present in also this edition - with the exception of the Mountain of Madness, that I read years ago and that was too long to re-read before my Kindle unlimited subscription expired.
Lovecraft is just so an important author of the horror genre, and he may be considered hand down the father of modern horror, being an inspiration of a lot of contemporary authors.
I found him not so easy to read (but easier than Poe without a doubt), since his stories never focus on characters, but more on the cosmic horror and the madness surrounding them.
From one side, it was charming to see how Lovecraft portrayed the human uselessness in front of ancient horrors of the universe that nobody can imagine, from the other side this thing made his narration much more harder to follow - at least for me, since I generally prefer character-based stories.
My favourite stories were the big ones: "Call of Cthulhu", "The Dunwich Horror", "The Mound", "The Whisperer in the Darkness" and my favourite of all is "The Shadow over Innsmouth".
Other long stories didn't hook me up like others, while really short ones were interesting but nothing really memorable, since many are also commissions and not 100% made by Lovecraft himself.
September 4, 2025
Very different from other horror stories I have read. The cosmic horror is very much a combination of Science Fiction and horror. The sense of cosmic dread that pervades his work is palpable, and at times affected me significantly. There is a sort of unending depression that can surround these tales, which certainly can compound any issues you may already be dealing with. HIGHLY recommend reading any of his stories only when you are in a good state of mind.
I didn’t like the obvious racism that was also clear from the stories, and some research into Lovecraft shows just how afraid of foreigners he was - that shows in his work. Yes, it was written a long time ago - I get that. I still don’t like it! Can respect the writing skill while disliking that. Separately but related, I have seen some of the things he said about working as a ghost writer for some of the tales in this collection, and he came across to me as an incredibly egotistical jerk. Boo.
I did really appreciate the way that this collection was setup and ordered - the stories built on one another really well, which helped expand my knowledge of the mythos bit by bit while giving me familiarity to many of the things that came up. Can’t say enough about how much this added to my experience. The mythos that Lovecraft created is just incredible -there is so much there. 3.5 stars overall - some stories were great, some not as great, and overall were really hard to read at times - mainly because there was just no joy to be had, only satisfaction to morbid curiosity and that ever present sense of cosmic dread that he is famous for. Probably worth stating that “The Shadow over Innsmouth” was my favorite story from the collection.
What a ride! Time to read something light and fluffy to cleanse my mental palate. 🤣
I didn’t like the obvious racism that was also clear from the stories, and some research into Lovecraft shows just how afraid of foreigners he was - that shows in his work. Yes, it was written a long time ago - I get that. I still don’t like it! Can respect the writing skill while disliking that. Separately but related, I have seen some of the things he said about working as a ghost writer for some of the tales in this collection, and he came across to me as an incredibly egotistical jerk. Boo.
I did really appreciate the way that this collection was setup and ordered - the stories built on one another really well, which helped expand my knowledge of the mythos bit by bit while giving me familiarity to many of the things that came up. Can’t say enough about how much this added to my experience. The mythos that Lovecraft created is just incredible -there is so much there. 3.5 stars overall - some stories were great, some not as great, and overall were really hard to read at times - mainly because there was just no joy to be had, only satisfaction to morbid curiosity and that ever present sense of cosmic dread that he is famous for. Probably worth stating that “The Shadow over Innsmouth” was my favorite story from the collection.
What a ride! Time to read something light and fluffy to cleanse my mental palate. 🤣
February 6, 2024
I wished for this book almost 10 years ago, and it was one of the few books that I have started reading, but never finished. It was just not the vibe I was looking for. It is a collection of short stories, and the first few stories were too short to get into, like the atmosphere did not catch on before they ended. Now, many years later I got back to it after familiarizing myself a lot more with the characters and Lovecraftian horror. Still, after so much growing in between, I still cannot truly appreciate this collection of short stories as a whole. There are some great stories here like The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, however, for every one of those, there are two boring and convoluted stories like The Mound, which are so tedious to get through, so formulaic and ultimately boring stories. Lovercraft's writing style does not help either. He loves to describe things, yet there is so much undescribable horror here, that it felt impossible for me to get into the atmosphere most of the time. The protagonists of Lovercraft's stories are mere vessels for his undescribable horror to be not described through. They find notes or artifacts that they tell the stories off, just second hand stories. I would have loved to enjoy this nearly 600 page collection, but I cannot stop thinking that Lovecraft's greatest gift was not his stories, but his characters and that the world that did not appreciate his stories on release, made them better by adapting these public domain works into other stories.
January 9, 2024
My definition of Love to the way pf writing 🤣✨❤️❤️🤞🏾
February 8, 2024
the summary
The collection of short stories and novellas from Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Each one is different from the last, with only a thin line that may tie everything together in its own unique way.
the review
Lovecraft has always had a way of creating a world that seemed so benign on the surface that could be easily brushed away to show a horrifying world of madness. A madness that has lasted nearly a century in retellings and horror giants taking cues from his works. He helped open a door to a new kind of terror and I couldn't be more grateful to be able to read those works.
the recommendation
Wishfully, I would say everyone, however, it can't be the case. Lovecraft takes an open mind and the ability to take everything in. There are of course the people who can't read outside of their current time, their mindset ruins any works before the 1980s. So I suppose, my recommendation would be to anyone with an open mind and enjoyment of the strange and unusual.
The collection of short stories and novellas from Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Each one is different from the last, with only a thin line that may tie everything together in its own unique way.
the review
Lovecraft has always had a way of creating a world that seemed so benign on the surface that could be easily brushed away to show a horrifying world of madness. A madness that has lasted nearly a century in retellings and horror giants taking cues from his works. He helped open a door to a new kind of terror and I couldn't be more grateful to be able to read those works.
the recommendation
Wishfully, I would say everyone, however, it can't be the case. Lovecraft takes an open mind and the ability to take everything in. There are of course the people who can't read outside of their current time, their mindset ruins any works before the 1980s. So I suppose, my recommendation would be to anyone with an open mind and enjoyment of the strange and unusual.
April 6, 2018
Well, after slogging through 592 pages of this anthology, it's safe to say that I have not become a Lovecraft fan.
I picked it up at B&N because there's so much science fiction, mystery, horror based on the Lovecraft universe (necronomicon, Cthulhu, etc., etc., etc.) I though I'd check out the stories that it's all based on.
I was just never able to sync-up with Lovecraft's pace or rhythm through any of these stories. So many of these stories have a big build-up and a less than dramatic ending. Horror and terror? Not so
much.
I picked it up at B&N because there's so much science fiction, mystery, horror based on the Lovecraft universe (necronomicon, Cthulhu, etc., etc., etc.) I though I'd check out the stories that it's all based on.
I was just never able to sync-up with Lovecraft's pace or rhythm through any of these stories. So many of these stories have a big build-up and a less than dramatic ending. Horror and terror? Not so
much.
November 11, 2022
What a slog-goth!
Because I'm a very silly person, I decided to read the Lovecraft compendium prior to diving into more contemporary works based on the Cthulhu mythos. I discovered that Lovecraft's strong suit is in world building and decidedly not in the narrative craft. As it turns out, you can jump into the derivative works without suffering anything from the horse's mouth in this case. In fact, it might save you some moments of anguish and cringe to skip the original lore.
Because I'm a very silly person, I decided to read the Lovecraft compendium prior to diving into more contemporary works based on the Cthulhu mythos. I discovered that Lovecraft's strong suit is in world building and decidedly not in the narrative craft. As it turns out, you can jump into the derivative works without suffering anything from the horse's mouth in this case. In fact, it might save you some moments of anguish and cringe to skip the original lore.
July 29, 2023
I bought this book after reading “At the Mountains of Madness” which I really enjoyed. Reading this anthology with the expectation that all of Lovecraft’s stories would be of the same caliber and richness was perhaps not a fair standard to adhere to. The more I would read, the more repetitive each story would feel; most have the same setup and ending. A person discovers something supremely evil -> they suffer the consequences of their curiosity. Now, to me this doesn’t necessarily make Lovecraft a bad writer or story teller. There were quite a few stories that I really enjoyed reading. Those stories were the ones that broke the mold of monotony and at their core were good, well-rounded tales. It's not fair that I expected every story to be better than the last, and perhaps that ruined an aspect of Lovecraft’s writings for me. Though, I will say, the more time I put between each of his stories, the more attentive to the next.
In short, Lovecraft has some great tales of horror in this book. Some are worth reading, others are definitely for fans of the Lovecraftian style of his writings. However, for the average reader (like myself), I believe Lovecraft is better consumed in bites and not full course meals.
Here are my individual ratings for the stories and some notes.
Dagon - 3/5 fish
Nyarlathotep - 2/5 I’m sure beyond the surface of the text there is plenty to expound upon lore-wise but nonetheless found it to be just okay
The Nameless City - 3/5
Azathoth - 4/5 found this one to be strangely poetic which was unexpected given that Azathoth is very evil and scary
The Hound - 3/5
The Festival - 4/5 A good setup for the cultish aspects that are present in nearly each proceeding stories
The Call of Cthulhu - 4/5 I had high expectations for this one because it is arguably one of Lovecraft’s most known stories but found it to be a little dull in comparison to his other works, still great though
The Colour out of Space - 5/5 was genuinely surprised at how good it was and is something that surely has inspired numerous other works, I feel this is the first story to this respective collection that begins to connect the world to the mythos
History of the Necronomicon - X/5 too short to be rated, to me it’s purpose is merely to expound upon the existence of the book that is mentioned so frequently.
The Curse of Yig - 3/5 Yig is Yig
The Dunwich Horror - 5/5 dives greatly into the mythos and checks all the boxes for cosmic horror, great all around.
The Whisper in Darkness - 3/5
The Mound - 2/5 there’s an interesting message in this story that I was not expecting, hard to tell if it’s intentional or not. I was conflicted on what to rate this, there is some good elements but overall found it to be lacking in too many places. Also lore-dump
At the Mountains of Madness - 5/5 slow start but ramps up to a gripping read towards the end. This one dumps a lot a lore as well but is forgivable given the narrative of the story
The Shadow over Innsmouth - 4/5 no idea what Zadok Allen said but the story was pretty good.
The Dreams in the Witch House - 2/5 Brown Jenkin carried. Witches and cosmic entities are an interesting combination but does not really mix well.
The Man of Stone - 1/5 possibly one of the most forgettable stories that ends fairly abruptly
The Horror in the Museum - 4/5 great, Ben Stiller would not last in this museum
The Thing on the Doorstep - 4/5 If I had read this story without reading “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” I would find myself very confused about most of the story elements. Luckily I did read
it first and I think it enhanced this story just a little
Out of the Aeons - 3/5 Another museum story. This one was decently interesting at least.
The Tree on the Hill - 3/5 a neat enough concept - photos revealing a terrifying hidden realm unseen to the human eye.
The Shadow out of Time - 2/5 get ready for the narrator to spend 2 whole chapters attempting to explain his dreams and how to astral-project. This story is too incredibly long and can easily put you to sleep in its monotony.
The Haunter of the Dark - 3/5 Pretty good, not a bad way to end the anthology. I could see how this would inspire scary concepts.
In short, Lovecraft has some great tales of horror in this book. Some are worth reading, others are definitely for fans of the Lovecraftian style of his writings. However, for the average reader (like myself), I believe Lovecraft is better consumed in bites and not full course meals.
Here are my individual ratings for the stories and some notes.
Dagon - 3/5 fish
Nyarlathotep - 2/5 I’m sure beyond the surface of the text there is plenty to expound upon lore-wise but nonetheless found it to be just okay
The Nameless City - 3/5
Azathoth - 4/5 found this one to be strangely poetic which was unexpected given that Azathoth is very evil and scary
The Hound - 3/5
The Festival - 4/5 A good setup for the cultish aspects that are present in nearly each proceeding stories
The Call of Cthulhu - 4/5 I had high expectations for this one because it is arguably one of Lovecraft’s most known stories but found it to be a little dull in comparison to his other works, still great though
The Colour out of Space - 5/5 was genuinely surprised at how good it was and is something that surely has inspired numerous other works, I feel this is the first story to this respective collection that begins to connect the world to the mythos
History of the Necronomicon - X/5 too short to be rated, to me it’s purpose is merely to expound upon the existence of the book that is mentioned so frequently.
The Curse of Yig - 3/5 Yig is Yig
The Dunwich Horror - 5/5 dives greatly into the mythos and checks all the boxes for cosmic horror, great all around.
The Whisper in Darkness - 3/5
The Mound - 2/5 there’s an interesting message in this story that I was not expecting, hard to tell if it’s intentional or not. I was conflicted on what to rate this, there is some good elements but overall found it to be lacking in too many places. Also lore-dump
At the Mountains of Madness - 5/5 slow start but ramps up to a gripping read towards the end. This one dumps a lot a lore as well but is forgivable given the narrative of the story
The Shadow over Innsmouth - 4/5 no idea what Zadok Allen said but the story was pretty good.
The Dreams in the Witch House - 2/5 Brown Jenkin carried. Witches and cosmic entities are an interesting combination but does not really mix well.
The Man of Stone - 1/5 possibly one of the most forgettable stories that ends fairly abruptly
The Horror in the Museum - 4/5 great, Ben Stiller would not last in this museum
The Thing on the Doorstep - 4/5 If I had read this story without reading “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” I would find myself very confused about most of the story elements. Luckily I did read
it first and I think it enhanced this story just a little
Out of the Aeons - 3/5 Another museum story. This one was decently interesting at least.
The Tree on the Hill - 3/5 a neat enough concept - photos revealing a terrifying hidden realm unseen to the human eye.
The Shadow out of Time - 2/5 get ready for the narrator to spend 2 whole chapters attempting to explain his dreams and how to astral-project. This story is too incredibly long and can easily put you to sleep in its monotony.
The Haunter of the Dark - 3/5 Pretty good, not a bad way to end the anthology. I could see how this would inspire scary concepts.
March 9, 2024
Last 2!
The Shadow out of Time - sometimes aliens from another time borrow your body to learn about humans.
The Haunter in the Dark - my fav!!! An artist gets captivated by a creepy church. A bunch of people holding candles gather during storms to keep a horror at bay in case the power goes out.
REVIEW
Loved it. I think horror is best as short stories, and this anthology is chock full of good ones.
While HP Lovecraft is not the most clean of historical figures, there is no denying his lasting influence. From dungeons and dragons, world or warcraft, shows like stranger things, modern literature, etc, his works are a contagious tour de force.
These stories are best enjoyed one at a time, as they were published in different media and often serialized. They are stand-alone, so it's really tough to read them all in one go. If you're curious, google the most popular ones, and you can probably find a webpage with it posted in full.
What I loved most is the language. He was published in the 20s and 30s, but he purposefully wrote in a victorian, archaic style. He was also a master of withholding information, only giving the reader a closer understanding at the most horrific moment.
The Shadow out of Time - sometimes aliens from another time borrow your body to learn about humans.
The Haunter in the Dark - my fav!!! An artist gets captivated by a creepy church. A bunch of people holding candles gather during storms to keep a horror at bay in case the power goes out.
REVIEW
Loved it. I think horror is best as short stories, and this anthology is chock full of good ones.
While HP Lovecraft is not the most clean of historical figures, there is no denying his lasting influence. From dungeons and dragons, world or warcraft, shows like stranger things, modern literature, etc, his works are a contagious tour de force.
These stories are best enjoyed one at a time, as they were published in different media and often serialized. They are stand-alone, so it's really tough to read them all in one go. If you're curious, google the most popular ones, and you can probably find a webpage with it posted in full.
What I loved most is the language. He was published in the 20s and 30s, but he purposefully wrote in a victorian, archaic style. He was also a master of withholding information, only giving the reader a closer understanding at the most horrific moment.
February 6, 2024
The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Tales collects all of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu stories with an introduction by Lovecraft scholar S.T. Joshi.
Of the twenty-three tales included, six of them were collaborations, stories he ghostwrote for his revision clients. This was my first time reading any of Lovecraft’s collaborations. I was impressed with the stories he worked on with Hazel Heald and Duane W. Rimel.
This edition is an embossed hardcover with gilt edged pages and a bound in ribbon bookmark. The art for the cover, endpapers, and included poster are all by John Coulhart and are outstanding.
Storywise I rate this collection 4/5, but this edition is so nice I have to bump it up to 5/5. It’s nice to have all the Cthulhu Mythos tales together and it looks great on the shelf.
My story ratings:
Dagon (4/5)
Nyarlathotep (3/5)
The Nameless City (3/5)
Azathoth (3/5)
The Hound (4/5)
The Festival (4/5)
The Call of Cthulhu (5/5)
The Colour Out of Space (5/5)
History of the Necronomicon (4/5)
The Curse of Yig (w/Zealia Bishop) (3/5)
The Dunwich Horror (5/5)
The Whisperer in Darkness (4/5)
The Mound (w/Zealia Bishop) (2/5)
At the Mountains of Madness (4/5)
The Shadow Over Innsmouth (5/5)
The Dreams in the Witch House (4/5)
The Man of Stone (w/Hazel Heald) (5/5)
The Horror in the Museum (w/Hazel Heald) (5/5)
The Thing on the Doorstep (5/5)
Out of the Aeons (w/Hazel Heald) (4/5)
The Tree on the Hill (w/Duane W. Rimel) (4/5)
The Shadow Out of Time (2.5/5)
The Haunter of the Dark (5/5)
Of the twenty-three tales included, six of them were collaborations, stories he ghostwrote for his revision clients. This was my first time reading any of Lovecraft’s collaborations. I was impressed with the stories he worked on with Hazel Heald and Duane W. Rimel.
This edition is an embossed hardcover with gilt edged pages and a bound in ribbon bookmark. The art for the cover, endpapers, and included poster are all by John Coulhart and are outstanding.
Storywise I rate this collection 4/5, but this edition is so nice I have to bump it up to 5/5. It’s nice to have all the Cthulhu Mythos tales together and it looks great on the shelf.
My story ratings:
Dagon (4/5)
Nyarlathotep (3/5)
The Nameless City (3/5)
Azathoth (3/5)
The Hound (4/5)
The Festival (4/5)
The Call of Cthulhu (5/5)
The Colour Out of Space (5/5)
History of the Necronomicon (4/5)
The Curse of Yig (w/Zealia Bishop) (3/5)
The Dunwich Horror (5/5)
The Whisperer in Darkness (4/5)
The Mound (w/Zealia Bishop) (2/5)
At the Mountains of Madness (4/5)
The Shadow Over Innsmouth (5/5)
The Dreams in the Witch House (4/5)
The Man of Stone (w/Hazel Heald) (5/5)
The Horror in the Museum (w/Hazel Heald) (5/5)
The Thing on the Doorstep (5/5)
Out of the Aeons (w/Hazel Heald) (4/5)
The Tree on the Hill (w/Duane W. Rimel) (4/5)
The Shadow Out of Time (2.5/5)
The Haunter of the Dark (5/5)
October 7, 2025
I really liked the creeping, unsettling mood in these stories. There’s no constant action, just a slow buildup of unease — strange things lurking at the edges, unknown cosmic forces that make you feel how small and insignificant humans really are. That whole “the universe doesn’t care about us” vibe is great cosmic horror.
The worldbuilding is super imaginative — ancient cults, forbidden books like the Necronomicon, madness, and the feeling that some knowledge is better left unknown. Those parts were fascinating.
But honestly, it wasn’t a very fun read. The insanely long descriptions, old-fashioned or obscure words, and never-ending sentences pulled me out of the story a lot. The characters also felt kind of flat — usually some version of a curious scholar or researcher, with not much personality or growth.
Glad I read it for the atmosphere and the Mythos, but it’s definitely more of a book to appreciate than to get lost in.
The worldbuilding is super imaginative — ancient cults, forbidden books like the Necronomicon, madness, and the feeling that some knowledge is better left unknown. Those parts were fascinating.
But honestly, it wasn’t a very fun read. The insanely long descriptions, old-fashioned or obscure words, and never-ending sentences pulled me out of the story a lot. The characters also felt kind of flat — usually some version of a curious scholar or researcher, with not much personality or growth.
Glad I read it for the atmosphere and the Mythos, but it’s definitely more of a book to appreciate than to get lost in.
July 5, 2025
En eldre novellesamling. Noen av novellene er litt tunge og lange, men de fleste er spennende. Boka er stor, grotesk og innbundet med gulldetaljer, så jeg føler meg litt som en Galtvort-elev som leser om forsvar mot svartekunster.
September 20, 2019
The fantasy and the mind of Howard Philips were and still are way beyond his time. As well as the universe he built up in the early 1900s, the detail and depth of that takes it even further. I can dwell off of is stories for hours just thinking about how and why. All his stories and mythos are connected in the most subtle ways. It makes the universe he describes even richer and broader. Oh how I can go on and on about these stories. Must read for all philosophical fantasy lovers who like a darker theme.
September 4, 2022
Ranking of Stories (from Best to Boring):
- The Colour Out Of Space
- Dagon
- The Dreams in the Witch House
- The Whisperer in Darkness
- The Shadow over Innsmouth
- The Dunwich Horror
- The Call of Cthulhu
- The Horror in the Museum
- The Thing At The Doorstep
- Out of the Aeons
- The Haunter of the Dark
- Nyarlathotep
- History of the Necronomicon
- The Festival
- The Tree on the Hill
- The Shadow out of Time
- The Man of Stone
- The Nameless City
- The Hound
- The Mound
- Azathoth
- The Curse of Yig
- The Colour Out Of Space
- Dagon
- The Dreams in the Witch House
- The Whisperer in Darkness
- The Shadow over Innsmouth
- The Dunwich Horror
- The Call of Cthulhu
- The Horror in the Museum
- The Thing At The Doorstep
- Out of the Aeons
- The Haunter of the Dark
- Nyarlathotep
- History of the Necronomicon
- The Festival
- The Tree on the Hill
- The Shadow out of Time
- The Man of Stone
- The Nameless City
- The Hound
- The Mound
- Azathoth
- The Curse of Yig
December 8, 2022
The GOAT (or should I say Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young)!!! You'll never read the word "Cyclopean" this many times in your life!
February 21, 2017
Tales of Giant Aliens
By OSCAR
The Cthulhu Mythos is easily the most recognizable creation of American horror writer H.P Lovecraft. It offers an incredible collection of short stories that use vivid expressions to display the true horror of the creatures born of Lovecraft’s mind.
Short stories like “The Call of Cthulhu” or “The Shadow over Innsmouth” depict powerful alien beings that will outlive Death itself “That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even Death may die.” Lovecraft’s creativity when making these stories is what makes them unique compared to other monstrous stories. Unlike other stories that include atrocious beings, Lovecraft’s monsters (or gods as described by Lovecraft) are not derived from anything. Books like “Beowulf” by Michael Morpurgo or “Dead Sea” by Brian Keene have familiar monsters such as dragons and zombies (like we haven’t seen them before) while on the other hand, the Cthulhu Mythos contains entities who are time and space itself, coming straight off of Lovecraft’s pen.
One of my favorite stories from the mythos is “The Dunwich Horror” which shows the insignificance of humans to these creatures as we are just unnoticeable compared to their sheer scale of size and power. The plot of the story takes place in the small town of Dunwich, Massachusetts and revolves around a boy named Wilbur Whateley who is the hideous deformed son of Lavinia Whateley and an unknown father. Wilbur matures at an abnormal rate as he reaches adulthood within a decade. Strange events occur surrounding Wilbur’s birth and locals are shunning him and his family.
Following his mother’s disappearance soon after Wilbur matured, he and his grandfather work to uncover the secrets of the strange events. They uncover horrific things and gain unwanted knowledge of a hideous being by the name of Yog-Sothoth. The story reveals that the vile creature was omniscient and omnipresent, “Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread” revealing that it was an outer god whom is outside of the entire multiverse and exists outside the planes of existence. Just by merely knowing the name Yog-Sothoth can drive the strongest willed to insanity. Wilbur and his grandfather continue digging deeper into the unknown as the insanity slowly consumed their mind.
Another brilliant work of art by Lovecraft is “The Hound.” It uses a lot of vivid imagery such as “Madness rides the star-wind... claws and teeth sharpened on centuries of corpses... dripping death astride a Bacchanale of bats from nigh-black ruins of buried temples of Belial...” to capture the haunting events throughout the story. “The Hound” is the first story in the entire Cthulhu Mythos that includes one of Lovecraft’s most famous fictional books, the Necronomicon. The forbidden book was made of human flesh, its pages made of human skins, and the words written using only human blood.
The story is focused around the narrator and his friend, St. John, who are grave robbers. One night, they travel to a grave site where an ancient “ghoul” was buried. As they enter, they hear the baying of a hound in the distance, but rashly ignored it. After excavating the coffin, they find a jade amulet worn by the skeletal remains. Recognizing it from the Necronomicon, the narrator and his friend snatched the amulet and ran. As the pair left, they heard the baying of a hound once more. As both men went home, the baying of the hound was heard once more and the narrator’s friend was violently attacked and killed by an unknown creature. The narrator knew the amulet was causing all this and knew he was next. He knew he had to return the amulet to its rightful owner, but abruptly found it stolen.
The next morning, while reading the newspapers, the narrator reads of a band of bandits were found dismembered by an unknown creature. He returns to the grave site to excavate the coffin once more, but this time, he finds that the skeletal remains were covered in caked blood, flesh, and hair. A claw to in the coffin as well, with the amulet in its bloody grip. The skeletal remains suddenly let out a howl, the same as the hound the narrator had heard so many times before, and the narrator fled. As he ran, it was revealed that the story was a suicide note and the narrator planned to take his own life with a revolver. “I shall seek with my revolver the oblivion which is my only refuge from the unnamed and unnamable.”
Finally, the most roconizable story written by Lovecraft is “The Call of Cthulhu.” With the whole mythos named after it, there’s no doubt this is the best piece of work Lovecraft has made. The tale is split into three sections, The Horror in Clay, The Tale of Inspector Legrasse, and The Madness from the Sea.
The story starts off with The Horror in Clay in which a bas-relief sculpture is found in the newspapers and the narrator describes "...my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature...A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings." The sculpture were discovered to be the works of Henry Anthony Wilcox. The sculpture was associated with the words Cthulhu and R’lyeh. Shortly afterwards, Wilcox enters a state of delirium while dreaming. It was revealed afterwards that there were cases of mental outbreaks all over the world. Lovecraft perfectly describes the human mind with this quote, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
The second part of the story, The Tale of Inspector Legrasse occurs during the massive outbreak. Inspector Legrasse is sent to investigate the disappearance of several women and children. Their oddly disfigured bodies were found, being used for a ritual. A chant was heard during the ritual, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." (Probably Lovecraft’s most famous book quote) which translates to “In his house in R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
The third and final part of the story, The Madness from the Sea, focuses on a Norwegian seaman by the name of Johansen. He was killed by two sailors but he had an important message left behind. “The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled.” His encounter with Cthulhu had resulted in the death of many fishermen and the sanity of his friend, but Johansen survived Cthulhu unscathed, through various methods of crashing a boat into specific locations.
Lovecraft spent most of his life perfecting the Cthulhu Mythos and succeeded in doing so. He died on March 15, 1937, at the age of 46 due to cancer and mental illness. He was never able to complete most of his work, but the great writing he has will do down as some of the best horror short stories.
By OSCAR
The Cthulhu Mythos is easily the most recognizable creation of American horror writer H.P Lovecraft. It offers an incredible collection of short stories that use vivid expressions to display the true horror of the creatures born of Lovecraft’s mind.
Short stories like “The Call of Cthulhu” or “The Shadow over Innsmouth” depict powerful alien beings that will outlive Death itself “That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even Death may die.” Lovecraft’s creativity when making these stories is what makes them unique compared to other monstrous stories. Unlike other stories that include atrocious beings, Lovecraft’s monsters (or gods as described by Lovecraft) are not derived from anything. Books like “Beowulf” by Michael Morpurgo or “Dead Sea” by Brian Keene have familiar monsters such as dragons and zombies (like we haven’t seen them before) while on the other hand, the Cthulhu Mythos contains entities who are time and space itself, coming straight off of Lovecraft’s pen.
One of my favorite stories from the mythos is “The Dunwich Horror” which shows the insignificance of humans to these creatures as we are just unnoticeable compared to their sheer scale of size and power. The plot of the story takes place in the small town of Dunwich, Massachusetts and revolves around a boy named Wilbur Whateley who is the hideous deformed son of Lavinia Whateley and an unknown father. Wilbur matures at an abnormal rate as he reaches adulthood within a decade. Strange events occur surrounding Wilbur’s birth and locals are shunning him and his family.
Following his mother’s disappearance soon after Wilbur matured, he and his grandfather work to uncover the secrets of the strange events. They uncover horrific things and gain unwanted knowledge of a hideous being by the name of Yog-Sothoth. The story reveals that the vile creature was omniscient and omnipresent, “Yog-Sothoth knows the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the gate. Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Yog-Sothoth. He knows where the Old Ones broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread” revealing that it was an outer god whom is outside of the entire multiverse and exists outside the planes of existence. Just by merely knowing the name Yog-Sothoth can drive the strongest willed to insanity. Wilbur and his grandfather continue digging deeper into the unknown as the insanity slowly consumed their mind.
Another brilliant work of art by Lovecraft is “The Hound.” It uses a lot of vivid imagery such as “Madness rides the star-wind... claws and teeth sharpened on centuries of corpses... dripping death astride a Bacchanale of bats from nigh-black ruins of buried temples of Belial...” to capture the haunting events throughout the story. “The Hound” is the first story in the entire Cthulhu Mythos that includes one of Lovecraft’s most famous fictional books, the Necronomicon. The forbidden book was made of human flesh, its pages made of human skins, and the words written using only human blood.
The story is focused around the narrator and his friend, St. John, who are grave robbers. One night, they travel to a grave site where an ancient “ghoul” was buried. As they enter, they hear the baying of a hound in the distance, but rashly ignored it. After excavating the coffin, they find a jade amulet worn by the skeletal remains. Recognizing it from the Necronomicon, the narrator and his friend snatched the amulet and ran. As the pair left, they heard the baying of a hound once more. As both men went home, the baying of the hound was heard once more and the narrator’s friend was violently attacked and killed by an unknown creature. The narrator knew the amulet was causing all this and knew he was next. He knew he had to return the amulet to its rightful owner, but abruptly found it stolen.
The next morning, while reading the newspapers, the narrator reads of a band of bandits were found dismembered by an unknown creature. He returns to the grave site to excavate the coffin once more, but this time, he finds that the skeletal remains were covered in caked blood, flesh, and hair. A claw to in the coffin as well, with the amulet in its bloody grip. The skeletal remains suddenly let out a howl, the same as the hound the narrator had heard so many times before, and the narrator fled. As he ran, it was revealed that the story was a suicide note and the narrator planned to take his own life with a revolver. “I shall seek with my revolver the oblivion which is my only refuge from the unnamed and unnamable.”
Finally, the most roconizable story written by Lovecraft is “The Call of Cthulhu.” With the whole mythos named after it, there’s no doubt this is the best piece of work Lovecraft has made. The tale is split into three sections, The Horror in Clay, The Tale of Inspector Legrasse, and The Madness from the Sea.
The story starts off with The Horror in Clay in which a bas-relief sculpture is found in the newspapers and the narrator describes "...my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature...A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings." The sculpture were discovered to be the works of Henry Anthony Wilcox. The sculpture was associated with the words Cthulhu and R’lyeh. Shortly afterwards, Wilcox enters a state of delirium while dreaming. It was revealed afterwards that there were cases of mental outbreaks all over the world. Lovecraft perfectly describes the human mind with this quote, “We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.”
The second part of the story, The Tale of Inspector Legrasse occurs during the massive outbreak. Inspector Legrasse is sent to investigate the disappearance of several women and children. Their oddly disfigured bodies were found, being used for a ritual. A chant was heard during the ritual, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." (Probably Lovecraft’s most famous book quote) which translates to “In his house in R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”
The third and final part of the story, The Madness from the Sea, focuses on a Norwegian seaman by the name of Johansen. He was killed by two sailors but he had an important message left behind. “The Thing cannot be described - there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order. A mountain walked or stumbled.” His encounter with Cthulhu had resulted in the death of many fishermen and the sanity of his friend, but Johansen survived Cthulhu unscathed, through various methods of crashing a boat into specific locations.
Lovecraft spent most of his life perfecting the Cthulhu Mythos and succeeded in doing so. He died on March 15, 1937, at the age of 46 due to cancer and mental illness. He was never able to complete most of his work, but the great writing he has will do down as some of the best horror short stories.
April 3, 2021
I initially looked into reading these works as I had taken an interest in a table top role playing game based on the mythos itself. The game recommended reading a few short works so finding this edition was the best choice as it provided a well designed book to add to our home library while also providing the stories required to help run the game.
To get to the stories, it’s a fascinating feeling to read stories that likely inspired many horror films and other media later in history. I hardly knew anything of these works or the writer behind them. It was enjoyable to read these stories as I would remind myself they were written around 100 years ago and not in a pulpy magazine from the 90’s. There are some issues though regarding the writing however.
This edition contains over 20 short stories each playing a part in the mythos Lovecraft created over time and while the ideas were fantastic I had one problem with the writing style. It could be excruciating to read at times
You could perhaps chalk up the reason that Lovecraft is so wordy in his descriptions to the lack of editing, style of the time, lack of visual cues, or perhaps he was paid for length in the magazines that published him (I have no evidence to support that last claim). I found myself at time looking up illustrations by artists for the stories as I would read an entire page and realize I had no idea what was just described due to the vague wordy writing. I understand the purpose of vague descriptions as it’s supposed to be up to the reader to visualize the horror but it became a chore sometimes.
A good example is “The shadow out of time” it’s a great story with a cool idea way ahead of its time until you get around 2/3 of the way in. At this point Lovecraft describes a long drawn out event of the main character discovering and trekking through a location only to finally get to the payoff much later. I was sucked out of the story despite a interesting payoff.
Despite the subjective shortcomings; the importance of these works cannot be ignored. Many people have taken the ideas and are doing very Incredible things with them despite these particular works troubled background.I’m glad to have read them and it’s opened up new interest in horror that hasn’t been fed in a long time.
To get to the stories, it’s a fascinating feeling to read stories that likely inspired many horror films and other media later in history. I hardly knew anything of these works or the writer behind them. It was enjoyable to read these stories as I would remind myself they were written around 100 years ago and not in a pulpy magazine from the 90’s. There are some issues though regarding the writing however.
This edition contains over 20 short stories each playing a part in the mythos Lovecraft created over time and while the ideas were fantastic I had one problem with the writing style. It could be excruciating to read at times
You could perhaps chalk up the reason that Lovecraft is so wordy in his descriptions to the lack of editing, style of the time, lack of visual cues, or perhaps he was paid for length in the magazines that published him (I have no evidence to support that last claim). I found myself at time looking up illustrations by artists for the stories as I would read an entire page and realize I had no idea what was just described due to the vague wordy writing. I understand the purpose of vague descriptions as it’s supposed to be up to the reader to visualize the horror but it became a chore sometimes.
A good example is “The shadow out of time” it’s a great story with a cool idea way ahead of its time until you get around 2/3 of the way in. At this point Lovecraft describes a long drawn out event of the main character discovering and trekking through a location only to finally get to the payoff much later. I was sucked out of the story despite a interesting payoff.
Despite the subjective shortcomings; the importance of these works cannot be ignored. Many people have taken the ideas and are doing very Incredible things with them despite these particular works troubled background.I’m glad to have read them and it’s opened up new interest in horror that hasn’t been fed in a long time.
October 1, 2023
The book was a very entertaining read, and the style of writing did a very good job of building up tension and supplying important details in a gripping way. The person who compiled the stories also did a good job of arranging the stories in such a way as to build up the readers understanding of the mythos gradually and allow the reader to make connections and discoveries as they went through the book. For example, one of the first few stories involves a short glimpse into a world hidden away miles underground, and one of the latter stories allow the reader to understand the mysteries that were left unanswered at the end of the first. Furthermore, Lovecraft's style of writing builds up the individual stories to a shocking climax for nearly every story in this compilation. Unfortunately, more than a few of Lovecraft's stories suffer from the man's racist beliefs and paint any black or native american characters within the stories as savages that worship and sacrifice to the eldritch horrors that he wrote about, so I found it harder to enjoy some of his work despite how good he was at writing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2025
3.5/5
I finally had to call it quits with 3 stories left in the collection because I just got tired of reading them and needed to start a new book to get back into the swing of reading. That is not an indictment of the stories themselves, just how I was reading them. I recommend that you only read a few of these at a time rather than do what I did and try to read them straight through in one go. Many of them are just very similar and it leads to burnout.
All that being said, for the most part I did enjoy the stories. I think the shorter ones were better than most of the longer ones. But there is something inherently creepy and unsettling about the unknown that Lovecraft tackles exceptionally well. However, it is a bit of a cop out how often he resorts to the trope of the horrors being indescribable or incomprehensible and says he can’t describe them here in detail.
I will probably go back and finish the last three stories at some point, but I just need a break. Overall I would recommend this but with the warning that you should definitely break them up with other reading in between so as not to get bored or burnt out.
I finally had to call it quits with 3 stories left in the collection because I just got tired of reading them and needed to start a new book to get back into the swing of reading. That is not an indictment of the stories themselves, just how I was reading them. I recommend that you only read a few of these at a time rather than do what I did and try to read them straight through in one go. Many of them are just very similar and it leads to burnout.
All that being said, for the most part I did enjoy the stories. I think the shorter ones were better than most of the longer ones. But there is something inherently creepy and unsettling about the unknown that Lovecraft tackles exceptionally well. However, it is a bit of a cop out how often he resorts to the trope of the horrors being indescribable or incomprehensible and says he can’t describe them here in detail.
I will probably go back and finish the last three stories at some point, but I just need a break. Overall I would recommend this but with the warning that you should definitely break them up with other reading in between so as not to get bored or burnt out.
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April 15, 2024Dnfed it 50% in the book.
I really don't enjoy the way he writes. all the stories are just one person talking about the things that happened to them or their relatives or coworkers . and even that character doesn't have any depth it's just long sentences after one another rambling. it really gets boring just reading one pov that's not even well written.
he's of course one of the masters in Gothic literature but personally I prefer Poe's works more. I only loved one of his stories that I didn't even read that in this book.
I really don't enjoy the way he writes. all the stories are just one person talking about the things that happened to them or their relatives or coworkers . and even that character doesn't have any depth it's just long sentences after one another rambling. it really gets boring just reading one pov that's not even well written.
he's of course one of the masters in Gothic literature but personally I prefer Poe's works more. I only loved one of his stories that I didn't even read that in this book.
June 20, 2022
While at times monotonously repetitive (especially at the end), this shit busted. The language was beautiful and there were plenty of genuinely eerie moments. The Colour out of Space and The Mound were two that really stuck out to me.
August 16, 2023
If I could give 0 stars I would. This book was the vain of my existence and one if the more painful things I've had to do in my life. Never again.
April 30, 2021
I am reviewing the general look and feel of the book here. This is truly a "want to have on the shelf and show everyone" edition. I got this book at the Forbidden Planet in London for very little money. The typography is also great, it's really rare to see something like this.
Now we come to the big problem. It should be clear to everyone that Lovecraft was a racist and white supremacist. But the fact that this collection really doesn't address this at all and only speaks highly of the author is really unpleasant. Nevertheless, racist texts are simply printed here and not put into context.
At least this book makes me want to look further into the critical examination of Lovecraft.
Now we come to the big problem. It should be clear to everyone that Lovecraft was a racist and white supremacist. But the fact that this collection really doesn't address this at all and only speaks highly of the author is really unpleasant. Nevertheless, racist texts are simply printed here and not put into context.
At least this book makes me want to look further into the critical examination of Lovecraft.
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