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The Dark Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft #5
The Dark Worlds of H.P. Lovecraft, Volume 5
This volume includes "The Thing on the Doorstep," "Haunter of the Dark," and "The Lurking Fear".
Audiobook
First published April 25, 2006
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About the author
H.P. Lovecraft
6,039 books19.2k followersHoward Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
— Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 27, 2011
A very good collection, this one features "The Haunter in the Dark", "The Thing at the Doorstep" and "The Lurking Fear". I was surprised to read how many critics rated "Thing at the Doorstep" so lowly, I thought it was representative of some of his best writing. "The Lurking Fear" is a gem of gothic terror, highlighting a very good visit with weird old uncle HP.
December 19, 2022
The Thing on the Doorstep: This is a kind of sequel to the Shadow over Innsmouth. Here one of those freaky frog ladies marries an unsuspecting rube and begins to take over his body for longer and longer periods of time. It's quite creepy and the ending effective.
Haunter of the Dark: Never ever go into an evil church and start snooping around in a Lovecraft story! It will always end in death or madness and frequently both!
The Lurking Fear: An unfortunate story where Lovecraft's racism outweighs the scares. But I do enjoy imbred hillbilly monster tunnels!
Haunter of the Dark: Never ever go into an evil church and start snooping around in a Lovecraft story! It will always end in death or madness and frequently both!
The Lurking Fear: An unfortunate story where Lovecraft's racism outweighs the scares. But I do enjoy imbred hillbilly monster tunnels!
January 31, 2019
Highly enjoyable audiobook.
January 17, 2024
“The Lurking Fear” is the standout story in this volume. It elevated this from 3 stars to 4 for me.
The performance from the narrator is outstanding and I love the way he conveys dread. Really excellent stuff!
I recommend!
The performance from the narrator is outstanding and I love the way he conveys dread. Really excellent stuff!
I recommend!
June 27, 2025
Nobody talks about Italians quite like Lovecraft.
August 16, 2017
I'm not going to write a full review, but I will say that this was awesome. Wayne June is brilliant, as always. Further thoughts on H.P. Lovecraft and this series can be read in my review of Volume 3, but I thought I'd make a quick note on each of the three stories in this volume.
"The Haunter of the Dark" is one of my personal favorites. How it has avoided being made into a movie baffles me. A curious writer explores an abandoned church and inadvertently awakens a shadowy horror. A lot of the really cool things in this story have been aped in film and TV to no end, most recently in , but there are certain aspects that to the best of my knowledge are exclusive to this story. It's original, ultra-spooky, and strangely inspiring. One of the unique aspects of this story is that the community bands together to try to fight this thing, even though its intended victim isn't one of them. For as patently xenophobic as Lovecraft was, he sure made the Italians and Irish sympathetic in this story. He does a similar thing with hillbillies in "The Lurking Fear", initially being super condescending and then having them be the heroes in the end. Anyway, highly recommended, and a great place to start if you're new to Lovecraft.
"The Thing on the Doorstep" is one of H.P.'s best. A man murders his best friend in broad daylight just as he's beginning to recover his physical and mental health. The story recounts the events leading up to the murder, and the trail of baffling evidence left behind. Holy smokes this is a great story! Despite the dozens of imitators, including titles like , this one remains fresh and disturbing to this day. You should be advised that "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a sort-of sequel to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". It's a great story regardless, but you're going to get more out of it if you understand the family history of certain characters involved.
Following the unexplained massacre of a group of squatters in the backwoods, a writer decides to get to the bottom of the issue by any means necessary in "The Lurking Fear". His obsession only grows as the body count rises and the storms around Mt. Tempest intensify. This one isn't a real standout in Lovecraft's work, but it's still a very fun, spooky little story. Lovecraft wasn't known for blood and gore, preferring more psychological horror; so, while this is one of his bloodiest stories, "The Lurking Fear" is still fairly tame by modern standards. This story is also notable for being the inspiration for .
"The Haunter of the Dark" is one of my personal favorites. How it has avoided being made into a movie baffles me. A curious writer explores an abandoned church and inadvertently awakens a shadowy horror. A lot of the really cool things in this story have been aped in film and TV to no end, most recently in , but there are certain aspects that to the best of my knowledge are exclusive to this story. It's original, ultra-spooky, and strangely inspiring. One of the unique aspects of this story is that the community bands together to try to fight this thing, even though its intended victim isn't one of them. For as patently xenophobic as Lovecraft was, he sure made the Italians and Irish sympathetic in this story. He does a similar thing with hillbillies in "The Lurking Fear", initially being super condescending and then having them be the heroes in the end. Anyway, highly recommended, and a great place to start if you're new to Lovecraft.
"The Thing on the Doorstep" is one of H.P.'s best. A man murders his best friend in broad daylight just as he's beginning to recover his physical and mental health. The story recounts the events leading up to the murder, and the trail of baffling evidence left behind. Holy smokes this is a great story! Despite the dozens of imitators, including titles like , this one remains fresh and disturbing to this day. You should be advised that "The Thing on the Doorstep" is a sort-of sequel to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". It's a great story regardless, but you're going to get more out of it if you understand the family history of certain characters involved.
Following the unexplained massacre of a group of squatters in the backwoods, a writer decides to get to the bottom of the issue by any means necessary in "The Lurking Fear". His obsession only grows as the body count rises and the storms around Mt. Tempest intensify. This one isn't a real standout in Lovecraft's work, but it's still a very fun, spooky little story. Lovecraft wasn't known for blood and gore, preferring more psychological horror; so, while this is one of his bloodiest stories, "The Lurking Fear" is still fairly tame by modern standards. This story is also notable for being the inspiration for .
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July 11, 2024TRIGGER WARNINGS: Body Horror, Confinement, Death, Racism, Xenophobia
I don’t feel comfortable rating Lovecraft stories because the racism and xenophobia of the author shows on his work. But do I like his kind of atmospheric, out of this world Horror? Yes. The man could write bleak, gloomy atmosphere with touches of madness. However, I cannot recommend his stories without making it clear that at some points in his text you do see his racist and Xenophobic inclinations. There is no denying it. So BIG Trigger Warnings for those, though in recent editions of his works I can see the effort from editors to “clean” the offensive language.
I don’t feel comfortable rating Lovecraft stories because the racism and xenophobia of the author shows on his work. But do I like his kind of atmospheric, out of this world Horror? Yes. The man could write bleak, gloomy atmosphere with touches of madness. However, I cannot recommend his stories without making it clear that at some points in his text you do see his racist and Xenophobic inclinations. There is no denying it. So BIG Trigger Warnings for those, though in recent editions of his works I can see the effort from editors to “clean” the offensive language.
October 20, 2021
The Haunter of the Dark was the standout in this collection. The Thing on the Doorstep was cool also. Thematically, I think that one had a lot to do with men's fear of women or fear of losing their autonomy or authority in marriage, which is not really my favorite in retrospect, especially given Lovecraft's social views, but it was still very creepy and engaging. Lurking Fear put Lovecraft's atrocious social views too much in the foreground to really be enjoyable.
April 22, 2018
The Lurking Fear - ancient burial mounds, genealogy, missing faces, and inbreeding make for a creepy tale.
The Thing on the Doorstep - The title will keep you guessing until the end. This is a well-paced tale of magic and horror.
Haunter of the Dark - Lovecraft's last known written work, it's a scary tale of church and black magic. A good yarn.
The Thing on the Doorstep - The title will keep you guessing until the end. This is a well-paced tale of magic and horror.
Haunter of the Dark - Lovecraft's last known written work, it's a scary tale of church and black magic. A good yarn.
July 18, 2024
The thing on the doorstep was probably the creepiest of this collection, followed pretty closely by the lurking fear, that one he did a very good job of keeping the reader in suspense until the very end. There is definitely a pattern to the way Lovecraft writes, but the lurking fear broke the mold a little bit and it was definitely a benefit.
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December 11, 2025Lovecraft is at his best when he's writing a story that is about a guy watching some other guy's life go to shit. Like, I say that jokingly, but there is something so wonderfully done about being in the perspective of a character who is watching horror unfold on someone else, and they don't understand what is happening and they can't do anything to stop it.
August 12, 2018
I always enjoy revisiting the source material, and reaffirming why I love Lovecraft's work. Spectacular. Additionally, the narrator, Wayne June, made the tales come alive with a growling delivery full of dark portent and menace. Well done!
October 14, 2018
I love a good horror short story! We listed to the audio book while cooking together this evening. It was perfect for October! My favorite was the second story in the collection of three “The Thing On The Doorstep.” It was creepy and dark and mystical!
November 13, 2023
A solid collection of Lovecraft stories. Wayne June, as always in this series, does an excellent job. Most people will listen to this for The Haunter in the Dark, but I am one of those weirdos who quite enjoy The Thing on the Doorstep and The Lurking Fear as well.
January 1, 2018
Good stories and well read, but not Lovecraft's best works.
April 29, 2018
" A nameless, shapeless abomination ! "
July 28, 2018
Wayne is the perfect voice for this! Andrew Leman and Sean Branney get awesome runner up awards for their narrations.
September 2, 2018
Good fun...
Recommended
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Recommended
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
February 6, 2020
The Thing on the Doorstep - 5 Stars
Haunter of the Dark - 3.5 Stars
The Lurking Fear - 5 Stars
Haunter of the Dark - 3.5 Stars
The Lurking Fear - 5 Stars
May 13, 2021
Just like old-time radio shows.
March 19, 2023
58%
The haunting on the doorstep was the best piece here the rest had trouble sticking.
The haunting on the doorstep was the best piece here the rest had trouble sticking.
April 28, 2023
All these stories sound the same after a while
February 8, 2024
4.4/5
Decent stories, read by the incredible Wayne June. I don't have much to say about these particular stories but June's reading of them really makes them better than they already were.
Decent stories, read by the incredible Wayne June. I don't have much to say about these particular stories but June's reading of them really makes them better than they already were.
July 2, 2024
Excellent listen.
May 19, 2022
Another excellent audiobook of Lovecraft works. It took me a while to write up my review, as all of my Lovecraft knowledge has started to bleed together and I'd like to start differentiating the works from each other in my reviews for my future reference. I have attempted to do so here without spoilers, but please let me know if I have failed and I will go back and spoiler tag this.
"The Thing on the Doorstep": An interesting story involving possession. Fascinating, if a bit slow and long-winded by today's standards, in the traditional creeping horror Lovecraft style.
"Haunter of the Dark": A story about Robert Blake, that upon research, is far more intertwined with the Cthulhu mythos than I realized when first listening to it.
"The Lurking Fear": A monster story about an isolated, rich Dutch immigrant family.
"The Thing on the Doorstep": An interesting story involving possession. Fascinating, if a bit slow and long-winded by today's standards, in the traditional creeping horror Lovecraft style.
"Haunter of the Dark": A story about Robert Blake, that upon research, is far more intertwined with the Cthulhu mythos than I realized when first listening to it.
"The Lurking Fear": A monster story about an isolated, rich Dutch immigrant family.
February 28, 2013
Of the previous collection, The Shunned House was the standout, and the other two were enjoyable but probably on the lower end of what I've experienced of Lovecraft so far. Of course, even the weakest of Lovecraft is still among my favorite fiction ever written.
But this is a somewhat stronger collection overall. At the Mountains of Madness remains my absolute favorite piece of Lovecraft fiction, and I don't expect it to be equaled by any other. And following behind Mountains comes stories like The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth (with which I almost want to include Dagon as a kind of prologue), Herbert West Re-Animator, and The Horror at Red Hook.
The three stories contained in this collection are not quite on the level of any of those I just mentioned, but they certainly do come close. The Thing on the Doorstep may be the most interesting one among them, having better character development than most Lovecraft stories.
With this volume, I have now completely run out of Wayne June recordings of Lovecraft fiction. Volume 6 was what started my journey into Lovecraft's world. And it seems that there have been rumblings for the past few years of a Volume 7 being in the works, supposedly set to include The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward. I hope it comes out soon. I'm reluctant to experience any of Lovecraft's stories without Wayne June. But if I do, then I will surely be conjuring up his voice in my imagination.
But this is a somewhat stronger collection overall. At the Mountains of Madness remains my absolute favorite piece of Lovecraft fiction, and I don't expect it to be equaled by any other. And following behind Mountains comes stories like The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth (with which I almost want to include Dagon as a kind of prologue), Herbert West Re-Animator, and The Horror at Red Hook.
The three stories contained in this collection are not quite on the level of any of those I just mentioned, but they certainly do come close. The Thing on the Doorstep may be the most interesting one among them, having better character development than most Lovecraft stories.
With this volume, I have now completely run out of Wayne June recordings of Lovecraft fiction. Volume 6 was what started my journey into Lovecraft's world. And it seems that there have been rumblings for the past few years of a Volume 7 being in the works, supposedly set to include The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward. I hope it comes out soon. I'm reluctant to experience any of Lovecraft's stories without Wayne June. But if I do, then I will surely be conjuring up his voice in my imagination.
November 27, 2015
...is one of weird fiction's most celebrated authors. He is enshrined in the Library of America. Stephen King calls him "the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." The author of the novel "Psycho," Robert Bloch, once wrote, "Poe and Lovecraft are our two American geniuses of fantasy, comparable each to the other, but incomparably superior to all the rest who follow."
September 13, 2010
Wayne June is insanely good as the narrator of this collection of HP Lovecraft stories and Novellas. His voice and characterizations are truly creepy and put you right into Lovecraft's stories in a way I never thought possible.
It is good enough for me to consider dropping some serious money on buying them instead of ritualistically checking them out from my library.
It is good enough for me to consider dropping some serious money on buying them instead of ritualistically checking them out from my library.
February 18, 2010
Not the best 3 Lovecraft stories. But this is all Milwaukee Public Library has on audio cds. This is volume 5 and probably is the only volume MPL has because Milwaukee is mentioned in one of the stories. I think the other volumes would be interesting to listen to.
March 6, 2014
Claustrophic and nihilistic oozings - brilliant.
Wayne June's voice is just right for the job.
Wayne June's voice is just right for the job.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews