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Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos
When H. P. Lovecraft first introduced his macabre universe in the pages of Weird Tales magazine, the response was electrifying. Gifted writers—among them his closest peers—added sinister new elements to the fear-drenched landscape. Here are some of the most famous original stories from the pulp era that played a pivotal role in reflecting the master’s dark vision.
FANE OF THE BLACK PHARAOH by Robert Bloch: A man obsessed with unearthing dark secrets succumbs to the lure of the forbidden.
BELLS OF HORROR by Henry Kuttner: Infernal chimes ring the promise of dementia and mutilation.
THE FIRE OF ASSHURBANIPAL by Robert E. Howard: In the burning Afghan desert, a young American unleashes an ancient curse.
THE ABYSS by Robert A. W. Lowndes: A hypnotized man finds himself in an alternate universe, trapped on a high wire between life and death.
AND SIXTEEN MORE TALES OF ICY TERROR . . .
THE THING ON THE ROOF by Robert E. Howard
THE SEVEN GEASES by Clark Ashton Smith
THE INVADERS by Henry Kuttner
THE THING THAT WALKED ON THE WIND by August Derleth
ITHAQUA by August Derleth
THE LAIR OF THE STAR-SPAWN by August Derleth & Mark Schorer
THE LORD OF ILLUSION by E. Hoffmann Price
THE WARDER OF KNOWLEDGE by Richard F. Searight
THE SCOURGE OF B’MOTH by Bertram Russell
THE HOUSE OF THE WORM by Mearle Prout
SPAWN OF THE GREEN ABYSS by C. Hall Thompson
THE GUARDIAN OF THE BOOK by Henry Hasse
MUSIC OF THE STARS by Duane W. Rimel
THE AQUARIUM by Carl Jacobi
THE HORROR OUT OF LOVECRAFT by Donald A. Wollheim
TO ARKHAM AND THE STARS by Fritz Leiber
FANE OF THE BLACK PHARAOH by Robert Bloch: A man obsessed with unearthing dark secrets succumbs to the lure of the forbidden.
BELLS OF HORROR by Henry Kuttner: Infernal chimes ring the promise of dementia and mutilation.
THE FIRE OF ASSHURBANIPAL by Robert E. Howard: In the burning Afghan desert, a young American unleashes an ancient curse.
THE ABYSS by Robert A. W. Lowndes: A hypnotized man finds himself in an alternate universe, trapped on a high wire between life and death.
AND SIXTEEN MORE TALES OF ICY TERROR . . .
THE THING ON THE ROOF by Robert E. Howard
THE SEVEN GEASES by Clark Ashton Smith
THE INVADERS by Henry Kuttner
THE THING THAT WALKED ON THE WIND by August Derleth
ITHAQUA by August Derleth
THE LAIR OF THE STAR-SPAWN by August Derleth & Mark Schorer
THE LORD OF ILLUSION by E. Hoffmann Price
THE WARDER OF KNOWLEDGE by Richard F. Searight
THE SCOURGE OF B’MOTH by Bertram Russell
THE HOUSE OF THE WORM by Mearle Prout
SPAWN OF THE GREEN ABYSS by C. Hall Thompson
THE GUARDIAN OF THE BOOK by Henry Hasse
MUSIC OF THE STARS by Duane W. Rimel
THE AQUARIUM by Carl Jacobi
THE HORROR OUT OF LOVECRAFT by Donald A. Wollheim
TO ARKHAM AND THE STARS by Fritz Leiber
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
18 people are currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Robert M. Price
405 books240 followersRobert McNair Price is an American theologian and writer. He teaches philosophy and religion at the Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, is professor of biblical criticism at the Center for Inquiry Institute, and the author of a number of books on theology and the historicity of Jesus, asserting the Christ myth theory.
A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.
A former Baptist minister, he was the editor of the Journal of Higher Criticism from 1994 until it ceased publication in 2003. He has also written extensively about the Cthulhu Mythos, a "shared universe" created by H.P. Lovecraft.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 12, 2008
In the introduction to this book, Robert M. Price notes that he (as editor) put together this book to "assemble the stories in which certain important Mythos names or items are either first mentioned or most fully explained by the author who created them." (xx) The authors of these stories are part of the first wave of Lovecraft-influenced writers, and some of these stories have never found their way into modern anthologies.
The contents list (with a * denoting my favorites):
1. "The Thing on the Roof", by Robert E. Howard: A man who finds the first edition of Von Juntz's Nameless Cults leads a scholar to a temple in an old Honduras Jungle -- where you just know something bad is going to happen.
2. "The Fire of Asshurbanipal" by Robert E. Howard: The discovery of a mythical ancient city awakes an ancient evil in the Arabian desert.
3."The Seven Geases" by Clark Ashton Smith: to be honest, I have another collection or two by CAS so I didn't read this one in anticipation of reading it another time.
4. "Fane of the Black Pharaoh" by Robert Bloch*: In which a man's future is written in stone (literally), and in which he is forced to see it. Awesome story.
5. "The Invaders" by Henry Kuttner*: Set north of Santa Barbara CA, the story tells of a man who calls in his friends after he lets loose something terrible. Very well written (I do enjoy a good Kuttner story).
6. "Bells of Horror" by Henry Kuttner: Bells long forgotten and buried by Father Junipero Serra during the Spanish mission days in California are found again, with deadly results.
7. "The Thing That Walked on the Wind*" by August Derleth: Okay, I liked this one, in which a member of the RCMP reports finding 3 bodies in the snow, that had apparently fallen out of the sky. 2 are still alive, and one dead. This one was much better than
8. "Ithaqua" by August Derleth, featuring more strange events in the cold north. This one is based on belief in the Wendigo (see the story by Algernon Blackwood), and deals with what happens when native worship of the Wendigo (here called Ithaqua) is interrupted. This one was just okay.
9. "The Lair of the Star-Spawn*" by August Derleth & Mark Shorer: This one gives explanation to how things like Cthulhu etc came to earth: at one time there was a conflict between The Elder Gods and The Great Old Ones, and the latter were imprisoned not only here, but in other dimensions & in faraway star systems. A lot of Derleth's ideas which came down through other mythos writers started here. The story focuses on Eric Marsh, who is forced to wander through Burma, ending up somehow in the ancient city of Alaozar, where he is co-opted in a mission to save the earth.
10. "The Lord of Illusion" by E. Hoffmann Price: a riff on HPL's story of Randolph Carter; I did not like this one at all. Don't read this unless you've read HPL's original first.
11. "The Warder of Knowledge" by Richard F. Searight:
Decent short story re a scientist who translates the Eltdown Shards, ancient writings which probably were best left alone. Okay, not great.
12."The Scourge of B'Moth" * by Bertram Russell: I really liked this one, but I'm a sucker for stories which have insane asylums as their setting. Here, in a twist, a psychiatrist shows symptoms of insanity while treating an inmate who suffers from delusions. I really liked this one.
13. "The House of the Worm" * by Mearle Prout: another good one in which two men know the truth behind a mysterious "plague" which spreads out into civilization from a dark forest.
14. "Spawn of the Green Abyss" * by C. Hall Thompson: You can see here some traces of HPL's "Shadows Over Innsmouth," but overall, it could stand on its own without having to be classified under "mythos". However, I really liked it because I am a huge fan of this kind of pulpy stuff. A doctor, James Arkwright, seeks solitude on the New Jersey coast and finds a young and beautiful woman whose father he treats for a mysterious illness. Arkwright and his wife, Cassandra, go along fine for a while, and then things start to go haywire. Just a fun book that raised the hairs on the back of my neck a bit.
15. "The Guardian of the Book*" by Henry Hasse : another fun read, in which a man is prompted to accept a book that he didn't really want, then has second thoughts about actually reading it when he finds out its history.
16. "The Abyss" by Robert A. W. Lowndes: A suspicious young man hypnotizes another, with deadly consequences. This one was okay.
17. "Music of the Stars" by Duane W. Rimel: A pianist decides to write and play music that can cause madness; sadly for him, he does it all too well!
18. "The Aquarium" * by Carl Jacobi: This was another fun one, in which two women share a rented home wherein lies a funky aquarium; its former owner was a conchologist. This one was fun, but you see it coming a mile off.
19. "The Horror Out of Lovecraft" by Donald A. Wolheim: Kind of an odd story, but interesting re a man who dabbles in things he ought not to have with devastating results.
20. "To Arkham and the Stars" * by Fritz Leiber: A fun, tongue-in-cheek homage to HPL, set in Arkham, Mass.
Overall, a fun collection, featuring the pre-edited versions of short stories by the first round of Lovecraft imitators. As with all anthologies, some stories are excellent, some are okay and some not so hot.
Readers who enjoy pulp fiction, or Mythos-type stories would be very happy with this book. My advice: do read HPL first or you're going to be a bit lost.
The contents list (with a * denoting my favorites):
1. "The Thing on the Roof", by Robert E. Howard: A man who finds the first edition of Von Juntz's Nameless Cults leads a scholar to a temple in an old Honduras Jungle -- where you just know something bad is going to happen.
2. "The Fire of Asshurbanipal" by Robert E. Howard: The discovery of a mythical ancient city awakes an ancient evil in the Arabian desert.
3."The Seven Geases" by Clark Ashton Smith: to be honest, I have another collection or two by CAS so I didn't read this one in anticipation of reading it another time.
4. "Fane of the Black Pharaoh" by Robert Bloch*: In which a man's future is written in stone (literally), and in which he is forced to see it. Awesome story.
5. "The Invaders" by Henry Kuttner*: Set north of Santa Barbara CA, the story tells of a man who calls in his friends after he lets loose something terrible. Very well written (I do enjoy a good Kuttner story).
6. "Bells of Horror" by Henry Kuttner: Bells long forgotten and buried by Father Junipero Serra during the Spanish mission days in California are found again, with deadly results.
7. "The Thing That Walked on the Wind*" by August Derleth: Okay, I liked this one, in which a member of the RCMP reports finding 3 bodies in the snow, that had apparently fallen out of the sky. 2 are still alive, and one dead. This one was much better than
8. "Ithaqua" by August Derleth, featuring more strange events in the cold north. This one is based on belief in the Wendigo (see the story by Algernon Blackwood), and deals with what happens when native worship of the Wendigo (here called Ithaqua) is interrupted. This one was just okay.
9. "The Lair of the Star-Spawn*" by August Derleth & Mark Shorer: This one gives explanation to how things like Cthulhu etc came to earth: at one time there was a conflict between The Elder Gods and The Great Old Ones, and the latter were imprisoned not only here, but in other dimensions & in faraway star systems. A lot of Derleth's ideas which came down through other mythos writers started here. The story focuses on Eric Marsh, who is forced to wander through Burma, ending up somehow in the ancient city of Alaozar, where he is co-opted in a mission to save the earth.
10. "The Lord of Illusion" by E. Hoffmann Price: a riff on HPL's story of Randolph Carter; I did not like this one at all. Don't read this unless you've read HPL's original first.
11. "The Warder of Knowledge" by Richard F. Searight:
Decent short story re a scientist who translates the Eltdown Shards, ancient writings which probably were best left alone. Okay, not great.
12."The Scourge of B'Moth" * by Bertram Russell: I really liked this one, but I'm a sucker for stories which have insane asylums as their setting. Here, in a twist, a psychiatrist shows symptoms of insanity while treating an inmate who suffers from delusions. I really liked this one.
13. "The House of the Worm" * by Mearle Prout: another good one in which two men know the truth behind a mysterious "plague" which spreads out into civilization from a dark forest.
14. "Spawn of the Green Abyss" * by C. Hall Thompson: You can see here some traces of HPL's "Shadows Over Innsmouth," but overall, it could stand on its own without having to be classified under "mythos". However, I really liked it because I am a huge fan of this kind of pulpy stuff. A doctor, James Arkwright, seeks solitude on the New Jersey coast and finds a young and beautiful woman whose father he treats for a mysterious illness. Arkwright and his wife, Cassandra, go along fine for a while, and then things start to go haywire. Just a fun book that raised the hairs on the back of my neck a bit.
15. "The Guardian of the Book*" by Henry Hasse : another fun read, in which a man is prompted to accept a book that he didn't really want, then has second thoughts about actually reading it when he finds out its history.
16. "The Abyss" by Robert A. W. Lowndes: A suspicious young man hypnotizes another, with deadly consequences. This one was okay.
17. "Music of the Stars" by Duane W. Rimel: A pianist decides to write and play music that can cause madness; sadly for him, he does it all too well!
18. "The Aquarium" * by Carl Jacobi: This was another fun one, in which two women share a rented home wherein lies a funky aquarium; its former owner was a conchologist. This one was fun, but you see it coming a mile off.
19. "The Horror Out of Lovecraft" by Donald A. Wolheim: Kind of an odd story, but interesting re a man who dabbles in things he ought not to have with devastating results.
20. "To Arkham and the Stars" * by Fritz Leiber: A fun, tongue-in-cheek homage to HPL, set in Arkham, Mass.
Overall, a fun collection, featuring the pre-edited versions of short stories by the first round of Lovecraft imitators. As with all anthologies, some stories are excellent, some are okay and some not so hot.
Readers who enjoy pulp fiction, or Mythos-type stories would be very happy with this book. My advice: do read HPL first or you're going to be a bit lost.
September 30, 2019
a must read for lovecraft fans, contains the original appearances of many mythos elements later adopted by hpl himself.
July 17, 2023
Editor Robert M. Price characterizes this disappointing, repetitive gathering of Lovecraftian stories as "an explicit homage" to August Derleth's seminal Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos, which is possibly my favorite horror anthology--certainly my favorite with a Lovecraftian theme. But Price misses the mark by a wide margin here. As with any anthology, "Tales of the Lovecraft Mythos" is a mixed bag--but this one is a bag containing few delectable treats. My individual 0-5 rankings follow.
"The Thing on the Roof" (Robert E. Howard) - standard Mythos stuff. 3/5
"The Fire of Asshurbanipal" (Robert E. Howard) - much Arab desert action, sahib, but no Lovecraft. 2/5
"The Seven Geases" (Clark Ashton Smith) - I generally like CAS very much, but I confess that I found this story to be unreadable. 0/5
"Fane of the Black Pharoahs" (Robert Bloch) - Nephren-Ka! 3/5
"The Invaders" (Henry Kuttner) - tight, atmospheric tale with a small cast in one setting. Would have made a fine episode of 'The Twilight Zone.' 4/5
"Bells of Horror" (Henry Kuttner) - eyeballs! 4/5
"The Thing That Walked on the Wind" (August Derleth) - the Snow Thing! 2/5
"Ithaqua" (August Derleth) - the Snow Thing again, and pretty much the same story. 2/5
"Lair of the Star-Spawn" (August Derleth & Mark Schorer) - Tcho-Tcho people, Star-Warriors, the lost city of Aloazar...what's not to like? 4/5
"The Lord of Illusion" (E. Hoffman Price) - original version of the story later rewritten by Lovecraft as "Through the Gates of the Silver Key." Historical interest only. 2/5
"The Warder of Knowledge" (Richard E. Searight) - deciphering the Eltdown Shards from Lovecraft's "The Shadow Out of Time." 4/5
"The Scourge of B'Moth" (Bertram Russell) - as pulpy as they come. Beware the Behemoth! 3/5
"The House of the Worm" (Mearle Prout) - no shortage of the title creatures here. 3/5
"Spawn of the Green Abyss" (C. Hall Thompson) - basically a rewrite of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" set in "Kalesmouth." I mean, come on. 2/5
"Guardian of the Book" (Henry Hasse) - a scarier book than the Necronomicon, you say? Silly. 2/5
"The Abyss" (Robert Lowndes) - Beware the Song of Yste! 2/5
"Music of the Stars" (Duane W. Rimel) - more of the usual. 2/5
"The Aquarium" (Carl Jacobi) - never rent an apartment with a smelly old aquarium. 2/5
"The Horror Out of Lovecraft" (Donald A. Wollheim) - a spoof. 1/5
"To Arkham the Stars" (Fritz Leiber) - another spoof. 1/5
"The Thing on the Roof" (Robert E. Howard) - standard Mythos stuff. 3/5
"The Fire of Asshurbanipal" (Robert E. Howard) - much Arab desert action, sahib, but no Lovecraft. 2/5
"The Seven Geases" (Clark Ashton Smith) - I generally like CAS very much, but I confess that I found this story to be unreadable. 0/5
"Fane of the Black Pharoahs" (Robert Bloch) - Nephren-Ka! 3/5
"The Invaders" (Henry Kuttner) - tight, atmospheric tale with a small cast in one setting. Would have made a fine episode of 'The Twilight Zone.' 4/5
"Bells of Horror" (Henry Kuttner) - eyeballs! 4/5
"The Thing That Walked on the Wind" (August Derleth) - the Snow Thing! 2/5
"Ithaqua" (August Derleth) - the Snow Thing again, and pretty much the same story. 2/5
"Lair of the Star-Spawn" (August Derleth & Mark Schorer) - Tcho-Tcho people, Star-Warriors, the lost city of Aloazar...what's not to like? 4/5
"The Lord of Illusion" (E. Hoffman Price) - original version of the story later rewritten by Lovecraft as "Through the Gates of the Silver Key." Historical interest only. 2/5
"The Warder of Knowledge" (Richard E. Searight) - deciphering the Eltdown Shards from Lovecraft's "The Shadow Out of Time." 4/5
"The Scourge of B'Moth" (Bertram Russell) - as pulpy as they come. Beware the Behemoth! 3/5
"The House of the Worm" (Mearle Prout) - no shortage of the title creatures here. 3/5
"Spawn of the Green Abyss" (C. Hall Thompson) - basically a rewrite of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" set in "Kalesmouth." I mean, come on. 2/5
"Guardian of the Book" (Henry Hasse) - a scarier book than the Necronomicon, you say? Silly. 2/5
"The Abyss" (Robert Lowndes) - Beware the Song of Yste! 2/5
"Music of the Stars" (Duane W. Rimel) - more of the usual. 2/5
"The Aquarium" (Carl Jacobi) - never rent an apartment with a smelly old aquarium. 2/5
"The Horror Out of Lovecraft" (Donald A. Wollheim) - a spoof. 1/5
"To Arkham the Stars" (Fritz Leiber) - another spoof. 1/5
June 1, 2023
Sorta racist, sexist, dopey. The standouts were The Seven Geases and The Bells of Horror. I'd read those individually again, perhaps, but not the collection.
August 28, 2022
Price's tastes in Mythos material run far more to the pulp end of the spectrum than mine, with the result that this comes across to me as a third-rate imitation of Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. Price outright failing to select any stories by women makes the whole thing seem like an unpleasant boys' club. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
Want to read
November 5, 2023PLACEHOLDER REVIEW
"The Scourge of B'Moth" by Bertram Russell - Randall is called in to consult by his friend Dr. Prendergast on a strange example of monomania - an individual who believes he serves a dark "Master" named B'Moth who lives in the ocean and commands all fish, lizards and animals - along with a large cult of worshipers who he contacts through the medium of water. Of course, it's all true, even as Prendergast falls under the control of the "Master" and Randall soon realizes there is a plan afoot by these dark forces to attack mankind and revert civilization to a state of primeval chaos... whew, this was a long slog - essentially, someone at the time, using their half-assed skills as a pulp writer to meld a typical pulp/action melodrama to that newfangled stuff Lovecraft was slinging (atavistic cults, obsession by the "savage races," some nameless "God-being"). Overwritten as all get-out (no one will be seated during the "turning the car heater on and off segment!!!), long0-winded and egregiously repetitious while filled with unneeded details ("There he is" he added, to me) - we're talking Garth Marenghi-levels of bad writing - and one of those "slam bang spectacle" endings, involving troops fighting off a sea invasion by monsters, that is anything but exciting. Miss.
"The Scourge of B'Moth" by Bertram Russell - Randall is called in to consult by his friend Dr. Prendergast on a strange example of monomania - an individual who believes he serves a dark "Master" named B'Moth who lives in the ocean and commands all fish, lizards and animals - along with a large cult of worshipers who he contacts through the medium of water. Of course, it's all true, even as Prendergast falls under the control of the "Master" and Randall soon realizes there is a plan afoot by these dark forces to attack mankind and revert civilization to a state of primeval chaos... whew, this was a long slog - essentially, someone at the time, using their half-assed skills as a pulp writer to meld a typical pulp/action melodrama to that newfangled stuff Lovecraft was slinging (atavistic cults, obsession by the "savage races," some nameless "God-being"). Overwritten as all get-out (no one will be seated during the "turning the car heater on and off segment!!!), long0-winded and egregiously repetitious while filled with unneeded details ("There he is" he added, to me) - we're talking Garth Marenghi-levels of bad writing - and one of those "slam bang spectacle" endings, involving troops fighting off a sea invasion by monsters, that is anything but exciting. Miss.
April 27, 2020
In many ways editor Robert M. Price achieves his stated goal with this anthology; this is an apt companion to August Derleth’s Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. Indeed, the sub-genre scholar will find several stories herein included intriguing for their contributions to the lore first dreamed up by H.P. Lovecraft and his contemporaries. Trouble is, many of the authors don’t stop at borrowing plot elements from the original tales. They also emulate Lovecraft’s insipid writing style, slaughtering the language as if they were being paid by the number of times they could squeeze “shambling,” “gibbering,” or “nauseous” into their work. Even the more gifted wordsmiths suffer from the common pulp-era infections of purple prose and rampant racism. The final product is thus a valuable addition to a Mythos collection but not much of a bedside read, a problem Price seems to know about (at least judging by his decision to include Wolheim’s silly Mythos parody and Lieber’s bittersweet tribute to a departed friend at the end of the set).
September 9, 2018
I am cheating a bit here, because I have found this book when looking up a source for one of my translations for Azilum Magazine, and since a good portion of the novels contained within was still unknown to me, I stayed for the ride, and expand my knowledge, concerning Lovecraftian weird fiction. This is a heavy collection, meant for readers who are already more than familiar with Lovecraft's (and his fellow writers) works. For them however, it's a treat.
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Csalok egy kicsit, ez a kötet ugyanis akkor került a kezembe, amikor forrást kerestem az egyik fordításomhoz az Azilum Magazinba, és mivel a novellák egy jó része még ismeretlen volt számomra, folytattam az olvasást, hogy bővítsem a lovecrafti weird irodalommal kapcsolatos ismereteimet. Erős gyűjtemény, elsősorban olyanok számára, akik már jól ismerik Lovecraft (és írótársai) munkásságát. Ám számukra valóságos ajándék.
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Csalok egy kicsit, ez a kötet ugyanis akkor került a kezembe, amikor forrást kerestem az egyik fordításomhoz az Azilum Magazinba, és mivel a novellák egy jó része még ismeretlen volt számomra, folytattam az olvasást, hogy bővítsem a lovecrafti weird irodalommal kapcsolatos ismereteimet. Erős gyűjtemény, elsősorban olyanok számára, akik már jól ismerik Lovecraft (és írótársai) munkásságát. Ám számukra valóságos ajándék.
July 23, 2022
Cosmic Horror is fascinating and mind-boggling. This was overall a good collection of such stories about fear of unknown and incomprehensible stuff. It was nice and unique experience to read these while listening to dark ambience and cosmic horror soundtracks. The tales are really atmospheric, mysterious, deep, dark and weird in a good way. There were some horrifying and thought-provoking ideas in some stories. However not all the stories were as nice as others. Some were too complicated and old, which made them boring due to making less sense.
Want to read
May 6, 2024“Fane of the Black Pharaoh”🔝
“The Fire of Ass…”✔️
“Bells of Horror”⛔️
“The Abyss”✔️
“The thing on the Roof”✔️
“The Seven Geases”🔝
“The Invaders”🔝
“The Thing That Walked on the Wind”✔️
“Ithaqua”🔝
“The Lair of the Star Spawn”🔝
“The Lord of Illusion”➰🔝
“The Warder of Knowledge”⛔️
“The Scourge of B’Moth”➰🔝
“The House of the Worm”✔️
“Spawn of the Green Abyss”🔝
“The Guardian of the Book”🔜
“Music of the Stars”⛔️
“The Aquarium”🔝
“The Horror out of Lovecraft”⛔️
“To Arkham and the Stars”🔝
“The Fire of Ass…”✔️
“Bells of Horror”⛔️
“The Abyss”✔️
“The thing on the Roof”✔️
“The Seven Geases”🔝
“The Invaders”🔝
“The Thing That Walked on the Wind”✔️
“Ithaqua”🔝
“The Lair of the Star Spawn”🔝
“The Lord of Illusion”➰🔝
“The Warder of Knowledge”⛔️
“The Scourge of B’Moth”➰🔝
“The House of the Worm”✔️
“Spawn of the Green Abyss”🔝
“The Guardian of the Book”🔜
“Music of the Stars”⛔️
“The Aquarium”🔝
“The Horror out of Lovecraft”⛔️
“To Arkham and the Stars”🔝
October 11, 2024
A quite fine collection of tales, with a well thought out and well written introduction detailing the reason the stories were chosen and the aim of the set as a whole. While there were some stories that were not as good as others, the ratio of above average to below was heavily on the side of the former. And as thoroughly read in the mythos genre as I am, there was not a single story here that I had read previously. No small feat in itself! Well done, and highly recommended.
September 14, 2017
Fair enough anthology. There are 2-3 stories that fell flat but the majority were a pleasant read. Some pulpy adventures mixed w/ elements of Lovecraft.
October 26, 2017
Most of these are heavy on the pulp, with far too little "weird," proving, I guess, that no one did it like the master.
November 18, 2018
For serious lovers of Lovecraft only, I think. Much of what turned me off was the introduction from the editor. It was a very intellectual and elite treatment of what is, for me, a casual topic.
January 13, 2020
I was curious about the wider Lovecraft mythos as a kind of collaberative fanfic universe and then I read this and now my curiosity is very firmly sated and you can't say fairer than that
June 19, 2024
A few of these were weird fiction tales, but had nothing to with the Lovecraft mythos.
October 22, 2025
5 stars for achieving its purpose of selection==which does not require that every piece be marvelous.
March 20, 2025
✔️ Music of the Stars, by Duane W. Rimel 3/11/2025
August 4, 2016
I really liked this anthology. See, the danger with buying an anthology is that there is no solid way to gauge all the stories. You get an overview (as some users have done here) but since the stories come from various authors and not just one you are sure to like some writers more than others. Let me just list some of the names that are reliable, quality Lovecraftians: Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner, August Derleth, Fritz Leiber... these are not nobodies in the Lovecraft world! In fact many of these people actually were HPL's contemporaries and friends.
The editor, Robert M. Price, who is usually on point when it comes to Lovecraft, has done a good job in keeping the quality of writing high. Each story is unique enough in that you will remember them once you've completed this book. "Ah, that's the story with the giant worm things... and ah that's the story with the dream void". It's all memorable.
When it comes to Lovecraft I am a massive elitist snob. I even go so far as to look down on Derleth for including a good/evil duality in his tales BUT I give this book thumbs up all the way. The only anthology that is better is Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos.
The editor, Robert M. Price, who is usually on point when it comes to Lovecraft, has done a good job in keeping the quality of writing high. Each story is unique enough in that you will remember them once you've completed this book. "Ah, that's the story with the giant worm things... and ah that's the story with the dream void". It's all memorable.
When it comes to Lovecraft I am a massive elitist snob. I even go so far as to look down on Derleth for including a good/evil duality in his tales BUT I give this book thumbs up all the way. The only anthology that is better is Tales Of The Cthulhu Mythos.
July 4, 2014
I haven't read much Lovecraft. But as I understand Lovecraftian tales are about the Ancient Ones or Old Gods who ruled this world before civilisation and are cosmic creatures. They are worshipped by certain secret cults.
The various stories in this collection were written in the middle part of the twentieth century when such literature was popular. They have stood the test of time and are quite entertaining and scary. Just reading stuff on the same theme story after story is a bit tedious but if you read one story per day it a good anthology.
The various stories in this collection were written in the middle part of the twentieth century when such literature was popular. They have stood the test of time and are quite entertaining and scary. Just reading stuff on the same theme story after story is a bit tedious but if you read one story per day it a good anthology.
January 20, 2016
Most of the stories in this anthology were inferior to both H. P. Lovecraft Complete Fiction (the origin of the whole genre) and the stories collected in Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. By and large the stories in this collection lacked the atmospheric creepiness of Lovecraft. As much as I'm not a huge fan of HPL's frequent use of some variation of "it was too horrible for words," the attempts by these authors to render the mythos more coherent and detailed were far less chilling that the vague hints in other Lovecraftian collections.
July 31, 2013
The editor's plan, which he explains in his Introduction, was to include stories with the first mention of ancient books and creatures that were added to the Lovecraft Mythos, or the stories where they were most fully explained. This made for an uneven read--some early, weak pulp stories, but some outstanding stories. I read it because I wanted to read Fritz Leiber's "To Arkham and the Stars", which made a satisfying ending to the book.
November 3, 2016
Having never read anything by Lovecraft, I found this collection of short stories excellent and something really fresh (I think the only proper horror that I've read is probably Dracula). Some of the stories were a bit weaker, but overall they were of good quality and worth reading. Some were even actually scary on some deep level; reading them alone before going to bed was not a good idea.
Currently reading
October 19, 2024"The Invaders" by Henry Kuttner - Hayward and the narrator repel invaders from another dimension.
"Ithaqua" by August Derleth - wc
"The Guardian of the Book" by Henry Hasse - wc
"The Aquarium" by Carl Jacobi - wc
"The Horror Out of Lovecraft" by Donald Wollheim - wc
"The Seven Geases" is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
"Ithaqua" by August Derleth - wc
"The Guardian of the Book" by Henry Hasse - wc
"The Aquarium" by Carl Jacobi - wc
"The Horror Out of Lovecraft" by Donald Wollheim - wc
"The Seven Geases" is also printed in the Big Book of the Masters of Horror
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2013
Not a bad collection. I'm kind of tired of Lovecraft homages, but this one had enough classics to keep me interested. Robert E. Howard is the MVP of this volume, with Robert Bloch a close second. (Although that's not really all that surprising.)
June 15, 2009
The more I read of H.P. Lovecraft, the more I love it. This book features many of the other authors who expanded the mythos, and has some really, REALLY good stories.
August 3, 2012
A much stronger collection of mythos-tales than those flooding the markets, perhaps because it draws its strength from the works of the old masters more than the new pretenders. Recommended.
January 2, 2013
Classic short stories of Lovecraft's contemporaries and the first generation of his imitators, ranging from the seriously horrific to straight-up parody.
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