Customer Reviews

The H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus 1: At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels of Terror

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first read this book, I was, frankly, disappointed. I had been hearing about the greatness of H.P. Lovecraft for years, and finally bought this book. The stories, while interesting, didn't hold the fascination that I had hoped. Then I read the book again. I was blown away by it; this book becomes greater every successive time one reads it. The horror, although one knows the ending, still accumulates, and grabs you by the heart when you _know_ that something bad is about to happen. And the stories themselves are amazing, expecially in later readings. The Cthulhu Mythos ones are the best, and in fact, I didn't enjoy the dreamquest stories half as much. All the same, still a thorougly enjoyable book, though better the second time.

"Genius" is one of those terms that has been over-used to the point where its real meaning is almost lost to us. Almost, but not quite. Because in all candor, what we have here is the genuine article.

As with any work of literary genius, Lovecraft's writing cannot really be analyzed merely by breaking it down into its component parts. But if I may be allowed to simplify in interests of writing a relatively straightforward review, it might be said that I accord Lovecraft this status on two grounds:

First, he is one of those very, very rare individuals to have truly added something the consciousness of the human race. Like Giotto giving birth to the art of painting as we now conceive it - or on an arguably more modest scale, Stan Lee taking his own medium out of the banality of the 1950s and setting in motion the Silver Age of comics - Lovecraft added something to our collective imagination that was not there before. Cosmic Horror was, ultimately, his creation. And it is a far more intelligent and realist offering than many may credit.

As for the origins of this vision, I have myself read that having declared himself an atheist at a very young age, Lovecraft also discovered that he could no longer truly dread the traditional staples of the horror genre: vampires, demons, ghosts, and so on, regarding them as he now did as wholly unbelievable. The horrors to be found within his own works were, apparently, the result of the young Lovecraft asking what he himself could truly fear.

A century later, judged purely by the standards of mainstream science, the answers he came up with seem astonishingly lucid, even prescient. Given that today's astrobiologists estimate that any alien life we might encounter would, on average, be at least a billion years removed from us in evolution, Lovecraft's Great Old Ones must certainly be deemed a far more realist imagining than Klingons or Jawas. In fact, I find that I can't help but hearken to Arthur C. Clarke's famous adage that any sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic. Or, for that matter, hear the voice of Stephen Hawking warning us against the terrible folly of trying to contact intelligent alien life.

My second reason for according Lovecraft genius status is quite simply this: His writing is beautiful. His style often has a formality and at times even a complexity that one does not normally associate with good writing. Indeed, far more often these features are to be found in horrible, awful, stilted writing. If you are at all familiar with the works of the real world occultist A.E. Waite (as Lovecraft himself evidently was), it may help clarify things if I tell you that I once described Lovecraft's style to a friend by saying that Lovecraft wrote like A.E. Waite would write if Waite was actually a good writer.

"But", my astonished friend objected, "A.E. Waite is a TERRIBLE writer"!

"Yes", I agreed, "he is". But, as I went on to explain, somehow Lovecraft pulls it off. His sheer ability to put one word in front of another has an elegance approaching, and maybe even equaling that of Jane Austin - I kid you not. Although I must add that where she is pert and succinct, he is positively baroque.

Very well then. So much for my opinion of Lovecraft's work in general. How about this specific volume?

Well, it is the book through which I personally first became acquainted with Lovecraft's work, so I suppose as such I have some sentimental attachment to it. But I would also recommend it on more objective grounds. Lovecraft wrote in novellas and short stories rather than in full sized novels. This means that if you are going to explore his work, you will need to do so via collections such as this one. And this one is an especially good place to start. I say that for three reasons:

First, it is part one of a three volume series that contains literally everything Lovecraft ever wrote. Thus, should you ever decide that you want to explore Lovecraft's body of work in its totality, you can easily use this series to do so without any difficulty or redundancy.

Second, this volume, the first in the series, is for the most part the best: it contains what the editors considered to be Lovecraft's "A" material. That said, both of the latter two volumes contain some very highly regarded classics as well, including some that I personally regard as equal to or better than at least some of the stories in volume one. For those already familiar with Lovecraft's work, the specific tales to be found in this volume (volume one) are: At the Mountains of Madness, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, The Dreams in the Witch-House, The Statement of Randolph Carter, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key.

Finally, for those of us who still nurture a fondness for old fashioned books made from paper, each volume in the series is a modestly sized and priced paperback that you can comfortably hold while reading lying down in bed, in the bath, or wherever, without feeling like you're supporting a small atlas.

So yes, long story short, this is a book I'd recommend buying.

Even though I did once loan it to a friend who subsequently went insane.

But... One assumes that those two events were unrelated.

Theo.

I agree with the reviewer who said the stories are better each time you read them for the most part.

In the Case of Chareles Dexter Ward, however, I still remember being absolutely glued to the book the first time I read the story. I still think it the best thing H.P. ever did for sheer horror.

Peppered with mythological creatures, plagued by the macabre and built around masterful prose, Lovecraft's stories are satisfyingly weird tales of the grotesque. Though not always "scary" per-se, these tales evoke emotions and passions of a bestial nature. The common thread between Lovecraft's stories seems to be the idea that ancient powers, pushed to the fringes of reality by human presence, are always just out of sight and plotting their fatal return. Lovecraft (who is also credited with the mythological "Necronomicon", a source of constant controversy) is one of the most influential horror writers of all time, lending his influence to today's horrorists such as Stephen King. A good buy!

This collection, the first of three volumes, may well represent the pinnacle of Lovecraft's creative genius. His knack for conjuring the most horrific and fantastical of atmospheres is unparalleled; these stories will have you shuddering with captivated horror at the incredible otherworldly landscapes and monstrosities leaping from their pages.

Plagued with a great sensitivity to cold from a young age, the first novel in this collection,"At the Mountains of Madness", was perhaps a little closer to home than any other piece he attempted. Its sublime execution would perhaps imply this further. This tale is arguably the greatest of the man's catalogue, with a gradual, drawn-out build up of tension and isolation into a frantic climax in a world so alien, beautiful and deadly. Reading this made me long to live in a world where such places as Antarctica still existed unexplored and mysterious, potentially housing that which men of the time could barely dream of. One loses oneself in those icy peaks, those ancient ruins, and yet one always feels as if they are not quite alone...

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is next in line, and one can't help but feel sceptical as to how this piece will fare up against the previous mountain of a story. Don't let the slow start sway you - this one's darn great too! As with "Mountains...", Lovecraft creates an ominous atmosphere this time via gradual exploration of Curwen and Charles' dark discoveries, once again motivated by wild curiosity. Yet in this piece something far more disturbing and horrific lurks, implied constantly in Lovecraft's subtle narrative. Less beautiful, fantastical and isolating perhaps, but all the more human and realistic and TERRIFYING as a result. There is a scene involving darkness and a pit (not going into detail here for fear of spoiling it) which will stay with you for a damn long time - a claustrophobic nightmare.

Next in line comes a little break from the longer novels, with what I consider to be the least absorbing story in the volume, "The Dreams in the Witch-House". It's pretty telling that I can't remember much about this whereas I remember the previous two vividly. I recall being somewhat intrigued with the combination of mathematics, folklore, multi-dimensions and the like, but the main plot isn't all that gripping. Worth reading, nontheless.

The following four stories all focus upon a character named Randolph Carter - a man whose personality is founded upon a pursuit of the beauty found in dreams. It has frequently been said that this character is most representative of Lovecraft himself, and I must admit feeling great empathy towards him in "The Silver Key", a short prequel to "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", which can easily be read as a commentary on a dry and absurd society - as relevant now as it was then.

The best of these tales is perhaps "The Dream-Quest of the Unknown Kadath", which whilst seemingly having less focus and direction than his other two novels, is just filled to the brim with wonderous landscape after wonderous landscape packed full of creatures both stunning and diabolical. Carter's quest for the paradise city of his dreams is bizarre, yet wholly enticing. The previously mentioned "Through the Gates of the Silver Key" is also very atmospheric, though not a journey - this shorter story involves Carter's gradual venture into the realms of beings of chaos which dwarf humankind, and reveals much about the workings of the dream-world Lovecraft has created.

Lovecraft has created a mythos, from terrible beasts and Gods to ancient old writings and lands, which renders his readers both fascinated and ultimately insignificant in comparison. Treat yourselves folks, this is dark, atmospheric literature done properly. 5 stars doesn't do it justice.

The stories in this collection vary widely in quality, with some delivering great chills and tension, and others running painfully long and unfocused.

THE GREAT: "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is riveting, scary stuff. "The Dreams in the Witch-House" is another horror masterpiece, and "The Statement of Randolph Carter" is short but casts an eerie spell.

THE DECENT: "At the Mountains of Madness" has a few thrilling moments, but rambles a little too much IMHO. "The Silver Key" and "Through the Gates of the Silver Key" are a little too heavy on the fantasy stuff for my liking, but fans of this genre might get more out of these stories than I did.

THE ABYSMAL: It's never a good sign when the book's preface refers to a story within as "unsatisfying," as this book does about "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath." Unfortunately, it's as bad as advertised -- I had to struggle mightly to get through the rambling prose. Brutal stuff.

If you can find this one cheap, it's worth a look for the three classic stories listed above, as well as "Mountains" (which has its fans, despite my so-so opinion of it).

at the mountain of madness is a story about an expedition to the arctic, finding knowledge that will destroy their view on the world. unfortunately, that's it. i want more. just finding things out in such a manner, didn't give me the chill. then there's storie about randolph carter going to a strange place. very dunsany-like. i got confused. but mostly i got bored. so he goes around in this strange place. it really isn't that suspenceful. no, the great stories here are the short story "the dreams in the withch-house" - a good stroy about a man haunted by dreams in a place haunted by evil spirits, and "the case of charles dexter ward" - a story about obsession. a man explores the occult, and is more and more controlled by something else. a really good novel. the change is very lovely described, a lot of details. one of the very best horror novels simply because of the way it is lain out for us.

Don't get me wrong, Lovecraft is a great read, especially at this time of year. He can create terrific atmosphere, and when he can exercise some self-control (very intermittently) he creates some memorable stories. The Shunned House is a cracker, and so is The Colour Out of Space, one of his less-mentioned efforts, and also the one about the morlock-like family Martense. What the man lacked was even the most elementary self-discipline. Of his more famous outpourings I can join in recommending The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, which has the majority of his virtues without going completely o-t-t as he keeps doing. I enjoy nearly everything by him, but to enjoy, say, The Dream-quest of Unknown Kadath I have to suspend all critical faculties -- it has everything but Ye Kitchenne Sinke. In At the Mountains of Madness he may be trying to correct this tendency. The story moves slowly and for that relief much thanks, but this only shows up his lack of concentration. He literally loses the plot. I just love it despite that.

One of his problems is that he obviously takes himself seriously. M R James is ten times the artist Lovecraft is, he is genuinely scary whereas Lovecraft is a bit of a talented but unselfconscious comic turn. I know from trying them both on my children when they wanted 'ghost stories' read to them with the lights turned down that they got a bit bored with Lovecraft but I sometimes had to stop the James stories when they were getting too frightened. James is tongue-in-cheek, you never quite know to what extent, but dear old Lovecraft is always prone to be foot-in-mouth. Where he can be a bit of a bore is with his Elder Gods, Cthulhu, Nyerlothatep and that crowd. What are they all meant to be -- frightening, his vision of the universe or what? If you feel like being frightened to the depths of your soul, try Star Maker by the cold and remote Stapledon -- not for fun-readers. At Christmas forget Stapledon. You will get a lot of fun out of Lovecraft. Having seen the second Lord of the Rings film, I am trying to imagine a battle between the balrog and one of Lovecraft's shoggoths.