Customer Reviews

The Mask of Cthulhu

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

 

 

When it came to soul chilling tales of Dark Fantasy August Derleth could not come anywhere close to H.P. Lovecraft, the writer Derleth saved from vanishing into pulp literary history. But Derleth's love for the stories and mythos that Lovecraft created in his short life clearly shows in this collection of overly similiar short stories (they all tell the tale of someone moving into an old, isolated house and coming under the influence of the Elder Gods) and it is this love that makes the book a delight to read. It will satisfy the itch for Lovecraft inspired fiction but won't leave a lasting impression. Recommended for die hards only.

Maybe Derleth is the best Lovecraft imitator, but he is still far from perfect. The stories in this book are a bit too repetitive or something like that that HPL. could have written such, but none of them are really bad (truth be told, HPL wrote several much worse ones), and they have rather much the same style and everything. But there are a few inappropriate-seeming elements to my mind: Derleth constantly emphasizes the elemental nature of the... whatever Ancient Horrorgods they were called, I cannot remember exactly right at the moment, something which was barely hinted at by Lovecraft; the aforementioned make too much personal appearances (Cthulhu Himself is lurking beneath every old house); Cthulhu is so busy fighting Hastur to concentrate on terrorising people; and there are these representatives of Cosmic Good, which certainly sound inappropriate, and to make matters more complicated, they make the same kind of noise as those barrel-critters from At the Mountains of Madness. Nevertheless, this is a decent read for Cthulhu-fans.

This is a really good book. All the stories are terrific. However, remember, Derleth is only a substitue for his master, H.P. Lovecraft.

It has been said that H. P. Lovecraft is a writer best read when one is young; that is not true of Lovecraft's fiction, but it is certainly true of these stories by his friend and publisher, August William Derleth. The stories were written after Lovecraft's death and published in WEIRD TALES, STRANGE STORIES and other pulp publications, and Derleth never pretended that they were anything other than simple horror stories written to pay the bills. He knew, however, that there was a growing market for Cthulhu Mythos fiction, a sub-genre that he had primarily created shortly before the death of H. P. Lovecraft. Thus he was shrewd enough to publish the stories in book form in a handsome Arkham House edition. I find this collection of more interest than THE TRAIL OF CTHULHU, in which there is far too much repetition (stemming from the tales being a series of inter-connected narratives concerning the psychic sleuth, Laban Shrewsbury). It must be remembered that these tales were among the first of their kind, and that in them Derleth was creating a Mythos genre that has points of great interest. As stories that evoke the spirit of H. P. Lovecraft, they do well enough. The events may become a bit repetitive, as do the explanations of that which constitutes the Cthulhu Mythos -- but Derleth was always a professional writer and sometimes a good one. As early Cthulhu Mythos stories written in the 1940's and 1950's, they still add a fun and entertaining aspect to the Mythos. I would describe them as Lovecraft Light -- whereas Lovecraft's original tales are heavy and serious indeed. If you are looking for a light and entertaining read in the Cthulhu Mythos tradition, this is a nice wee book, written by the man who, more than anyone else, created the Cthulhu Mythos as we now know it. The contents are:
Introduction
The Return of Hastur
The Whippoorwills in the Hills
Something in Wood (I especially enjoyed this one)
The Sandwin Compact
The House in the Valley
The Seal of R'lyeh.

NOTE: At the time of this writing, Amazon combines the reviews of The Mask of Cthulhu with those of The Trail of Cthulhu, both by August Derleth. This review is of MASK.

The Mask of Cthulhu is a 1958 collection of six horror stories by August Derleth. These include "The Return of Hastur," "The Whippoorwills in the Hills," "Something in Wood," "The Sandwin Compact," "The House in the Valley," and "The Seal of R'lyeh."

All six stories are part of the Cthulhu Mythos originated by H. P. Lovecraft - "The Return of Hastur" is based on Lovecraft's notes. Derleth says in the introduction to this book that these stories are a tribute to Lovecraft, and that they came about from Lovecraft urging his friends to expand the mythos.

Derleth is no Lovecraft. The elements that made Lovecraft's stories so effective - atmosphere, tone, mystery - Derleth fails at. His stories are obvious, predictable, and melodramatic - Lovecraft's lurking horrors don't lurk here; you can't go down to the basement without tripping over one. Compounding the problem, these stories have far too much in common with one another. If you've read one, you've pretty much read all six.

The Mask of Cthulhu might appeal to those enamored with the Cthulhu Mythos, but it just isn't good horror.

If you've got a passing familiarity with the best of HP Lovecraft's cosmic horror but haven't yet hardened your position on what you think a non-Lovecraftian Mythos story ought to read like, you're going to enjoy this book. "The Mask of Cthulhu" is a collection of a handful of Lovecraftian Mythos stories written and published in the 1940s and 1950s by August Derleth. Although Derleth published over a dozen short stories and one novel as "posthumous collaborations" with Lovecraft, all of the stories contained here are credited to Derleth alone. Nevertheless, they are all knee-deep in the Mythos tradition that Lovecraft created and which people like Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard and Derleth himself fleshed out further.

The fairest comparison for this book is probably "Watchers out of Time," the collection of "collaborations" between Derleth and Lovecraft. If you enjoyed one book, you'll (mostly) enjoy the other. Both are exceptionally well-written, and Derleth is an easy-to-read and commercial writer - just the thing you need if you read during your commute. There are a few things in favor of this book - since Derleth is freed from the pretense to carrying on Lovecraft's style the stories are both longer and are written in a more Derlethian style than those in "Watchers." Since all the stories here were previously published in magazines such as "Weird Tales" (whereas many of those in "Watchers" made their first appearance in Derleth's edited book "The Survivors and Others")you'd be right in assuming they pack more of a punch and are more satisfying fiction. As a rule, stories that survive the scrutiny of an objective editor are stronger than those that do not.

To me, there are three standouts:

"The Return of Hastur" in which the contents of a last will are not properly honored.

"Something in Wood" in which we're presented with a mysterious miniature idol.

"The House in the Valley" in which an artist in a secluded house descends into madness.

On the negative side, it's in these stories that Derleth starts to do several things that drive many Lovecraft fans up the wall. Firstly, there is an over-reliance not only on name-checking places and things such as Innsmouth and the Necronomicon at every opportunity but also in leaning on the implied, steady presence of the malevolent Cthulhu himself far too often. Rather than remain in the background as local color, this technique brings the Mythos front and center where it draws attention to itself. Secondly. Derleth editorializes regarding the Mythos and conceives of them as an elaboration of pre-Adamic history from Christian theology which is radically at odds with how Lovecraft himself presented the Mythos in stories such as "At The Mountains of Madness" and "The Call of Cthulhu." Weirdly enough, this doesn't affect how the stories unfold one bit, but the sermonizing stands out because it's so out of place and isn't well-integrated within the stories.

In sum, this is well-worth a read and exceptionally atmospheric but be skeptical of Derleth's additions/revisions to the Mythos when he gets on a soapbox!