Since this book contains a sampling of some of Lovecraft's most famous stories, I'm going to write this review for someone, who, like me, is new to Lovecraft. If you are already a fan of Lovecraft, I don't think this review will be helpful, but for someone who is waffling on whether Lovecraft may be right for them, I hope can offer some help.
Just because you like horror, does not necessarily mean you like this book. In many ways it can seem dated. There is little character development. Most of the stories are told from the viewpoint of white, male, academic types and there are very limited interactions with other characters. "In The Whisperer in Darkness" the narrator is naive to the point of unbelievability.
If you know anything about Lovecraft, you probably know he has a tendency to overwrite, and his stories rely heavily on atmosphere and setting then plot and action.
There are many stories, that, while I was reading, I did not feel I enjoyed due to the predictable plots and purple prose.
But the stories stuck in my mind.
In many of these stories, Lovecraft created such a feeling of dread and suspense, that I could not easily shake them. From the underground catacombs in "The Rats in the Walls" to the rustic cabin with its strange odours and vibrations in "The Whisperer in Darkness." Scenes kept replaying in my mind.
As the book is ordered chronologically, the further I read, the more confident and established was Lovecraft's writing, but also the more receptive I was to his words. The more I came to appreciate, that despite the musty layer of old fashionedness, there were, as King would say "meat to these stories."
I recommend this book to change how you think about horror and about the cosmos.
This book comes in a few different editions and though I don't think the cartoony cover fits the stories, I like the deckle edge and larger type then the black covered version.
P.S. In some of the early stories there is some pretty odious racism. It is not too central to the plot but can be uncomfortable to read.
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A nicely produced book, but not at all clear what you're getting
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2019
tl;dr: The book itself I received is very nicely produced and in great condition, but it is not the book I was expecting.Let's get the most important thing out of the way first. It is not clear whatsoever on what you're getting when buying this book. The pictures uploaded by the seller do not match what the review pictures show. When looking at the kindle version of this listing as well as the user review pictures, one is led to believe this is the penguin classics HP Lovecraft collection "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Weird Stories." That is NOT the item you receive. Instead you get something called "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Stories", which in my opinion is very deceptively titled and meant to confuse buyers.This is doubly annoying because at no point does the seller information tell you what stories you are getting (except for, obviously, the Call of Cthulu). As I looked at the kindle version of this listing as well as the other reviews, I assumed the table of contents would be the same as the Penguin Classics version which contained 18 stories and an introduction by famed Lovecraft academic S.T. Joshi. The version I received only has 7 stories, and no introduction section.So that's a lot of the bad, but let me give some of the good. The book is well made and very attractive looking. I love the simplicity of the cover and it goes well with the foreboding nature of the stories inside. It will look great on a shelf and I much prefer it to some other editions which oftentimes have a much more pulpy, childish design. The Old Ones are not to be taken lightly.I also actually like the collection of stories in this edition. Even though there's only 7 compared to Penguin Classics 18, this is because it contains two of his longest stories, At the Mountains of Madness and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. These stories are often omitted from collections because of their length and rarely seen together, so I happy for that.All in all, I don't plan to return this because I do like the quality of this book, and I've only read 2 of the 7 stories. I also like that I have a version that contains At the Mountains of Madness, the Call of Cthulu, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward in one volume that will be easy to travel with.The reasons for only 2 stars? -1 for the confusion surrounding the different versions, -1 for the deceptive title that is only one word different from the Penguin Classics version, and -1 for having no clearly listed table of contents.
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2019
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 17, 2017
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 23, 2019
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 12, 2019
Let's get the most important thing out of the way first. It is not clear whatsoever on what you're getting when buying this book. The pictures uploaded by the seller do not match what the review pictures show. When looking at the kindle version of this listing as well as the user review pictures, one is led to believe this is the penguin classics HP Lovecraft collection "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Weird Stories." That is NOT the item you receive. Instead you get something called "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Stories", which in my opinion is very deceptively titled and meant to confuse buyers.
This is doubly annoying because at no point does the seller information tell you what stories you are getting (except for, obviously, the Call of Cthulu). As I looked at the kindle version of this listing as well as the other reviews, I assumed the table of contents would be the same as the Penguin Classics version which contained 18 stories and an introduction by famed Lovecraft academic S.T. Joshi. The version I received only has 7 stories, and no introduction section.
So that's a lot of the bad, but let me give some of the good. The book is well made and very attractive looking. I love the simplicity of the cover and it goes well with the foreboding nature of the stories inside. It will look great on a shelf and I much prefer it to some other editions which oftentimes have a much more pulpy, childish design. The Old Ones are not to be taken lightly.
I also actually like the collection of stories in this edition. Even though there's only 7 compared to Penguin Classics 18, this is because it contains two of his longest stories, At the Mountains of Madness and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. These stories are often omitted from collections because of their length and rarely seen together, so I happy for that.
All in all, I don't plan to return this because I do like the quality of this book, and I've only read 2 of the 7 stories. I also like that I have a version that contains At the Mountains of Madness, the Call of Cthulu, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward in one volume that will be easy to travel with.
The reasons for only 2 stars? -1 for the confusion surrounding the different versions, -1 for the deceptive title that is only one word different from the Penguin Classics version, and -1 for having no clearly listed table of contents.
A nicely produced book, but not at all clear what you're getting
By Dr. Fishopolis on October 12, 2019
tl;dr: The book itself I received is very nicely produced and in great condition, but it is not the book I was expecting.By Dr. Fishopolis on October 12, 2019
Let's get the most important thing out of the way first. It is not clear whatsoever on what you're getting when buying this book. The pictures uploaded by the seller do not match what the review pictures show. When looking at the kindle version of this listing as well as the user review pictures, one is led to believe this is the penguin classics HP Lovecraft collection "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Weird Stories." That is NOT the item you receive. Instead you get something called "The Call of Cthulu: and Other Stories", which in my opinion is very deceptively titled and meant to confuse buyers.
This is doubly annoying because at no point does the seller information tell you what stories you are getting (except for, obviously, the Call of Cthulu). As I looked at the kindle version of this listing as well as the other reviews, I assumed the table of contents would be the same as the Penguin Classics version which contained 18 stories and an introduction by famed Lovecraft academic S.T. Joshi. The version I received only has 7 stories, and no introduction section.
So that's a lot of the bad, but let me give some of the good. The book is well made and very attractive looking. I love the simplicity of the cover and it goes well with the foreboding nature of the stories inside. It will look great on a shelf and I much prefer it to some other editions which oftentimes have a much more pulpy, childish design. The Old Ones are not to be taken lightly.
I also actually like the collection of stories in this edition. Even though there's only 7 compared to Penguin Classics 18, this is because it contains two of his longest stories, At the Mountains of Madness and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. These stories are often omitted from collections because of their length and rarely seen together, so I happy for that.
All in all, I don't plan to return this because I do like the quality of this book, and I've only read 2 of the 7 stories. I also like that I have a version that contains At the Mountains of Madness, the Call of Cthulu, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward in one volume that will be easy to travel with.
The reasons for only 2 stars? -1 for the confusion surrounding the different versions, -1 for the deceptive title that is only one word different from the Penguin Classics version, and -1 for having no clearly listed table of contents.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 27, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Im happy but i dont believe its a genuine penguin print
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 13, 2020James Orwell
ITS A DAMN FAKE DOG
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 1, 2020
ITS A DAMN FAKE DOG
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 1, 2020
Its fake? Is that even a thing? Full price for a fake book?Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 1, 2020
Felt strange as soon as I took it out the package, very flimsy and cheap feeling. The cover has a really strange photocopied look to it and doesn’t quite fit right.
Avoid at all costs wow.
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Temple Phoenix
The Finest Edition You Can Own
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 19, 2011Catherine
Great intro to Lovecraft. Amazing short stories
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 21, 2020Kindle Customer
Amazing content but poor book material
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 23, 2020
