The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft

Apparently this anthology is actually missing four stories that appear in other collections, but I'll get to those another time. For all intents and purposes, this book sent me on a full and fascinating voyage through Lovecraft's fiction. Prior to beginning the collection, I had never read a single Lovecraft story, yet I had long been meaning to. I was of course aware of arguably his most famous creation, Cthulhu, the god-like “Old One” with its iconic tentacled head, slumbering through the aeons below the Pacific. What had really got me interested, however, was a synopsis I’d read of the story The Shadow Out of Time, which awakened me to the true wonders of Lovecraft’s imagination–it occurred to me that this horror tale had a pronounced sci-fi element to it, which I hadn’t expected. I wondered at how no story I could think of from this master had every found its way into my hands. What I was most surprised and delighted by was the unexpected variety across his works. A sense of cosmic horror forms the underpinning of his writing, spanning a veritable pantheon of monstrous creatures, extra-cosmic beings, gods, and virtually indescribable lifeforms and other fiends (indeed, unnameable and supposedly indescribable horrors are a common features in these tales)–from the crawling chaos Nyarlathotep, to Cthulhu and his ilk, to alien interlopers, to the Earth Gods of a sprawling Dreamland, to the terrifying Other Gods, and beyond. I loved the lore he created, added to piece by piece across multiple stories, stretching back through a vague history of the earth and its many (non-human) civilizations that have dwelt upon it since primordial times, their ruins now buried beneath the earth and sea in the deep and remote places of the world. Referenced in tale after tale, the widely-suppressed and deathly taboo Necronomicon, a fictional ancient book composed by the “Mad Arab” Abdul Alhazred, is a great element to draw the reader into a literary universe teeming with forbidden elder knowledge. Then there are the stories of his Dream Cycle, taking place in Earth’s Dreamland, explored most extensively in the wonder-filled novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. The journeys through dreamland, often undertaken by characters escaping a dreary Earthly existence into a wondrous and adventure-rich non-corporeal world, are described beautifully. Lovecraft was able to create a sense of cosmic dread–fear for the very experience of the human mind and soul in the face of truths and realities so extreme in their alien-ness and horror that they drive it to utter madness, in addition to mortal terror–but he could also capture through prose a rare and fleeting sensation such as we get in those dreams, often as children, in which we find ourselves for a time in unknown worlds of limitless beauty, mystery and joy. Lovecraft not only takes his readers through the hidden (often subterranean) recesses of fictionalized New England locales, but as far as the unexplored wastes of Antarctica (At the Mountains of Madness - one of my favorites), to Australia (The Shadow Out of Time), to the Congo, to various corners of Europe, to the depths of the ocean, to vast cities that rose on Earth before the evolution of human beings, to the edges of the cosmos and beyond, and to the furthest reaches of Earth’s Dreamland. Almost as a bonus, the third-to-last story, Sweet Ermengarde, which was written under the pseudonym Percy Simple, was a humorous and lighthearted tale, theatrical in nature, and without any supernatural gloom whatsoever. All in all, an awesome tour-de-force through the Lovecraft's body of literature.

Lovecraft has long been a favorite. His fiction is truly mind-expanding: it forces you to think of a colossal cosmos, populated by unspeakably powerful beings, among whom man is but a blip in time. Lovecraft's fiction follows a general trend of a protagonist oblivious to his insignificance and caught up in the hubbub of day-to-day life who must gradually come to terms with how tiny he is in a mad, uncaring universe of Cyclopean scale and hoary ancientness. There's a reason he has inspired everyone from Robert Block to Stephen King. If you don't mind the slow build of Lovecraft's fiction, or his characters, who are more caught up with digging into mysteries they shouldn't dig into but can't pull themselves away from than they are character development or self-discovery, you'll enjoy the slowly unfolding horror on offer in H.P. Lovecraft. Not only is Lovecraft fun to read, but he will permanently alter how you think about man's place in the universe. It remains hard to consider man - or any of his dramas, intrigues, or impacts - all that important in scale after completing a reading of H.P. Lovecraft. Enter at your own risk... and as any Lovecraftian hero might tell you, there are certain truths no sane mind should ever be made to face...

I bought the audio book version, and overall it's good. I like the narrator, I was surprised that it is over 50 hours long, was definitely a good buy. My only complaint is that the editing is strange, the audio was obviously pieced together from multiple takes, the narration changes tone, volume and style sometimes mid sentence. It is a bit jarring and annoying at times. I understand someone can't read out loud for 50+ hours non stop, I just wish that the sound editor had paid attention to what they were piecing together. I understand that this is somewhat of a pet peeve and won't effect most people, but I felt that I should warn others like myself. Still, overall, well worth the purchase and even if it is jarring to have someone dramatically narrating half a sentence and then suddenly whispering in your ear the other half, I'm still happy with the purchase.

Fast shipping. Product arrived As advertised. Came with tracking that was easy to check status of order.

The collection is not entirely complete - stories Lovecraft had ghostwritten for others are not included - but this is a good collection. I did not notice any serious errors or layout problems in the Kindle Edition. The quality of the stories requires no further attestation. Lovecraft earned his legendary status.

I read the other customer reviews before choosing to buy it, and I must say I am thoroughly satisfied with what I got. The pages were crisp, silver-edged and contained absolutely no grammatical errors on any page. It was the newer, purple bookmark edition and came wrapped in a plastic wrap. As promised, it contains all of Lovecrafts written works without the additions of other authors, but inevitably I ended up purchasing the extras. This has been worth the price and an excellent gateway to the Cthulhu mythos.

The overall rating is the average of the following ratings. I listened to this book with audible and I feel it made a big difference. I don’t think I would have enjoyed these stories as much reading them. There is something about listening to these creepy stories that really captivates you. The narrator’s were perfect too. They portrayed the emotions of the characters perfectly, especially their horror. I highly recommend getting this on Audible for anyone who likes audiobooks and is interested in reading Lovecraft. That being said, while there are some great stories in this collection a lot of them are just ok. I will probably only read the few I enjoyed again. I probably won’t ever listen to this whole collection again. Rating system: 1 stars - wasn't for me 2 stars - it was ok 3 stars - I liked it 4 stars - I loved it 5 stars - it was amazing The Alchemist: 4/ 5 What a twist at the end! At the Mountains of Madness: 5/5 This is written as an account from an Antarctic exploration mission which found a unique ancient creature at the base of the Mountains of Madness. They dubbed the creature the Old Ones. That night they suffered heavy losses. The second camp decided to keep the actual findings hidden from the public but explain what was actually found. This was quite interesting and creepy story. I loved how the narrator emphasized the horror and excitement of what was found. I quite enjoyed this unique story that presents a different history of life on earth. Azathoth: 2/5 A very short (3 min.) story. I felt it needs to be longer to really understand what is going on. The Beast in the Cave:3/5 A short horror tale of someone lost in a cave and realizes they are not alone. Beyond the Wall of Sleep: 2/5 A story about a Doctor that was fascinated with Joe Slader a mental patient who had amazing stories. Using a handmade device the doctor was trying to connect himself to what the Slader was imagining in the hopes of connecting with the dream world. I didn’t love this one. It wasn’t as captivating as previous stories. The Book: 2.5/5 A scholar who discovers and learns great magic. He quickly learns that he needs to be careful of that knowledge. An interesting and quick tale. The Call of Cthulhu: 4/5 “That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.” A very interesting tale. Not what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. The Cast of Charles Dexter Ward: 1/5 I was not interested in this story. I listened to 2 out of the 5 chapters and I was pretty bored so I am skipping the rest. The Cats of Ulthar:3/5 "...in Ulthar no man may kill a cat." Because the cat’s are liable to kill you. A very nice revenge tale. Celephais:3/5 This is a story about a man who has a dream about a beautiful place called Celephais. He spends the rest of his life seeking the dream-world of this place with the use of drugs. The Colour out of Space: 3.5/5 “That which spoke could speak no more.....” This is a tale about a meteorite crash that poisoned every living thing in the area. This story had very gruesome deaths for animals and humans. Lovecraft has a very captivating writing style that really draws you in and makes you see the horror of what is going on, especially when it comes to death. Cool Air: 3/5 An interesting ending for a unique and weird old man. Dagon: 3/5 The short story of a tortured, drug addicted man who is telling an incident that happened to him during WWI. This is one of Lovecraft's first stories he wrote as an adult and it was pretty good. The Descendant:2/5 “In London there is a man who screams when the church bells ring.” A very short story about a man who is aged beyond his years who finally admits his fear after being confronted with the Necronomicon. Discarded Draft o f “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”: 3/5 An interesting start. I wonder how it will compare to the finished story. The Doom that Came to Sarnath: 2/5 The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath:1/5 I was quite bored by this one and stopped about 10% through. The Dreams in the Witch House:3/5 Walter Gilman, a student, rents a room in the 'witch's house'. He has strange dreams that escalate as time goes on. The house is haunted by the witch who owned it. This was an interesting tale. Lovecraft really has a thing for dream stories. The Dunwich Horror: 3/5 An interesting and creepy tale. I wasn't expecting the revelation of who the creature was at the end. The Evil Clergyman: 2/5 A short horror story about a man being overtaken by an evil clergymen. Ex Oblivione: 2/5 A man seeking to remain in the eternal world of Dreamland. This was an ok and quick story. Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family: 3/5 A tale of family tragedy and repeat searching for an ape city. The Festival:2/5 From Beyond: 2.5/5 A man creates a machine that allows him to see beyond the normal senses. He sees strange creature in the air but you must be careful, if you move you die. The Haunter of the Dark: 2.5/5 He: 3/5 Interesting. He has a kind of vampire like quality. Herbert West - Reanimator:5/5 Two doctors spend their lives trying to find a solution that will reanimate the dead. This was very Frankenstein-esk. I really liked this one. History of the Necronomicon:3/5 A brief history of the Necronomicon and it's suppression throughout history. The Horror at Red Hook: 2/5 The Hound: 4/5 This is why you don't disturb the dead. Hynos: 2.5/5 Ibid: 2/5 A story of an ancient skulls travels through time. In the Vault:3/5 A cemetery working getting locked in a crypt with the bodies of the recent dead. The dead will have their revenge Little Glass Bottle:3/5 A prank played on some treasure hunters. The Lurking Fear: 2/5 Memory: 2/5 The Moon-Bog: 3/5 There is more to the swamp than you think. Leave the beauty of nature alone or it will get you. The Music of Erich Zann: 2/5 A mute musician who plays for a mysterious dark abyss. The Mysterious Ship (long version): 2/5 The Mysterious Ship (short version): 2/5 The Mystery of the Grave-yard:2/5 The Nameless City: 3/5 "That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die." Nyarlathotep: 3/5 Old Bugs: 3/5 A story about an alcoholic druggy named Old Bugs. The Other Gods:2/5 The Outsider: 3/5 Pickman’s Model: 2.5/5 The Picture in the House: 3/5 A picture of horror that reflects the horror in this house. Polaris: 2/5 The Quest of Iranon:2/5 The Rats in the Walls: 2/5 A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson:3/5 A quick look back on the 200+ years of his life. The Secret Cave:2/5 A short tale about the terrible death of a sister and a box of treasure. The Shadow Out of Time: 2/5 Interesting concept but was a little boring. The Shadow over Innsmouth: 3/5 The Shunned House: 3/5 A story of a haunted house that slowly kills people. The Silver Key: 2/5 The Statement of Randolph Carter: 2.5/5 The Strange High House in the Mist: 2/5 The Street: 2/5 The history and life of a street. It was ok. Sweet Ermengarde: 1/5 The Temple: 1/5 The Terrible Old Man:1/5 This was boring. At least it was very short. The Thing on the Doorstep: 3/5 Through the Gates of the Silver Key: 2/5 The Tomb: 3/5 The Transition of Juan Romero: 2/5 The Tree: 2.5/5 Under the Pyramids: 4/5 An eventful trip to Egypt with Harry Houdini. The Unnamable: 3/5 The Very Old Folk: 2/5 What the Moon Brings: 2/5 The Whispers in Darkness: 2/5 The White Ship: 2/5

Nice sleek cover, small print which the recipient will like, and a convenient list of contents on the back.

Beautifully made book. Very happy

Good bok, nice looking but some of the pages was stuck together with the silver color.

Masterpiece of Lovecraft

Pages are slightly wavy probably due to humidity. One of the corners of a few pages come slightly bent in, but nothing too much. Just happy to have the book.

Amazing deal. It has everything he did I believe. His work is something else. So captivating. You can't go wrong with this purchase if you like Lovecraft