H. P. Lovecraft: Tales (LOA #155)

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HP Lovecraft is an exceptional author of our time; this is a must to one's library.

HP Lovecraft picks up right where Poe left off. This is a great collection as well. You really couldn't ask for a better quality book. The cover is very high quality. Certainly a book worthy of gifting, or even handing down. It will last. Would look good on any library's shelf.

On the front cover of this book there is a quote from Stephen King - `H.P.Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century¿s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.¿ I had read other praise for HP Lovecraft before and could not wait to get started on my first collection of tales from what I expected was one of the greatest horror writers ever to grace the earth. As I read the introduction I was even more intrigued and also because of the tragic circumstances of his life even more predisposed to like him. However, as I started to read the first tale I found myself being slightly disappointed. His work did not seem original to me - this is probably a by product of Lovecraft himself being heavily influenced by Edgar Allen Poe and every modern horror writer being influenced by both Lovecraft and Poe. I read on hoping that each story would be a little bit better than the last and still was disappointed. Most of his stories are written in the first person, most our written as eyewitness accounts of the strange events that they themselves ¿ the writers - have witnessed. This does give the reader a sense of realism but at times I believe Lovecraft goes too far in describing these events. Every creature, every nightmare vision is described down to the most intricate of details leaving nothing to the reader¿s imagination. (Is it just me or should a pre-requisite for a horror writer not be to leave something to the imagination of the reader? As our imaginations can conjure up more enduring and sinister visions that a writer could not possible describe on paper.) I feel I have been quite harsh towards Mr Lovecraft, although I do believe my criticisms are warranted, however, I am going to offer him some praise. The Call of Cthulhu gives life to the dreaded creature, Cthulhu a sleeping creature who sleeps the sleep of the dead in his nightmarish domain. He is the High Priest of the `Great Old Ones¿ a race of people that inhabited this earth before we humans evolved. We are warned in this story and in many of Lovecraft¿s other stories that `The Great Ones¿ will return and displace mankind forever. This story shows excellent promise and would have been the basis of a great novel had Lovecraft gained the respect of his peers during his lifetime maybe he would have delighted even me, a Lovecraft sceptic, with more tales of Cthulhu.

amazing, and horrifying, are the first two words that come to my mind when i think of Lovecraft's work. once you get used to his style of writing (and figure out what eldritch means), his stories are extremely gripping, and so utterly mysterious that you feel a need to finish it just to find out what happens (even though you already know its going to be something bad). after you read a lot of his tales, you may have a hard time getting to sleep...

I haven't read much of Lovecraft in the past, I heard about him from a friend, and I decided to jump right in with a big collection of his works. This book is frightening, H.P.'s thrilling and suspensful short stories will keep you on the edge of your seat into long hours of the night. With about 22 short stories spanning about 800 pages, you will not be dissapointed with this buy! The book includes a chronology of the tales and Lovecraft's life, along with notes on the text. I would definately recommend this to anyone looking for something interesting and scary. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who already owns many of Lovecraft's works, as it is a little on the expensive side (at least for me).