Rating: 
Summary: Horror at its Best
Review: Sadly, I didn't have time to read every story in this book, but the ones I did read convinced me that H.P. Lovecraft is an insane genius. I've never been one to shy away from terror or gore, but I was enthralled with Lovecraft's formal and scholarly way of writing; he has elevated horror from popcorn entertainment to what it should be: art. Some stories in particular took my breath away. I loved the shudder-inducing ending to "The Thing on the Doorstep," and "The Shadow out of Time" is, without a doubt, one of the best short stories ever written; I was gasping for breath by the climax. I strongly recommend Lovecraft, though not to those who scare easily. In the meantime, I've been searching for more of his work. Lots more.
Rating:
Summary: Essential
Review: Lovecraft is undoubtedly the most important figure in horror literature of the twentieth century and this is a collection of his best work. The first half of the anthology is composed of random short stories. The rest of the book is devoted to stories involved in the Cthulu Mythos--especially The Shadow Over Innsmouth; one of the greatest short stories ever written. These stories are essential reading for anyone seriously interested in horror fiction.
Rating: 
Summary: An eldritch author
Review: I came to Lovecraft via Blackwood. Since Lovecraft is sometimes considered to be Blackwood's Protégé, I find it interesting to compare the two. Stylistically they are quite different. Blackwood has a dry, journalist's style -- when he does try to be florid, it does not always come off. Lovecraft is basically a poet, and uses the sound and suggestive powers of words to create a mood. Sometimes he overuses words, such as his favorite, "eldritch." They share a certain dark and pessimistic worldview. The best spin we can put on this worldview is that "reality is not what it appears," and "mankind is not the darling of the universe." The worst spin is somewhere between "the universe does not care about mankind whatsoever," and "there are unspeakable forces arrayed against us." I would say than the latter view is more characteristic of Lovecraft.My own favorite story is "The Shadow over Innsmouth." Granted it is a paranoid story, but the nature of the threat is understandable, and the hero manages to escape the dangers. That's about as upbeat of Lovecraft gets! In many ways this story reminds me of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."
Rating:
Summary: Great, but repetitive
Review: This book is a compilation of short horror stories by one of the foremost horror writers of all time, H.P. Lovecraft. When I first began reading this book I was enthralled. The stories are incredible! They all create an atmosphere of suspense and evil that no one else I have ever read can compare. However, after reading on, I found that the tone and style of the stories was the same throughout, and eventually I "burned out" and found the last few stories somewhat boring. It wasn't just the tone of the stories that was repetitive, but many of the stories have carbon-copied characters and villians as well. I recommend this book to any fan of the horror genre or anyone who wants to write horror; you can learn a lot about scenes, characters, and tone from these stories. I would recommend, though, that you read them one at a time with a long break between to keep them "fresh"
Rating:
Summary: The master of horror's master collection.
Review: In order to truly grasp Lovecraft, you should pick up the two companions to this book, the "Dreams" book, and the "Road to Madness" book (they all have similiarly styled covers). Most of the stories here are incredible, despite a few lesser ones ("The Outsider," etc). Others have a stunning amount of depth. "Dreams in the Witch-House is an exciting display of madness, dream-working, and a haunted, decrepit manor. "Rats in the Walls" is a particularly terrifying piece about the origins of humanity which invokes many interesting settings: desolate caverns, a rotting mansion, etc. "In the Vault" is a classic piece of Poe-esque psyschological horror that none should miss. This is fantastic collection.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent intro to Mr.Lovecraft
Review: The first Lovecraft story I read was "The Call of Cthulu", when I was around eight. I hardly understood it, but it gave me very vivid nightmares. Now I can better comprehend these tales, and they still frighten me. Mr.Lovecraft had view on the world that was introverted, almost nihilistic. I can relate, I'm pretty introverted myself. His settings always reflect an isolated theme, sometimes to the point of literary claustrophobia. Well,I can't say a lot more on this book,save that a great soundtrack is Metallica's "Ride the Lightning", which features an instrumental ode to our nigh-omnipotent buddy,Cthulu. So give this book a read and you'll surely love these nightmarish, macbre tales.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Introduction To The Works Of H.P. Lovecraft!
Review: 'The Best Of H.P. Lovecraft' is the first in Del Rey's excellent Lovecraft trilogy (followed by 'The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft' and 'The Transition of H.P. Lovecraft'). Needless to say, this is an essential book, however it should really be titled 'The Most Famous Tales Of H.P. Lovecraft'. H.P. Lovecraft is probably the greatest horror author of the last 100 years. He creates vivid and surreal montages of terror by understanding a simple kphilosophy... the strongest ind of fear is fear of the unknown. By never actually showing a graphic depiction of the horror, Lovecraft creates a suffocating mood of suspense. To put it another way, Lovecraft is the kind of writer that would place his main character hidden inside a crypt, contemplating the unknown horrors, rather that have them face to face with that horrible monstrosity that's waiting just within arms (or tenticles) length... This collection is comprised of 16 of H.P. Lovecraft's most famous tales (with a preceeding introduction by Robert Bloch). The book starts off perfectly with a story called "The Rats In The Walls," a story very reminiscent of "The Lurking Fear". Lovecraft establishes a creepy backstory to make the culminating horrors all the more intense. The next story is a grotesque little short story called "The Picture In The House." This one is short and sweet, with a abrupt and shocking ending. Lovecraft spins another interesting yarn with "The Outsider". Lovecraft is at his best with "Pickman's Model", an ingaging tale about an artist with a sinister secret. Lovecraft's descriptions of the paintings are so meticulously done that you can almost see the disturbing images flash before your eyes. This grand story is followed by two contrasting stories, the grim "In The Vault" and the beautiful "The Silver Key" (more of H.P. Lovecraft's beautiful fantasy tales can be found in the Dream Cycle collection). "The Music Of Erich Zann" is a surreal horror film that remains haunting after repeated readings. "The Call of Cthulhu" is probably H.P. Lovecraft's most famous tale, and is easily the best one in the novel. Once you read this tale, you'll never look at the ocean the same way again. "The Dunwich Horror" is another classic tale, which is reminiscent of a creepy camp-fire tale (this is my personal favorite). "The Whisperer In The Darkness" and "The Colour Out Of Space" are two tales of cosmic horror that have never been equaled. "The Haunter Of The Dark" is typical Lovecraft, as is the great "The Thing On The Doorstep". "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" is a favorite amoung Lovecraft enthusiasts and it's not hard to see why. "The Dreams In The Witch-House" is probably the most nightmare-inducing of the tales, and "The Shadow Out Of Time" starts off being an intriguing tale of suspense, and then seeps into the most bizarre science-fiction I've ever read. Summarizing it all, "The Best Of H.P. Lovecraft" is not as good as the other too in the series. "The Dream Cycle" benefits from two of Lovecraft's bests works and amazing fantasy, while "The Transistion Of" consists of the best tales (my favorites being Herbert West--Re-Animator and The Lurking Fear). Still, this is a perfect collection to get started with. So sit back, and relish in the tales of the Great Cthulhu, the terror of Arkham, Dunwich, and Miskatonic, and the unspeakable horrors of the Necronomicon.
Rating: 
Summary: the best KNOWN of H.P. Lovecraft
Review: Let's face it, everyone's idea of the "best of HPL" is going to differ greatly. Personally, I thought that most the book did pick out his best stories. My favorites are: Pickman's Model, the Rats in the Walls, The Colour Out of Space, the Shadow Out of Time, the Dunwich Horror, and a few others. I think that this book just inserted the best known stories of HPL, not necessarily his best work. I haven't read all of his stuff, but I've read this book and THE TOMB AND OTHER TALES. I didn't find the stories in The Tomb all that interesting. So from that standpoint, yes, this book is easily some of HPL's best. When it comes to HPL's writing style, I find that sometimes his stories flow really well, and sometimes they drag on. HPL has . . . a tendency to . . . write . . . like this . . . when a . . . character is . . . dying. Very . . . slow and . . . tedious . . . if you ask me. Butothertimeshisstoriesarejusttheoppositeandreadlikemodern-dayworks--veryfast. I haven't read as much horror as many of you out there, but I think it'd be safe to say that HPL was one of the best horror writers--in the top ten or so. Just keep in mind that he wrote in the days when long-windedness was acceptable. This book is definitely worth your time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: Creative ideas suffer under tedious narration
Review: This book was recommended to me by an HPL enthusiast. I have tried and tried to enjoy these stories but I simply can't. Six weeks later I'm still struggling through "Shadow Over Innsmouth." Most of the narration is devoted to unnecessary background and orientation (the church is here; the hotel is there; the door faces north; the bus leaves at 10 -- yawn). If you like something to *happen* in a story or if you like dialogue, this is *not* a collection for you. The style is narrative-heavy and almost completely inner monologue. However if you like a story that "tells" instead of "shows," then you might be interested. I give this book one star for the creative ideas in the stories and one for the completeness of this collection (HPL lovers should jump all over this). I honestly see the attraction, but the style of the storytelling (and each story reads the same as every other) is practically unbearable. If you're unfamiliar w/ HPL and want to see what all the fuss is about, check this out at your library before buying it.
Rating:
Summary: Not all of the best, but essential
Review: This book contains 16 of Lovecraft's best works, though you will find a few equally good or even better stories in the other 2 Del Rey compilations. Lovecraft has a unique writing style that separates him from most other horror writers I have read, a tenaciously descriptive style with lots of rare old syllables. Most of the horrors are either dimly described or not described at all, leaving a lot up to the reader's imagination, in line with Lovecraft's famous sentence: "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." What we can't see certainly does scare us! Some of the best known stories like "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" are essentials, and my 4 personal favourites "The Shadow Out of Time", "The Whisperer in Darkness", "The Rats in the Walls", and of course Lovecraft's own favourite: "The Colour Out of Space". Highly recommended! If you like it get the other 2 books in the series, or one of the Arkham House hardbacks if available.
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