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Summary: This Has Some of the Best Lovecraft Stories
Review: I tell all my friends to read H.P. Lovecraft's stories and this is the collection I tell them to start with because it is certainly among the best collections and fairly priced. The other book I am currently recommending to friends is the affectionate parody 'Rastus Reilly or Dashiell Hammett Charles Dickens H.P. Lovecraft and Laurel and Hardy on Acid.' This novel is a must for all lovers of funny things and Lovecraft fans. Anyone who takes a serious interest in Lovecraft will enjoy his letters published by Arkham House publishers as well.
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Summary: The horror... the horror...
Review: H.P. Lovecraft was in a league of his own, so to speak. There are a lot of flaws, from a literary point of view, in his stuff, but... I just can't bring myself to care. He had a style, and a set of preoccupations, that were so idiosyncratic, and so unique, that there's really no one you can compare him to. Where else can you feast upon a steady diet of "unimaginable horrors?" Where else do people go mad with such, well, maddening regularity? In books by what other author, (including Carl Sagan,) do you find reference to things that happened "vigintillions" of years ago?Some of his stories are actually FRIGHTENING, too, not just "cool," if you know what I mean... "The Rats in the Walls" gave me the willies. I happen to live in Boston, and use the subway (the "T") quite a lot, so "Pickman's Model" had a huge impact on me. Most of his stuff, however, is much closer to science-fiction than horror, and if you want your mind expanded, you could do worse than read his work. There's a lot of material dealing with non-Euclidean geometry, and alternate dimensions, among other topics. Before I forget -- if you happen to be a younger reader, in a position where you are going to be facing SATs, PSATs, or some other standardized test sometime soon, then you can't knock reading H.P. Lovecraft as preparation for the verbal section. He makes full use of an absolutely stupendous vocabulary. You pick up awesome words without even realizing it's happening. They just sink into your brain, not unlike a flesh-dissolving Shoggoth... I used to read a lot of Lovecraft (and also Joseph Heller's "Catch-22") for vocabulary enrichment in high school, and I swear it's one of the primary reasons I scored in the 700s, way back when... Two thumbs up. Really good stuff.
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Summary: Master of true Horror.
Review: Having read virtually all published fiction Lovecraft wrote, I have come to name Lovecraft my favorite author above any other, (and that alone is a remark with quite some weight on itself, due the fact I have many favorite authors) not only because he was the one who inspired me to begin my own fiction writing, (not Mythos related, I hate "fan-fiction" or anything of the similar) but because my personal philosophy sympathizes with his own: The Universe, as vast as it is, is indifferent to the state of Humankind. Humanity could disappear tomorrow, and the Universe certainly would not change, either for good or bad. (although I have a twist for that) That, added to the fact that his writing is not only deep, but erudite and intriguing, makes up for my prototype of an excellent author. Lovecraft had an interesting life as well, if you can, get any of the biographies the world has to offer, but above all, get S.T. Joshi's.
Rating: 
Summary: Cthulhu calling. . .
Review: The work of H.P Lovecraft always makes me wish one thing: that the "beings hidious beyond description" would just rise up and take over! That way we could finally put a rest to all these arrogant, racist academics who have nothing better to do that poke their noses in other peoples (admittedly strange) business. Another thing I dislike (as hinted above) is Lovecraft's CONSTANT use of the literary cop-out that is "it was horrible beyond description." DESCRIBE IT ANYWAY!! This phrase, or something like it pops up in nearly every story in this volume. To begin with, from what I can tell, they aren't all THAT horrible. Just kind of fishy. Secondly, it cheating. I gave this book 3 stars because its still fun, even if it does get on your nerves initially.
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Summary: The essence of Lovecraftian horror
Review: Rarely does an author inspire such humility in his readers. Lovecraft is universally heralded as a member of the pantheon of horror deities of the English language, yet along with sheer terror, Lovecraft evokes in those who read his tales a feeling of humbleness. He portrays mankind as the weakest race to ever dominate the earth, using his Great Old Ones to enforce the fact that there are greater things in the universe than our simple species. The maddening of characters who encountered mere rumours and inklings at the existence of the Old Ones testifies to the fact that as a race, mankind is extraordinarily simple and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Possessing a thoroughly horrifying, yet amazingly keen, insight into man's darkest fears, Lovecraft's stories manage to stir up our greatest fear: That we are not the only beings to ever rule this earth, and we will not be the last.
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Summary: Modern Horror 101
Review: If you consider yourself a serious fan of modern horror, you must read Lovecraft. It's almost a cliché to hear a horror writer say they started learning their craft by imitating HPL's style and themes. (Read this collection, then read Stephen King's "Night Shift" collection, and you'll see what I mean. King borrows ideas more than writing style, of course.) Anyway, there's a good reason HPL was so influential: He took horror beyond propriety. Not with sex and violence, but with concepts which might best be called "profane": the indifference of the universe to Man, and Man's ultimate insignificance therein. Obviously, this isn't going to be for everyone. HPL only regarded a few of his own works as really "literary", and those stories are contained herein. Some of these others are still more interesting and original than a lot of modern horror. Some of them will give you a distinct feeling of deaj vu, too. (Didn't I just read this story?) His longer fiction is =also= not for everyone being more "weird" than "horror". (For a great imitation of his longer fiction style, check out L. Ron Hubbard's "Fear".) Anyway, this is a good HPL starter collection. Give it a read.
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Summary: Seriously Disturbing Stuff, They're Great!!!!!
Review: I got this book because I'm interested in the roots of popular horror fiction. This stuff is much more subliminal, much more suggestive than the modern day, in your face type of horror writing. It's like the convergence of country and blues that formed rock and roll, if you read it you see where it's going. But this stuff is the best, the original, usually set in places where there isn't electricity. So when it gets dark there, it really gets dark. A great compilation by the master of creeping suspense and the monster in the shadows.
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Summary: Freaky, but eventually redundant
Review: He is the one who started it all (okay, Poe did, on folklorists before him), but all seem to stem from here. This is a good collection, with all the greats like the rats in the walls, cthulhu, innsmouth, dunwich, etc. But I find that after reading so many of them that they become redundant after a while... it is just another town with another person or group of people worshipping the nameless old ones and going insane, and near escape and a brief glimpse of the old ones as they pass or are seen in the waves or are wherever. We don't really see any of it, and it is supposed to make us go crazy, but it doesn't except to annoy me slightly by not knowing what is going on. But then I am more a student of history, I want more depth, I want to get into Lovecraft's head and learn all of the things that fly through his head in his sleep. If I wanted it all left up to my imagination then I would make it up myslef from scratch. If you have a story, then put it out there, if not, then develop it more.
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Summary: Nice Well-Rounded Collection Of Lovecraft's Works.
Review: At last I've found an affordable collection to introduce me to H. P. Lovecraft's works. I've read other stories that people have compared to Lovecraft, so have always wanted to read his work. It took me a while to get through this collection as some of the language threw me and I would have to reread a page or two to understand. Also, until the character names (especially the gods and such) stick in your head. it will be a little difficult to follow because you don't really remember what happened previously to them. But eventually they do, and about midway through the collection I was enthralled. With such stories as Call Of The Cthulhu, Colour Out Of Space, Shadow Over Innsmouth, and others...I am dying to read more. Thanks to Del Rey for publishing more Lovecraft collections...I'm off to get them now.
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Summary: THE greatest writer of all time
Review: H. P. Lovecraft is THE greatest writer of all time. This is a great (though not extremely complete) collection of his work. I would reccomend this book for those who are just beginning to enjoy the writings of Lovecraft.
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