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The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre

The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre

List Price: $13.95
Your Price: $10.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing!
Review: This is a book for book lovers, to be sure. Though perhaps not apt for the masses, Lovecraft's work is truly impressive. Sometimes you can predict the ending, many times you can't. There is an attention to detail, coupled with just enough room to allow the imagination fill in the darkest of gaps, which allows for maximum impact. It is also great from a literary point of view as well, a treasure to read into the styles and views of the past. I was hooked from the first story (The Rats In The Walls) on. Lastly, I am amazed by his ability to portray human emotion and response! It makes me wonder if he might have been a little mad himself...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Incredible collection of some of an incredible writer's work
Review: H.P. Lovecraft was the best horror writer of this century. And by saying this, I do not feel I am going out on a limb.

Never before has an author impacted my thought as much as Lovecraft has. I constantly read his work and frequently talk about him to others. In fact, I even sport a few Lovecraft shirts around town. Obsessed? Yes, but for good cause.

As Ramsey Cambell said, Lovecraft can do something many other "master" authors can't: Infuse the reader with mindnumbing terror.

Maybe "mindnumbing" is a little bit of an overstatemnt, but terror isn't. Mixing a broad range of stories from tales of crazy scientists to genocide of ancient races, Lovecraft presents a very powerful and interesting philosophy (best summarized by earlier said Campbell): Man is luckilly ignorant of certain things, for if they knew them it would be death or insanity.

And this book shows just that. From "Call of Cthulhu" to "The Rats in the Walls", this book is sure to please anyone searching to own their first Lovecraft book or someone that wants to find out if the rumours of Lovecraft being a horror master are correct.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Any Lovecraft is Good Lovecraft
Review: The BEST OF H.P.L is a bit of a misnomer, for instead of witnessing Lovecraft at his best we find him at his most accessible. The BEST H.P.L. to Get Addicted to would be a more appropriate title. But even if a survey is all you can get Lovecraft's fiction is such that, having read him you can never look at reality the same way ever again. The book begins with what I believe ought to have been a Pulitzer prize winning essay on Lovecraft's main theme: heritage (and history in general). Lovecraft's works, the good and the bad, all possess many layers from the abstruse philosophical to campy horror. And in every story it becomes incrdibly dificult to tell exactly where histry ends and fiction begins. You begin to forgive him his overblown style, and then true gems like "Shadow over Innsmouth" leap out at you, with a twist better than O'Henry's. This is good beginner's guide however incomplete.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The "Best" of the best!
Review: First of all, for any fan of modern horror fiction who has yet to discover the work of H.P. Lovecraft, this book is an absolute must! This is a collection of perhaps some of the most engrossingly described, fiendishly plotted, and skillfully crafted horror stories ever produced by a single author. Lovecraft's fiction, as well-represented in this generous volume, has managed to beat the odds and transcend the barriers of time and shifting tastes in literature. Some of the stories contained herein; "The Call of C'thulhu" and "Pickman's Model" being two prime examples, are so well crafted that the reader quickly finds him/herself plunged into a sort of alternate reality; a reality where unspeakable cults worship ancient, nameless deities; where paintings depicting hideous entities and horrendous acts of violence are painted from life; and where hideous beasts lurk not only around every corner, but within the tortured minds of all mankind. For anyone who feels compelled to see what all of the fuss is about, you won't be disappointed! Lovecraft teases and teases, but ultimately delivers the goods with frightening conviction! Lovecraft's stories, combined with an incredible essay/introduction written by dark prince Robert Bloch, make this book a wonderfully rich, terrifying, and even educational adventure into the very soul of all things macabre! Read it . . . NOW!!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A praised but flawed work.
Review: One porblem with H.P. Lovecraft is his writing style. Coming from a time when the style of the day was much more staunch and stuffy, he didn't imbune his stories with the snappy punch of modern fiction. Consequentally, the impact of his tales are lost and the conclusions of his stories come across as anti-climaxes. More importantly, I don't find his fiction scary by one inch. I can read this book from cover to cover and still sleep very soundly, thank-you. Perhaps I'm jaded, but as a horror author, he doesn't impress me.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: the most complete collection of lovecraft stories
Review: if you love lovecraft or have never read his stories this is the book to get. some of his best stories are contained in this book, including "THE WHISPERER IN THE DARKNESS", my personal favorite. this bool is hard to find in bookstores, so get your copy here!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Incredibly complicated, an art form in itself.
Review: Although, I will admit there are some boring stories or parts of stories, but that is true in most books. Even if you despise what he writes about, or if you simply don't understand alot of it (i needed a dictionary for about half the words), one must admit he has been one of the number one influences of horror writers today. His style is incredible- although I certainly would not label him as a novice, he- in my opinion- is more of a genious than an author.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pure enjoyment, tainted by a few boring stories.
Review: Lovecraft, who probably influenced more writers than Poe, was a genius. His terrible vision of a world controlled by vast Gods with infinite powers shows up in works by Stephen King, Clive Barker, Brian Lumley, and most other modern horror writers. In this book,the greatest horror story ever, The Dunwich Horror, is collected along with The Colour Out of Space, another great tale. Unfortunally, some stories drown under the heavy weight of Lovecraft's highly purple descritions and get rather boring. One can only take so many stories about scholars digging too deep into things they shouldn't be tampering with.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "LOVE" it
Review: Lovecraft is the "non-stuffy" equivalent of early twentieth-century american horror/bizarre writing. Not to say that he beats the same drum as Poe, but he also isn't so over-hyped. Want a good WEIRD read? Check out one of his collections.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Terror at its spine-chilling best
Review: I started reading Lovecraft as a kid, before King started the modern resurgence of interest in horror. The more "new horror" that is published today, the more I appreciate Lovecraft's style, which is of course perfectly represented in this book. For those who prefer terrifying mood and atmosphere, with the height of the terror coming from your own imagination rather than spelled out in graphic, gory detail, Lovecraft is the author and this is the book. For those who are accustomed to the modern trend of shock-value splatterpunk horror, try this book and see if you don't find Lovecraft's more subtle brand of terror to be just as satisfying, if not more so. Absolutely recommended.


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