Oh we’re back!
We’re really doing this! I would like to say thank you to all the views and likes and comments I’ve seen on previous blog posts since I’ve come back (kind of) and I appreciate seeing that. Makes me feel like… I’m not just doing this to be doing it. I really do appreciate it!
Now, onto what we’re here for which is another book review. I’ve been finishing books a little quicker than normal and it might take a while to get through one of the later books, Stephen King’s IT so I might get back into more quirkier blog posts that will be easier to do. Anyway, we’re gonna review a book of 7 different tales that the famed HP Lovecraft wrote in his time period. I don’t know much about his personal life (I’ve seen things that make me tilt my head at him) but his work is kind of everywhere within horror, sci-fi and fantasy. And reading it, I get it, I get the influence.
Let’s talk about The Essential Tales of HP Lovecraft. Spoilers beware!
As mentioned, there are 7 stories total and I’ll break down each one without going too heavy into spoilers because you might want to read some Lovecraft yourself. Story number one is “At the Mountains of Madness” and I gave this one a 3.5 out of 5. Maybe because it was the first one, I felt it was a bit drawn out at times. However, once the two male characters are exploring and we start to understand that this all not normal in Antarctica. I also looked into when this novella was written and this is before we had true exploration into Antarctica so the possibilities were endless. I did like the little foreshadowing of “discoveries” too. This is the one that reminded me of John Carpenter’s The Thing (yes it’s a remake but however) as I was reading it. 
Oh! Shout out to Albino emperor penguins but HUGE ones as “antagonists”.
Second story was The Call of Cthulhu which got a 5 out of 5. It’s my only 5 star story and for good reason. I really liked knowing, FINALLY, what the hype is around this mythological character that I’ve seen everywhere. There are cult themes in this story (in most of his works anyway), dreams and more depths into the mythology of Elder Things, Old Things, travels, religious context.
Story number 3 was The Colour Out of Space which became a film starring Nicolas Cage. But this was also a big favorite. This felt more scifi than the other two which had more horror elements in my opinion. But visually, I remember seeing how this is depicted in fan art and it immediately clicked for me. This is about a meteorite that falls from the sky and where it lands, it almost sucks the living energy and color of its environment. Vegetation went bad, poisoning in the lands, the animals were going insane, especially horses. What’s even sadder is that a family is hugely affected by this phenomenon. This got a 4.5 out of 5 from me.
Number 4, The Dunwich Horror, another short story from… I believe 1928? A 4 out of 5 from me… a tale of family, unknown family, “ancestry” and connections to an outside world. The story is about more Cthulhu mythos but more so on a personal level for a family and the protagonist understanding that things are not what they seem. I remember getting to the ending and going “huh, that’s a good twist” because I wasn’t expecting it. And I like this word, “yog-sothoth”. It shows up in other stories too but this is the one where it fits perfectly.
The fifth story is The Shadow out of Time and I flip flopped between a 3.75 and a 4 for this story. This story reminds me of astral projection or something taking over your body and you don’t remember it happening, like possession. And in a way, that’s the plot of this story but within a Lovecraft setting of alien life form and time and travel. I remember thinking, man, if this happened to me and I lost HUGE chunks of time and memories, I’d be very upset and confused. Obviously there is more going on in this story and I don’t want to reveal too much but I enjoyed the writing around the main character. Getting into his head and how he feels, I liked that. 
The Shadow over Innsmouth is story number six and all I have to say about this is: hide and seek with aquatic alien creatures. The fanart is so wild for this story. It got a 3.75 out of 5 from me.
And the last story is The Whisperer in Darkness, published in 1930 and I really, really liked this one. I remember feeling invested and worried for all characters involved. I enjoyed the pacing, the foreshadowing, me being on my toes and when a certain section or moment popped up, I was like “okay suspicious” when a character says or acts one way for a consistent amount of time and then turns around and they are “normal”. Like hello, red flag, red flag! There are mentions of Cthulhu or other mythos but that’s not the focal point. And also, animal death trigger warnings? This received a 4 out of 5 from me.
These stories have many similar themes and connectivity such as Arkham, a fictional town in Massachusetts, the book of Necronomicon (book of the dead) and in a way, he’s created a what I call “HPU” or HP Universe where everything has a connection whether or not it’s location, mythos, etc and I find that very interesting considering how early his work is. The entire book is a 4 out of 5 from me and if you want to see physical adaptations or influences of his works, I’d suggest Re-Animator, From Beyond, Color out of Space, John Carpenter’s The Thing is heavily inspired by Lovecraft, the television series Lovecraft Country, a personal favorite in The Void, Annihilation, The Mist, The Call of Cthulhu, and many many more.
I would suggest if you want to read his works, I’d pick a book like this one or a varying one that has multiple stories within. One story may not work for you, but the others might. You’d get more variety and more well rounded reading experience with his work that you may miss out on. As of now, I would read other works of his if I come across them in the world and see what else is out there. I’d love to read how close Re-Animator is to its book counterpart. And maybe more Cthulhu, he’s a fascinating character.
This was thorough and longer but necessary because I didn’t want to discredit each story by not giving its own limelight. I didn’t want to spoil much as well but I gave enough as much as I could and wow, this made it to page 3. Okay, okay, it’s time to go! Please let me know below if you’ve read Lovecraft and what you think? Any favorites or recommendations? Leave it below in a comment, let’s chit chat and I’ll see you guys next week!
Okay bye!
Shots of Horror 