The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft (Knickerbocker Classics)

I know what you're thinking: How could this guy give H. P. Lovecraft's work a negative rating? I understand you're confusion and outrage, but that's not the case. I don't hate Lovecraft's work. The problem is that... I can't understand a word that's written. I'm sorry, but I can't read Old Timey English. I tried this before years ago with Edgar Allan Poe's work, but I couldn't. If I could understand what was going on or what was being said, I probably would have finished the end, but I didnt. Don't let my review discourage you from reading these stories.

I have seen the name H. P. Lovecraft mentioned in dozens of articles about unusual or weird fiction, but had never read any of his writings, so when I saw this book for a reasonable price, I decided to find out what it was all about. I have really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it to anyone, whether a Lovecraft novice or veteran. But... be aware.... this book is huge, and I personally can't get through an entire story in one setting. Lovecraft is the most verbose author I have ever read... his sentences run on for half a page at times, and don't really progress the story.
You may have to put the book down and read something else for awhile, as I do, but I think if you open the book with an open mind and stick with it, you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Lovecraft has long been a favorite. His fiction is truly mind-expanding: it forces you to think of a colossal cosmos, populated by unspeakably powerful beings, among whom man is but a blip in time. Lovecraft's fiction follows a general trend of a protagonist oblivious to his insignificance and caught up in the hubbub of day-to-day life who must gradually come to terms with how tiny he is in a mad, uncaring universe of Cyclopean scale and hoary ancientness. There's a reason he has inspired everyone from Robert Block to Stephen King.

If you don't mind the slow build of Lovecraft's fiction, or his characters, who are more caught up with digging into mysteries they shouldn't dig into but can't pull themselves away from than they are character development or self-discovery, you'll enjoy the slowly unfolding horror on offer in H.P. Lovecraft.

Not only is Lovecraft fun to read, but he will permanently alter how you think about man's place in the universe. It remains hard to consider man - or any of his dramas, intrigues, or impacts - all that important in scale after completing a reading of H.P. Lovecraft. Enter at your own risk... and as any Lovecraftian hero might tell you, there are certain truths no sane mind should ever be made to face...

Great! Lovecraft is a true underappreciated classic.

I found Lovecraft's other worlds and dimensions, which intersect with our own, fascinating. His views on characters, that are initially considered evil or horrific, but which upon closer examination and consideration are actually neither good nor evil, just beings with ethics, senses and belief systems alien to our own, are quite interesting. The idea that creatures, which for centuries of human culture, have been viewed as demonic or abominations, are actually alien intelligences different from our own and thus to be feared, is a unique concept which I had never even considered before reading his works.

Really fun reading a handful of short stories in the collection. They felt very modern, mostly because everything now has a tie back to Lovecraft, whether direct inspiration or from being inspired by those who were inspired. In that sense, it was really fun reading the "source material". But he's a wild racist, and much is eye rolling.

an Excellent digital rendition. Horror on the go 😈

What can I say? His work is extraordinary, well ahead of its time in creative storytelling. A writer as myself could learn from his skills. You will not be disappointed by adding his remarkable, eerie collection of words to your collection. Great writer.

Great writing style.

the man is a genius