The Dunwich Horror and Other Stories by H.P. Lovecraft

My appreciation for 'Erich Zann' grew greatly as well, and is now one of my all-time favorite Lovecraft stories. 'Pickman's Model' was as effective (and horrifying) as ever, but 'The Thing on the Doorstep,' which closes the collection, especially creeped me out this time around, as it involves one of my biggest fears: the loss of one's own mind/loss of control.

I thought some of the tales would lose a little of that sense of awe (or 'frisson,' as weird fiction authority ST Joshi would say) I felt as a teen, but I was wrong. It also features an informative intro from 1963 by Arkham House co-founder August Derleth (or 'Der Leth' as he's mistakenly called on the cover). It includes: 'In the Vault,' Pickman's Model,' 'The Rats in the Walls,' 'The Music of Erich Zann,' 'The Haunter of the Dark,' 'The Dunwich Horror,' and 'The Thing on the Doorstep,' most of which are top-tier Lovecraft, imo, ones I hadn't read in 20 years or so until now. This version of the book doesn't feature all the stories listed on this page (which is for the Arkham House editions). He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.ġ978 Jove mass-market with cover art from the always excellent Rowena Morrill. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.Īlthough Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore.

Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

The Dunwich Horror and Other Stories by H.P. Lovecraft