H.P. Lovecraft

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

I made this lens to discuss the works of H.P. Lovecraft. This lens will be for the most part spoiler-free. I will eventually write a nice little biography for H.P. Lovecraft on this page after I am able to read some of his letters. For now, all I'll say is that wikipedia has a really awesome page about his life.

H.P. Lovecraft Biography

Here is my review of his short stories. I will add more as I read them. This is a review for his fans by a fan.

The Outsider

3/5 - It's good, but a little predictable - It's short though, so it's a definite read

This was one of his shorter stories. It was a decent tale but I found it to be very predictable. "The Outsider" was pretty traditional, but it was probably one of the few tales that resembled the work of Edgar Allen Poe. This was one of Lovecraft's ultimate dreams, but he didn't view it as one of his best. I personally agree with Lovecraft's own critism that the language is too pompous and that the plot devices are far too mechanical, but it is still a good read, and it is less than 10 pages in most books.

The Music of Erich Zann

5/5 - This was one of H.P. Lovecraft's absolute best works. It is a must read.

This is considered to be one of H.P. Lovecraft's best works. It has one of his better settings and the pacing is just about right. I really couldn't figure out what was going on until the very end. Lovecraft also viewed the vagueness he used in places to be perfect, and I have to agree. I cannot really talk about much of the story without giving away details, but it is truly amazing.

The Lurking Fear

2/5 - Don't expect a masterpiece

I will start off by stating that even Lovecraft viewed this as a weaker work. It is probably one of the most pulpish stories that he work. The tale was solicited with the terms "that each section be of 2000 words & possess an horrific & suspenseful climax." These limitations really show in the story. By modern standards, it is a good story. It is suspenseful in parts and it is a little more epic than some of his other stories. There is also a larger sense of actual fear. The problem is that it pales in comparison to some of his other works. It is, for lack of a better term, cheesy. It has the plot premise of a summer camp ghost story and the villians are about as frightening as the family hamster. I still believe that fans of his works should read it. If you read it after some of his better stories, you can see that large parts of it were written in a very tongue-in-cheek manner, and that it was a story that was written for the money. Just don't expect it to be a masterpiece.

The Statement of Randolph Carter

3/5 It's a decent short story that is definitely worth your time

This is a nice little short story. It is a standard and somewhat pulpish tale that has a decent story and focus. He portrays the subject's state of mind in a great manner and the writing of it was actually quite good. The story was cheesy and similar to any other tale, although he does provide a great last line that somewhat redeems the entire story. It's also pretty short, so I would still think that it'd be worth reading.

The Rats in the Walls

6/5 - Yes, a 6 out of 5. It is really that good.

I really have to watch myself, because I really don't want to spoil the story. Just read it! It is possibly one of the best stories that H.P. Lovecraft wrote. It lags in the beginning, but it is just great! This was one of the two stories that I've read that actually shocked me at the end. It is one of my favorites.

The Shunned House

3/5 Read it if you're a big fan.

This one was actually really disappointing to me. It had a really nice build-up but it just dragged after the climax. It featured the same wonderful language that H.P. Lovecraft loved to use. It really was a fantastic story in parts, but the ending was not exciting, and the story failed to offer the usual catharsis that most of his stories cause. It's good, and not one of his worst, but it is a little disappointing.

The Horror at Red Hook

1/5 - Just Read "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"

H.P. Lovecraft himself stated that it was a long rambling tale and that it wasn't very good. It unfortunately is one of the few tales were Lovecraft's nativist views truly shine through, and it really is anti-climatic and it has an uninteresting end. It still isn't an awful story, but you should definitely read his other stories first. The other truth being that the story closely resembles a lot of elements from "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" which is a much better story. It is good to read if you are doing a survey of his overall work, because it shows his development and progression towards the Cthulhu Mythos, but a casual reader wouldn't find it as his best work.

He

4/5 - Good, but short of greatness

Another disappointing tale that fell short of my expectations. It had an interesting premise and it was actually quite different than the standard plot of most of Lovecraft's story. It was a bit of a breath of fresh air and I found the middle part very enjoyable. The disappointing ending made it fall short of being truly amazing though. It is a short story though, so I recommend it for anyone who likes a good science fiction story. It is also a great story for anyone who likes to see insights into H.P. Lovecraft's life, because he also liked to take long walking trips through the city at night so that he could look at the remains of the old world. This story was actually written on a cheap legal pad after one such walk, and the location in the story is based on a real mansion that he found on one of these walks.

Cool Air

2/5 One of the few that I will just tell you to pass over.

Not one of his better works in my opinion. It wasn't awful, but it just wasn't that good. The story was predictable and it lacked any significant moment that made it stand out for greatness. If you have the time, go ahead and read it, but don't expect to be amazed. Again, if you are doing a character study, it is actually a very important book. In this book, he openly states admiration for Doctor Munoz. This is actually proof that his views are somewhat inaccurately described as racist, because he was willing to show respect to people who he viewed as civilized members of society. These views are obviously not morally right, but it is important to understand his beliefs if you wish to truly appreciate his work.

The Call of Cthulhu

500/5 - You have to read this story if you like H.P. Lovecraft

I really don't know what I can say about this story. It is a great tale that is one of H.P. Lovecraft's absolute best. It uses a great documentary form of storytelling that is simply perfect. This is honestly my absolute favorite Lovecraft story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just end quickly. This is also obviously the start of the Cthulhu Mythos, so any Lovecraft fan has to read it.

Pickman's Model

5/5 I really enjoyed this one

I think that this ranks as one of H.P. Lovecraft's better stories. My advice is to not read it before bed though. I made that mistake and had a lot of trouble sleeping that night. It is one of the few stories that I would describe as truly frightening. It has a great plot, a somewhat predictable end, but one of the absolute best development sections. It was a good story that has a really great frightening moment. Even a casual reader should really enjoy it.

The Shadow Over Innsmouth

250/5 - A Great Addition to the Cthulhu Mythos

Selected Letters V [1934-1937] by H. P. Lovecraft

The monumental letters project is concluded with t more...0 points

^#11

Vote Up

Vote Down

Selected Letters: 1932-1934 by H. P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft wrote about 87,500 letters from 191 more...0 points

^#12

Vote Up

Vote Down

Selected letters, 1911-1924 by H. P Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft wrote about 87,500 letters from 191 more...0 points

I think that these are all pretty cool for any H.P. Lovecraft fan.

from

A pretty cool mousepad for any fan of the Cthulhu Mythos. It's a really good way to freak out co-workers too.

Price: 0.00

Cthulhu Wall Clock

from art of Eric Kemphfer

Let the love of the great Cthulhu fill you every time you look at the clock. I really love the design on this one.

Price: 14.99

Miskatonic University Mug

from NahumHouse

A nice way to start off your day with a little H.P. Lovecraft. For anyone who longs to be a member of Miskatonic University.

Price: 12.99

Cthulhu Fish Large Mug

from The Old Heathen's Emporium

Another great way to let the love of Cthulhu greet you with every cup of coffee or tea.

Price: 15.00

Miskatonic University Cap (Tan)

from Arkham Press

A really cool hat for anyone who wishes to belong to the Miskatonic University.

Price: 20.99

There's actually some really cool Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft Stuff on Ebay

Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by

New Guestbook

oniyagi

I almost forgot to send you this link
http://www.darkpassage.com/postmortems/providence.htm

Posted February 01, 2007

oniyagi

5 stars for sure! Great lens on one of the best writers ever to have lived!

Posted February 01, 2007

a level 20 thief

I can't believe you used Wikipedia as a source!!!
Have you learned nothing from me????

Posted January 23, 2007

ThePhoenix

Great little HPL blog. Do you know about the Call Of Cthulhu movie from the HP Lovecraft historical society at:
http://www.cthulhulives.org

I received one as a gift. Amazing job. It's done up as a silent movie in black

Posted January 22, 2007

boredofeducation

I like your lens...

enough to feature it on the front page of The Squidoo Book Club.

Posted January 20, 2007

boredofeducation

This stuff looks really cool.

Welcome to the Squidoo Book Club.

Posted January 20, 2007

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

H.P. Lovecraft

Rate this Lens

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Explore related pages

The Outsider

3/5 - It's good, but a little predictable - It's short though, so it's a definite read

The Music of Erich Zann

5/5 - This was one of H.P. Lovecraft's absolute best works. It is a must read.

The Lurking Fear

2/5 - Don't expect a masterpiece

The Statement of Randolph Carter

3/5 It's a decent short story that is definitely worth your time

The Rats in the Walls

6/5 - Yes, a 6 out of 5. It is really that good.

The Shunned House

3/5 Read it if you're a big fan.

The Horror at Red Hook

1/5 - Just Read "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"

He

4/5 - Good, but short of greatness

Cool Air

2/5 One of the few that I will just tell you to pass over.

The Call of Cthulhu

500/5 - You have to read this story if you like H.P. Lovecraft

Pickman's Model

5/5 I really enjoyed this one

The Shadow Over Innsmouth

250/5 - A Great Addition to the Cthulhu Mythos

Some Good Books to Get Started

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

I think that these are all pretty cool for any H.P. Lovecraft fan.

There's actually some really cool Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft Stuff on Ebay

New Guestbook

by AvianParakeet

Related Topics

Groups this page belongs to

Bookmark and Share

Favorited By

About AvianParakeet

AvianParakeet's Pages

A fast, free, and fun way to stand up for what you believe in.

About Squidoo

Get Help

Cool Stuff

Loading Workshop

Report this Lens

Login

Join Squidoo for free!

^#1

^#2

^#3

^#4

^#5

^#6

^#7

^#8

^#9

^#10

^#11

^#12