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juushikaTitle: The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
Author: H.P. Lovecraft
Editor: S.T. Joshi
Published: New York: Penguin Classics, 1999 (original stories published 1917-1935)
Page Count: 420
Total Page Count: 40,673
Text Number: 116
Read For: my own enjoyment, purchased from Borders
Short review: As one of the three Penguin Classic Lovecraft anthologies, The Call of Cthulhu collects the stories that lead up to and include the Cthulhu Mythos, arranged in chronological order with introduction and explanatory notes for each story from the anthologizer, S.T. Joshi. Joshi does an exceptional job selecting stories that create a coherent narrative through Lovecraft's early work, developing themes, and final strong stories; his annotations are interesting and useful both to the casual and studious reader. Lovecraft's writing itself is also exceptional: in this wide selection of short stories, he explores issues of miscegenation, scientific exploration, and the discoveries of the great beyond—from the reaches out outer space to the depths of the sea, wherein ancient inhuman forces lurk, threatening those that come too close to the truth. Skill and quality differs from story to story but is universally high, and Lovecraft's tones are delightfully dark and threatening, occasionally humorous, and always otherworldy. This collection is greatly enjoyable and I highly recommend it.
The Penguin Classics anthologies divide Lovecraft's work into three collections, all edited by S.T. Joshi, all collecting short stories that address central themes in Lovecraft's work. Obviously, this compilation focuses on the Cthulhu Mythos, beginning with Dagon and moving through stories of life beyond death (Herbert West—Reeanimator), miscregation (The Shadow over Innsmouth), life from space (The Whisperer in the Dark), and life from the depths (The Call of Cthulhu). The collection is complete, with a clear focus, and indicates an active development of the theme as Lovecraft's writing matures. Joshi's additions are skillful: each story is given an introduction in the notes, mentioning its place in Lovecraft's career, relevant information, and present themes; the annotations (through numbered footnotes) are removed to the end of the text, maintaining the coherency of the printed stories and giving the reader the option of ignoring them altogether. The annotations run a bit overly-detailed and even off topic at times, but on the whole they are both interesting and useful. In short, Joshi's editing is exceptional, making this an accessible anthology as well as a useful resource.
More important than Joshi's editing is of course Lovecraft's writing. Lovecraft is a true artist of the horror genre; his work is considered classic for a reason. And perhaps none of it is more famous than the Cthulhu mythos, making this a true classic of the genre and a wonderful read. But my recommendation does not rest on how famous Lovecraft or these stories happen to be; rather, it rests on the fact that the writing is exceptional, enjoyable, and haunting. Some of the tropes become repetitive, and not all of the stories match others in quality or lasting impact, but on the whole this is an impressive collection of consistently high quality. The forces present in Lovecraft's writing are dark and insidious, hidden on the edges and in the crevices of human consciousness; those that seek them out find more than they bargain for—some are killed, some driven to madness or suicide. Lovecraft's stories move accordingly, building up auras of suspense, slowly revealing more ominous information, and often climaxing in names, entities, and fates that are all the more frightening for our own inability to comprehend them, pronounce, or describe them. Lovecraft uses words to introduce concepts that are beyond words, concepts that escape description. His writing is atmospheric, haunting, and skillful, and a true delight to read.
I came upon this text as a curious reader that had heard much about Lovecraft but never read his work and did not know where to begin. I was exceptionally pleased with this book, and believe it was an ideal introduction. The combination of Joshi's superb selections and editing and Lovecraft's exceptional writing make this a wonderful starting place, introducing some of Lovecraft's strongest themes, exploring them through his career, and including all number of classic stories. I was impressed with and greatly enjoyed this text, and I highly recommend it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: H.P. Lovecraft
Editor: S.T. Joshi
Published: New York: Penguin Classics, 1999 (original stories published 1917-1935)
Page Count: 420
Total Page Count: 40,673
Text Number: 116
Read For: my own enjoyment, purchased from Borders
Short review: As one of the three Penguin Classic Lovecraft anthologies, The Call of Cthulhu collects the stories that lead up to and include the Cthulhu Mythos, arranged in chronological order with introduction and explanatory notes for each story from the anthologizer, S.T. Joshi. Joshi does an exceptional job selecting stories that create a coherent narrative through Lovecraft's early work, developing themes, and final strong stories; his annotations are interesting and useful both to the casual and studious reader. Lovecraft's writing itself is also exceptional: in this wide selection of short stories, he explores issues of miscegenation, scientific exploration, and the discoveries of the great beyond—from the reaches out outer space to the depths of the sea, wherein ancient inhuman forces lurk, threatening those that come too close to the truth. Skill and quality differs from story to story but is universally high, and Lovecraft's tones are delightfully dark and threatening, occasionally humorous, and always otherworldy. This collection is greatly enjoyable and I highly recommend it.
The Penguin Classics anthologies divide Lovecraft's work into three collections, all edited by S.T. Joshi, all collecting short stories that address central themes in Lovecraft's work. Obviously, this compilation focuses on the Cthulhu Mythos, beginning with Dagon and moving through stories of life beyond death (Herbert West—Reeanimator), miscregation (The Shadow over Innsmouth), life from space (The Whisperer in the Dark), and life from the depths (The Call of Cthulhu). The collection is complete, with a clear focus, and indicates an active development of the theme as Lovecraft's writing matures. Joshi's additions are skillful: each story is given an introduction in the notes, mentioning its place in Lovecraft's career, relevant information, and present themes; the annotations (through numbered footnotes) are removed to the end of the text, maintaining the coherency of the printed stories and giving the reader the option of ignoring them altogether. The annotations run a bit overly-detailed and even off topic at times, but on the whole they are both interesting and useful. In short, Joshi's editing is exceptional, making this an accessible anthology as well as a useful resource.
More important than Joshi's editing is of course Lovecraft's writing. Lovecraft is a true artist of the horror genre; his work is considered classic for a reason. And perhaps none of it is more famous than the Cthulhu mythos, making this a true classic of the genre and a wonderful read. But my recommendation does not rest on how famous Lovecraft or these stories happen to be; rather, it rests on the fact that the writing is exceptional, enjoyable, and haunting. Some of the tropes become repetitive, and not all of the stories match others in quality or lasting impact, but on the whole this is an impressive collection of consistently high quality. The forces present in Lovecraft's writing are dark and insidious, hidden on the edges and in the crevices of human consciousness; those that seek them out find more than they bargain for—some are killed, some driven to madness or suicide. Lovecraft's stories move accordingly, building up auras of suspense, slowly revealing more ominous information, and often climaxing in names, entities, and fates that are all the more frightening for our own inability to comprehend them, pronounce, or describe them. Lovecraft uses words to introduce concepts that are beyond words, concepts that escape description. His writing is atmospheric, haunting, and skillful, and a true delight to read.
I came upon this text as a curious reader that had heard much about Lovecraft but never read his work and did not know where to begin. I was exceptionally pleased with this book, and believe it was an ideal introduction. The combination of Joshi's superb selections and editing and Lovecraft's exceptional writing make this a wonderful starting place, introducing some of Lovecraft's strongest themes, exploring them through his career, and including all number of classic stories. I was impressed with and greatly enjoyed this text, and I highly recommend it.
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
