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136th out of 162 books
—
273 voters
The Book of Cthulhu (The Book of Cthulhu #1)
by
Ross E. Lockhart (Goodreads Author) ,
Caitlín R. Kiernan , Ramsey Campbell , Charles Stross (Goodreads Author) , Bruce Sterling , Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Goodreads Author) , W.H. Pugmire , Molly Tanzer (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
The Cthulhu Mythos is one of the 20th century's most singularly recognizable literary creations. Initially created by H. P. Lovecraft and a group of his amorphous contemporaries (the so-called "Lovecraft Circle"), The Cthulhu Mythos story cycle has taken on a convoluted, cyclopean life of its own. Some of the most prodigious writers of the 20th century, and some of the mos...more
Paperback, 500 pages
Published
September 1st 2011
by Night Shade Books
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Ross Lockhart’s Book of Cthulhu is the fourth collection of Lovecraft inspired fiction I’ve read since 2010. Whew! They are: Ellen Datlow’s Lovecraft Unbound; S.T. Joshi’s Black Wings, Darell Schweitzer’s Cthulhu’s Reign (which has a different focus than the other three), and Lockhart’s effort. They all have good stories in them, but there is also considerable paper spent on some so-so efforts. Datlow’s entry, to my mind, suffered from trying to limit her anthology by seeking to get beyond Love...more
I read it and thought it was great... Then I read a whole lot more Lovecraftian fiction and discovered that while there are some very good stories in here there is also a good deal of work that I found to be uninteresting or tedious. However, it's worth picking up for the two stories original to this anthology, especially Laird Barron's "the Men from from Porlock."
I think that for me the quintessential H. P. Lovecraft has always been The Dunwich Horror. I’m fairly certain that it was the first of his stories that I ever read and it evokes the strongest response. Oh to be young, again. While The Necronomicon is the key used to unlock the gates for the Great Old Ones, my recollection is that Cthulhu doesn’t appear (but Yog-Sothoth does). As the years went one I read more and more of his tales and got to know his pantheon better. Contemporaries made occasion...more
The Book of Cthulhu ($15.99 Nightshade Books) edited by Ross E. Lockhart—overall rating—five stars—highly recommended for fans of H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, literary horror in general, and great writing.
27 stories inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, the author who created the Cthulhu mythos many years ago. If you haven’t read Lovecraft, or don’t know who he is, think of him this way: he’s the J.R.R. Tolkien of horror. His fiction is impressive and very readable today, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed his...more
I'm really new to Cthulhu and H.P. Lovecraft. But I know what I love and I loved The Book of Cthulhu!! A friend introduced me to Lovecraft earlier this year and I started hunting for his books in used bookstores and at the library, so when I got the chance to read The Book of Cthulhu I couldn't wait to get started. And I was not disappointed on bit.
There are twenty seven stories in this anthology and there's something here for everyone! Being so new to Lovecraft, I did some research and from wha...more
There are twenty seven stories in this anthology and there's something here for everyone! Being so new to Lovecraft, I did some research and from wha...more
If anything, I am grateful for this collection as it helped me fully realize why it is that I do not like the large bulk of fiction based off of Lovecraft's work. Too many of these stories simply depend on name dropping Lovecraft's own creations in the hopes that they will add an atmosphere to the story that the author is unable to deliver otherwise; further, a lot of these works do not seem to get, or fully embrace, the philosophical component of the horror Lovecraft was driving at and rather r...more
The short story is not my favorite way to get my fiction. It's like snacking instead of having a meal for me. I need a longer text to get engrossed in the story -- as a general rule. As it happens, these stories, almost all of them, were suspenseful and just a little bit scary. Well, not scary, as I don't actually believe in the Great Old Ones, but I was worried about the characters. In this collection, the reader gets the opportunity to watch ordinary folks take on the minions of the Deep, to h...more
Too many reprints mar what could have been an enjoyable collection. At the present time, it seems ridiculous to me for someone to compile an anthology in such a specific area of interest as Lovecraftian horror/Cthulhu Mythos and include stories that have been published in other, earlier anthologies on the same topic, or even from other earlier anthologies as well as even earlier journals and magazines. I mean, you have a limited audience of a particularly dedicated fandom, and most of us will re...more
I've been working my way through the HP Lovecraft Literary podcast, and their coverage of the complete Lovecraft oevre. And a side to this, I've been reading modern interpretations of Lovecraft's best-known creations.
The size of this anthology tells you just how many writers are following in Lovecraft's footsteps. I'd only read two of the stories before (one was in Cthulhu's Reign, an anthology I read a couple of months ago, and the other was in the Pseudopod podcast a couple of years ago)
The st...more
The size of this anthology tells you just how many writers are following in Lovecraft's footsteps. I'd only read two of the stories before (one was in Cthulhu's Reign, an anthology I read a couple of months ago, and the other was in the Pseudopod podcast a couple of years ago)
The st...more
Ah, I know whenever I’m feeling down that Lovecraftian mythology will be there for me to pick me up out of my slump and scare the living hell out of me. Yeah, this anthology is that good – it made me feel better when I was cranky, and then it proceeded to give me nightmares. The feel-good anthology of the year? Definitely. But only if you like tentacles.
But out of all of the stories in here, the first by Caitlin R. Kiernan was my favorite. I’ve always loved her writing, and I kind of wish that t...more
But out of all of the stories in here, the first by Caitlin R. Kiernan was my favorite. I’ve always loved her writing, and I kind of wish that t...more
Anthologies have a way of highlighting a genre to show the strengths and weaknesses of both authors and the subject matter. This book did just that, pointing out that the source is strong enough to support a variety of applications and demonstrate that not everyone is destined to be an author. Enjoyable moments, but lacking in consistency of quality. I enjoy Lovecraft, but his characters have had too much of a maddening effect on some of his readers/adherents.
For an anthology that perports to be about Cthulhu, there sure was a lack of Cthulhu in this book. Sure, the stories took place within the mythos, but I don't remember many appearances by His Tentacliness himself.
The stories I enjoyed:
Caitlín R. Kiernan – Andromeda among the Stones
W. H. Pugmire – Some Buried Memory
Molly Tanzer – The Infernal History of the Ivybridge Twins
Elizabeth Bear – Shoggoths in Bloom
Cherie Priest – Bad Sushi
John Hornor Jacobs – The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife
Brian McNaug...more
The stories I enjoyed:
Caitlín R. Kiernan – Andromeda among the Stones
W. H. Pugmire – Some Buried Memory
Molly Tanzer – The Infernal History of the Ivybridge Twins
Elizabeth Bear – Shoggoths in Bloom
Cherie Priest – Bad Sushi
John Hornor Jacobs – The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife
Brian McNaug...more
A good sampling of Lovecraft-inspired fiction, with a few truly standout stories. Of those I hadn't previously read elsewhere, the tales I particularly enjoyed, those which took the Mythos, and did something fresh with it in terms of content, style, or voice were: Flash Frame by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Fat Face by Michael Shea; Calamari Curls by Kage Baker; Bad Sushi by Cherie Priest; and The Oram County Whoosit by Steve Duffy. And even though I'd read them previously, I have to mention Shoggoths...more
I admire the masters of various genres but somehow I end up reading the homages first. After I finished this book, I read a few Lovecraft novels...and enjoyed them, but this was first for me. I loved many of the stories here. I recommend Keirnan's Andromeda Among the Stones, and Sterling's The Unthinkable. Stross's A Colder War was terribly grim and I also recommend his Laundry books- a mashup of Espionage and Lovecraft genres.
I'm fairly picky about my Lovecraftian fiction reading because so much of it is, well, bad. But Lockhart has made an excellent selection of the stories included in this book. Quite a number of properly weird stories, a few that are more just horror with Lovecraftian elements thrown in, and a only a couple which I disliked. While I didn't know what to make of "Twins," it certainly had me laughing the entire time.
May 12, 2012
Miriam
added it
I just read the first story in this collection. I picked it up at a friend's house and saw that there was a contribution from Caitlín R. Kiernan, so I read it while waiting. It was good. I noticed there were stories from a couple other authors I often enjoy, Cherie Priest and Tim Pratt, so I may see if the library has a copy.
A fantastic collection of Lovecraft-inspired Cthulhu mythos tales, running the gamut from cheeky and sly to in-your-face terrifying. While most of the entries are solid, highlights include Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Andromeda Among the Stones", Charles Stross's "A Colder War" and Molly Tanzer's "The Infernal History of the Ivybridge Twins." If you're looking for proof that the trops Lovecraft offered in his own fiction are endlessly adaptable and still imaginatively viable, look no further than this...more
This book gives an excellent overview of some of the best writers of our age! It opens very strongly with Caitlin Kiernan's short story Andromeda Among The Stars. I really have come to adore her writings. If you are looking for a book to give you a great overview of new and/or 'new to you' authors to read and/or a just a huge Lovecraft fan, then you must read this book!
An anthology of too many stories, most of which are are mediocre at best. There are some very good tales by T.E.D. Klein, Joe Lansdale, Thomas Ligotti, Ramsey Campbell, and Gene Wolfe, but this is hardly unexpected, and none of them are new. The final story in the collection is "The Men from Porlock" by Laird Barron, who I'd not read but had heard many good things about, and I was very thoroughly surprised at how much I enjoyed it -- and I believe it makes its premier in this anthology.
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I'm surprised at how many of these short stories I've read before from other horror compilations, usually as the Lovecraftian contribution. It's kinda nice to have them all in one place. Some of the stories seemed to have shifted in my mind since I last read them. I'm sure it's senility and nothing else.
Meh. About 5 of the stories were really good, unfortunately, the others were substandard tripe. But, if you pick it up at the library and just glean out the good ones, then it's worth the read. The majority of the bad ones are easy to pick out after reading the first few paragraphs.
I believe this is one of better recent Cthulhu Mythos anthologies out there. It has a few clunkers (even these aren't terrible) as practically all anthologies do, but most of the stories are gems. If you enjoy a good "Lovecraftian" short story, this is an anthology for you.
I'm going to average this out to three stars. The best stories in this anthology are quite good, applying some of Lovecraft's horror tropes in new or unexpected ways. Others don't aspire any higher than pastiche, or fall short and just end in slasher movie territory instead.
I love the Cthulhu mythos, but I'm just not fond of Lovecraft's style. So I love collections like this, of stories by other authors, set in (or at least suitable for) the Cthulhu mythos. If you like the genre, this is a good read.
It was OK, but just barely. The stories are reprints of previously published works from other anthologies. It irked me that I had the stories in one of the several collections of Lovecraft based writings.
A diverse mix of well-penned tales in the tradition and mythos of Cthulhu. Some are set in modern times; others in the same timeframe as when Lovecraft and contemporaries were writing or in alternate histories. Definitely worth a look if you are a fan of the modern gothic tale.
A decent anthology, with some good stories, and some that were not so great. No story really stood out as absolutely mindblowing, but there were some good ones, and only two or three that made me skim them. They all shared the criteria that they made me freaking uncomfortable reading them, the insanity lurking just below the surface. That said, it made me want to read some more Lovecraft instead of going for another Cthulhu compilation.
A good horror collection, with one or two outstanding stories and a few that only detract from the canon. Useful as a spur to turn back to the original if for no other reason.
This is a hell of a book. My full review of it can be found here: http://horrorworld.org/hw/2011/09/the...
Not every story was that good, but there are several which really pack a punch. I will re-read this often.
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Ross E. Lockhart is the Publisher/Editor in Chief of Word Horde, a genre publishing company launching in fall 2013. A lifelong fan of supernatural, fantastic, speculative, and weird fiction, Lockhart holds degrees in English from Sonoma State University (BA) and SFSU (MA). He is a veteran of small-press publishing, having edited scores of well-regarded novels of horror, fantasy, and science fictio...more
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