The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness
by Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Barbara Hambly (editor)book data
318 ratings, 4.28 average rating, 21 reviews
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published
October 1st 1996
by Del Rey
binding
Paperback, 400 pages
isbn
0345384229
(isbn13: 9780345384225)
description
"There is a melancholy, operatic grandeur in Lovecraft's most passionate work," writes Joyce Carol Oates in The New York Review of Books, ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 418)
Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
All fans of scary or macabre fiction
The selections in this volume are arranged chronologically, so that they show the progression, and gradual maturing, of Lovecraft's work, from early stories like "The Transition of Juan Romero" to his powerful later work like the novella At the Mountains of Madness. (This is the titular transition; the title and subtitle play on the names of both of these Lovecraft works, but aren't meant to imply that he ever went mad.) All of the material here effectively displays the same c...more
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What I like about thes collections of Lovecraft's work is that are themed in some way. The purpose of this collection is to track Lovecraft's evolution as a writer. As Neil Gaiman is quick to point out in his introduction, most of Lovecraft's early work (like 'The Beast in the Cave' for example) isn't very good, but it shows promise, and as this book proves, that promise was fulfilled as Lovecraft grew as a writer. If you are new to Lovecraft's short fiction, you'll probably want to start els...more
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The Road to Madness covers Lovecraft's early work all the way to his later writings.
Though the author who wrote the introduction speaks of LC's early efforts as "promising," they're mainly not good.
The rest of the stories are a mixed bag. Some of the standouts are He, Herbert West-Reanimator, and In the Walls of Eryx. In the Mountains of Madness is supposed to be one of his best, but I think it drags on for too long and explicitly reveals too much to rank up there with his better o...more
Though the author who wrote the introduction speaks of LC's early efforts as "promising," they're mainly not good.
The rest of the stories are a mixed bag. Some of the standouts are He, Herbert West-Reanimator, and In the Walls of Eryx. In the Mountains of Madness is supposed to be one of his best, but I think it drags on for too long and explicitly reveals too much to rank up there with his better o...more
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Read in February, 2008
I am too biased to write a proper review. I love Lovecraft and usually feel the need to read something of his at least once a year. This was my last unread volume on the shelf and it's a collection of some of his earlier more obscure stories. Honestly his plotlines are frequently redundant because they are usually different branches of his own mythology, but the world he has created is so detailed, so macabre and and strangely gothic. I always find myself getting completely lost in it regard...more
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Dude, what can we say about this man, his stories move as slow as snails and his charaters are completely flat, but his sheer imaginative powers are so stellar we completely forget about that other stuff. This book isn't quite as good as the other 2 in the same series because this one kind of goes in a chronological order, and he wasn't so awesome when he first started out. Not really for everyone, but if it's for you, it's REALLY for you.
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H.P Lovecraft is a continual inspiration for vivid landscapes to fill the mind with wonder and terror.
It's my second time thru reading though I find myself sometimes skipping over the full page description of Mr.smith or the other times where H.P can seem to focus on one aspect of something for two pages.
It's my second time thru reading though I find myself sometimes skipping over the full page description of Mr.smith or the other times where H.P can seem to focus on one aspect of something for two pages.
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Read in January, 1999
A valiant attempt at putting the mythos stories in order. The problem is, they weren't written in order, and Lovecraft adjusted his tales accordingly. It's not necessary to read them in chronological order to "get it". Nice thought, though.
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Read in November, 2007
This collection of stories is a delightful romp through the career of H.P. Lovecraft. The Road to Madness presents some of Lovecraft's best tales in a chronology so that you can observe the development of his unique writing style.
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This was the second collection that I bought by Lovecraft. Along the same lines as the Best of, but containing some lesser known stories. The highlight of the book is, "At the Mountains of Madness."
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Read in October, 2003
recommends it for:
mad people
This is like the twilight zone mixed whith emo poetry....strange stuff. Very desturbing...my only problam is all the big words make stupid boy go duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh....
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Read in January, 1998
"The greatest fear is fear of the unknown," said HP Lovecraft. I have never met a soul who did not...appreciate...the genius of Lovecraft's historical works. Cthulhu ftaghn!
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Read in July, 1990
recommends it for:
Horror Lovers
I like this book although not as much as the other Lovecraft stories. This has "The Festival" and "At the Mountains of Madness" which are classics.
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Apart from a few early shambling tales this has some of his gems: The Terrible Old Man and Cool Air being favorites.
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One of the best collections of Lovecraft's work. If you are going to choose only one collection of his this should be it.
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Sure Lovecraft's stories are cheesy as all, but he is the best writer of the English language that I have ever seen.
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These are more of the bizarre cthulhu stories. I preferred the Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft. Good stories though
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The internet is saturated with Lovecraft analysis. All I'll add is that he really sets vivid scenes.
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Read my reviews of any Lovecraft book; a racist and anglophile, but good and scary none-the-less!
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