The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death

by H.P. Lovecraft, E. Hoffmann Price, Neil Gaiman (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 · rating details · 3,290 ratings · 93 reviews

This volume collects, for the first time, the entire Dream Cycle created by H. P. Lovecraft, the master of twentieth-century horror, including some of his most fantastic tales:

THE DOOM THAT CAME TO SARNATH--Hate, genocide, and a deadly curse.
THE NAMELESS CITY--Death lies beneath the shifting sands, in a story linking the Dream Cycle with the legendary Cthulhu Mythos.
THE CA...more

Paperback, 387 pages

Published February 25th 2003 by Del Rey (first published October 1995)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction

421st out of 1,527 books — 12,274 voters

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Great Short Short Books

55th out of 274 books — 62 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 02, 2008 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let's be frank -- I love Lovecraft. The "Necronomicon" that you've heard referenced a zillion times is a fictional tome of his invention. He was writing in the 1930's, and his work is dated by its slow pacing, Poe-like vocabulary, and predictability (now that he's fathered the entire horror genre -- nearly every successful writer from Neil Gaiman to Stephen King cites him as an influence -- and its tropes are so recognizable to us). But Lovecraft's style is entirely singular, so much so that the...more Let's be frank -- I love Lovecraft. The "Necronomicon" that you've heard referenced a zillion times is a fictional tome of his invention. He was writing in the 1930's, and his work is dated by its slow pacing, Poe-like vocabulary, and predictability (now that he's fathered the entire horror genre -- nearly every successful writer from Neil Gaiman to Stephen King cites him as an influence -- and its tropes are so recognizable to us). But Lovecraft's style is entirely singular, so much so that the numerous homages to him, and writerly devotees of his, are blindingly obvious to anyone familiar with Lovecraft's stories. Despite this, his threats and monsters were so original they were surreal -- you cannot possibly guess the actual details of them -- and no one since has had the cajones to reuse them except in the most deliberately referential way.

Lovecraft was a skeptical, atheistic researcher of the occult who depicted a universe where cultists worship and summon "deities" that are really just alien beings with no more regard for humanity than we have for a colony of ants (to borrow a phrase from a recent NPR special), and that generally require blood sacrifices and want to consume us all. Magic is possible due to undiscovered laws of the universe, which challenge the sanity and morality of anyone who contemplates them. Anytime you see a horror story that involves that type of idea, or for that matter any Creepy Tome of Forbidden Knowledge that causes all the trouble, you're seeing Lovecraft's influence. Knowledge of the way things really are in the universe is dangerous, any gods you can contact are unthinkably evil and hostile to life, and the more you understand about it all the more you go insane.

Lovecraft was afflicted with nightmares his entire life, and often wrote them into his stories -- wrote his stories around them, in fact. His interpretation of magic and the occult has been so influential that I've even seen him cited by Christian extremists as someone who had genuine contact with, and knowledge of, Satan and his minions -- which is just to say that his world is quite convincing as depicted. If you were raised by enthusiastic Christians you were probably introduced in some way to the idea of the Great Satanic Conspiracy running the world; that is largely inspired by the Illuminatis trilogy, but also very heavily influenced, as I now understand it, by the ideas of Lovecraft and his devotees.

So, it's a little slow to read, but it's great fun. Hopefully you too will understand why the man, to this day, has a large and devoted cult following. (Pun intended, and highly apropos.)

P.S. No reason why I picked this volume of his work instead of one of the many others. I will say that this and the other two Del Rey volumes seem well ordered, and well chosen as far as which stories are collected in a volume (important because Lovecraft only wrote short fiction, and was never published in anthology form in his lifetime -- so you tend to get a lot of chaos and redundancy when you try to collect his works). And they certainly do have some beautiful cover art.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 05, 2013 Frances marked it as to-read

Shelves: mythos, horror, collection, borrowed, hiatus

I need to get a couple of things up front, right off the bat.

(1) I have a great and abiding fondness for many of Lovecraft's stories; "Pickman's Model" is a longtime favourite, and "The Dunwich Horror" and "The Colour out of Space" and "The Cats of Ulthar" are part of my very early memories of horror fiction.

(2) Oh dear god the man was racist. The man was horrendously racist, and it's not all just the time period he was living in. The first story (as opposed to fragment) in this book is "oh dear...more

1 like · like · see review

May 12, 2013 David Stephens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

As should be obvious from the title, this collection of Lovecraft stories focuses on dreams. In many of these tales, Lovecraft suggests that dreams are where truth actually lies as opposed to reality where it is often thought to be. He believes dreams are things "whose vaguely exciting and disquieting effect suggests possible minute glimpses into a sphere of mental existence no less important than physical life yet separated from that life by an all but impassable barrier." And most of the chara...more As should be obvious from the title, this collection of Lovecraft stories focuses on dreams. In many of these tales, Lovecraft suggests that dreams are where truth actually lies as opposed to reality where it is often thought to be. He believes dreams are things "whose vaguely exciting and disquieting effect suggests possible minute glimpses into a sphere of mental existence no less important than physical life yet separated from that life by an all but impassable barrier." And most of the characters herein try to tear down that barrier.

While there are some more straightforward stories here—"From Beyond," "The Dreams in the Witch-House"—many of them seem like cosmic folk tales, explaining the origins of humanity and how people have established certain systems of belief.

Included among many brief stories are two novellas—"The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" and "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward." The former begins well enough with nightmarish imagery and dark, rich prose, but it doesn't take long before it becomes a complete mess. It involves Randolph Carter traveling through locations both terrible and majestic in his dreams, seeking a city of sunlight, and encountering various creatures along the way. It becomes quite a slog to finish, as many of the creatures and locations seem completely arbitrary and often blur together. Also, its hard to take creatures called "Gugs" and "Zoogs" seriously. "Charles Dexter Ward" may get a bit repetitive and heavy handed but at least it builds some mystery and feels like an actual story. Perhaps Lovecraft was trying to drive his readers as insane as his characters often end up. That's the only way I can find that he may have succeeded with "The Dream Quest."

My favorite story, though, was "The Strange High House in the Mist." It begins with some of the most gorgeous prose I've seen from Lovecraft. And while the creepiness of its setup dissolves into a more sentimental vibe, it still latches on to readers and makes for a compelling read all the way to the end.

This is definitely not my favorite collection of Lovecraft stories, but there are still enough positive attributes to merit a look in its direction.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Sep 08, 2007 Davey-d rated it 4 of 5 stars

so,
it's Lovecraft and all the surmise on his personal life and beliefs aside, this guy is twisted, dark, macabre(and you really don't get to use this word very often), and writes like no other and I love it. To all that have that streak of Cure listening, black wearing(and who doesn't in PDX), ruminations on a bleak death this is for you. I respectfully, religiously give this tome a read during the first storms of fall around Halloween. Not for the faint of heart.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: americana, bizarre, creepy, dramatic, fantasy, horror, imaginative, mind-bending, readin2012, sci-fi, short-stories, twisted

The more I read of Lovecraft, the more I like his work. I started out with a sort of "best hits" compilation book, which I reviewed on here, and if I weren't so blasted tired I would link to it, but basically, at the time, I didn't really get it. There was all this hype about how terrifying Lovecraft is, and Cthulhu kept popping up (not literally, thank goodness) in books I was reading, and I guess I was expecting something a bit more explicitly scary. I also suggested that the man get a thesaur...more The more I read of Lovecraft, the more I like his work. I started out with a sort of "best hits" compilation book, which I reviewed on here, and if I weren't so blasted tired I would link to it, but basically, at the time, I didn't really get it. There was all this hype about how terrifying Lovecraft is, and Cthulhu kept popping up (not literally, thank goodness) in books I was reading, and I guess I was expecting something a bit more explicitly scary. I also suggested that the man get a thesaurus.

I still must stand by that last statement (really, my dear man, how many times can you use "cyclopean" as an adjective in one story???), and I do feel vaguely unsettled when I read his descriptions of people, since he was pretty much a gung-ho racist. Now that I know that, it's pretty obvious in his writing. However, I finally feel like I'm getting what this is all about. It's subtle and insidious. His people, places, and creations will creep into your mind, where they lie dormant for a time, and then you find yourself thinking about the things he's created, as well as recognizing them as the archetypes they have become for a lot of modern horror.

Lovecraft definitely excels at the shorter stories, as they pack a quiet punch without allowing him to ramble on too much (which he tends to do). I did, however, enjoy the novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward included here, as it was genuinely scary and had some pretty compelling characters. I'm not as much of a fan of the Randolph Carter stories for some reason.

The general theme of this collection, as you may have divined from the title, is dreams. It's not the Cthulhu mythos, although there is a bit of crossover with characters. Evidently Lovecraft dreamed a lot, and if this is any indication of what he dreamed, I feel sorry for him. I don't know if it's the power of suggestion, or what, but I did have more vivid dreams while reading this, although I suppose that reading Lovecraft before bed isn't going to do wonders for my subconscious. I finally see that Lovecraft's stories are frightening because of all that they don't say or show the reader. It's that fear of the unknown and unnameable (or unpronounceable!). I am planning on revisiting the other Lovecraft I've read and not liked as much to see if I have a better opinion of it now.

(less)

like · see review

Oct 20, 2007 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

My first real foray into Lovecraft. While some of the stories are disposable, many are quite good and some are excellent (Pickman's Model, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward stand out). I feel, after reading this, that my plans of living a hermetic life and indulging in strange pursuits are justified.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 15, 2011 J rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-story-collections

To my mind, H. P. Lovecraft stands as one of the most singular and interesting writers of the 20th century. Just as interesting as his stories and writing style are his unusual life, voluminous letter writing and his circle of friends (Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, etc.). Most interesting, perhaps, was the pantheon of gods he created and the concept he wrote around that humanity are pawns, specks of dust in an unfeeling universe.

The Dream Cycle Of H. P. Lovecraft collects twenty five of...more To my mind, H. P. Lovecraft stands as one of the most singular and interesting writers of the 20th century. Just as interesting as his stories and writing style are his unusual life, voluminous letter writing and his circle of friends (Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, etc.). Most interesting, perhaps, was the pantheon of gods he created and the concept he wrote around that humanity are pawns, specks of dust in an unfeeling universe.

The Dream Cycle Of H. P. Lovecraft collects twenty five of Lovecraft’s tales, grouped by their somewhat related subject matter of dreams and dream journeys. I would say this is a loose set of rules at best, given that Lovecraft’s stories seem to all be more or less related in various ways. Many of the stories here mention the deities of the Cthulhu Mythos so, ultimately, it seems more accurate to think of this as a collection of Lovecraft tales as opposed to a collection of a certain kind of Lovecraft tale.

There are some real gems in this volume. One of my favorites is Pickman’s Model, a story containing the classic Lovecraft reveal at the end, meant to shatter the wits and scare the pants off any reader. What I like so much about this story is that it is told in the form of a one sided dialogue. Most Lovecraft stories are told in a narrative, almost journalistic style. This happened then this happened, followed by these things and this other thing. His command of the language is such that these stories are still highly entertaining, but Pickman’s Model stands out for its unique use of dialogue.

I also especially liked The Hound this time around. The story’s grave robbing bohemians reminded me of Norwegian black metal kids playacting at evil. Unlike Norway’s misguided youth, however, Lovecraft’s protagonists aren’t playacting and suffer the consequences.

Of the longer tales (and these are some of Lovecraft’s longest), The Dream Quest Of Unknown Kadath takes center stage in this collection. I like that one, but The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward and Dreams In The Witch House strike me as better stories and better written.

While this is a fantastic collection, I would recommend Lovecraft neophytes start with another Del Rey collection, The Best Of H. P. Lovecraft, which collects most of the famous Cthulhu stories and is the best representation of Lovecraft as a writer, in my opinion.(less)

like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Mortalform rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished, fantasy-classics, deserves-re-read

I enjoyed this collection, but find myself more drawn to other things at this time. Three stars for failing to stand out, but that's a personal rating; it didn't capture my attention (likely because February is gloomy enough!) WIll revisit, like the theme of the collection.

When age fell upon the world, and wonder went out of the minds of men; when grey cities reared to smoky skies tall towers grim and ugly... 3

...for why those sculptures lingered so late in the world even until the coming men, n...more

like · see review

Sep 21, 2012 Marissa Wilk rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: lovecraft

As a collection of HPL dream stories, this kind of baffles me. Many of the "Dunsanian" and other dream-world stories are here, but why in the name of Azathoth is "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" here?! Randolph Carter is mentioned offhandedly once in the story, but there's really no reason to include it here, especially since it's quite long and takes up space that could have been filled with the rest of HPL's actual dream stories. Once again, since there are corrected texts and annotated editi...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 Jack Stovold rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first experience with Lovecraft. I've long wanted to try him out, and after doing some research, I decided to start with this volume before delving into the Cthulhu mythos (my philosophy, being as always to save the best for last). I plan to follow up with "Tales", which when combined with this apparently contains all the Lovecraft tales of any importance, and read the remainder on the Internet.
At first, I was frankly disappointed. A number of the stories near the beginning were very...more This is my first experience with Lovecraft. I've long wanted to try him out, and after doing some research, I decided to start with this volume before delving into the Cthulhu mythos (my philosophy, being as always to save the best for last). I plan to follow up with "Tales", which when combined with this apparently contains all the Lovecraft tales of any importance, and read the remainder on the Internet.
At first, I was frankly disappointed. A number of the stories near the beginning were very slight and not very compelling. It was a lot more "fantasy-like" than I was expecting. Not until "The Statement of Randolph Carter" and "The Nameless City" did this collection start picking up steam and coming closer to the Lovecraft I imagined. Still, neither of these are great, but they are interesting.
However, as it moved along, I liked it more and more. You can see Lovecraft's voice emerging as he gets more comfortable and relies less on his favorite authors for inspiration.
One of the main problems of these stories is poor characterization and plotting, something I'm not sure I see improving with later stories. Of course, one doesn't really read these kinds of stories for characters, but the plotting in many of these mainly just consists of rambling journeys through varied setpieces, interspersed with fantastic imagery and events. "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" is perhaps the best known example, a novelette that follows Randolph Carter for months through incredible dreamscapes where he boards ships, allies with cats and ghouls and just goes from one place to another. However, his final journey beyond the edge of the dream world alone is worth the price of admission. This sequence is one of my favorites and one of Lovecraft's greatest strengths through the collection, the uncanny ability to explore the terrifying unknowns at the edge of reality and the unknowable terrors beyond known reality. Some of the best sections almost reminded me of Jim Woodring's "Frank" comics. (Which you may like if you're into Lovecraft). Lovecraft's description of Azathoth, is especially terrifying and lingers in my mind often. However, whenever Lovecraft lingers too long in the Dreamworld, it can seem almost as mundane as the real world.
Additionally, I found the longest story, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", thrilling, especially the middle section including the raid on Curwen's compound, which was incredibly cinematic and vivid and Dr. Willet's exploration of the caverns.
Initially, I thought these stories were completely unrelated to the Cthulhu stories, but reading this it became apparent that all of Lovecraft's stories are linked to each other, if only vaguely.
Strengths of this collection: Accurate depiction of the terrifying illogical nature of dreams (dreams are notoriously hard to capture), vividly imagined imagery, philosophical food for thought on the nature of reality and illusion).
Weaknesses: Weak or nonexistent characterization (although thinly sketched, I did the find the constantly questing Randolph Carter likeable), ramshackle plotting, and a lot of slight unmemorable stories, particularly near the beginning.
On the whole, thoroughly enjoyable. I'm really looking forward to reading more Lovecraft.(less)

like · see review

Sep 15, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

It is easy to see how Lovecraft blazed a trail for both fantasy and horror writers with his creativity and style. This compilation of short stories showcases both his strengths and shortcomings. He expands on themes and characters over multiple stories, which makes his work seem more whole and thought-out. He is quite imaginative for his day. However, he has a tendency to prevaricate when it comes to the actual horror or violence. The more explicit his stories are, the more successful they are,...more

like · see review

Nov 21, 2010 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, 2000, reread-books

First Recorded Reading: October 4, 2000

Of these three short story collections of H. P. Lovecraft published by Del Rey (this one, The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H. P. Lovecraft, Introduction by Robert Bloch, and The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness by H. P. Lovecraft, Introduction by Barbara Hambly), I like this one the best, as the dream fiction always makes me wish that my dream world was more exciting than it is. So, it goes with...more First Recorded Reading: October 4, 2000

Of these three short story collections of H. P. Lovecraft published by Del Rey (this one, The Best of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre by H. P. Lovecraft, Introduction by Robert Bloch, and The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness by H. P. Lovecraft, Introduction by Barbara Hambly), I like this one the best, as the dream fiction always makes me wish that my dream world was more exciting than it is. So, it goes without saying, for those not wishing to read further, that I very much enjoyed the reading of this book, and recommend it to all lovers of H. P. Lovecraft.

I did have an advantage in reading this book after the previous two books, in that two of the stories (“The Silver Key” and “The Dreams in the Witch-House”) were in one of the other books, so that I did not have to read them again. To a certain degree, all of the stories in this collection deal with dreams, either to fabled lands sounding like something out of Middle-Earth, or to those regions of reality (or unreality, if you prefer) that are outside of our four-dimensional word. (It is notable, though, that by and large, there are no female figures in any of the dreams; it is probably just as well, or else the dreams might have sounded like something out of John Norman’s world of Gor, which I avidly read as a teenager, and which I recognized even then was misogynist to a fault.) In both worlds, the Gods of Earth are fairly impotent and / or inept, and are guarded by the Other Gods, who do not think too much of the feeble Gods of Earth, and think even less of Man.

My favorite story in this collection is, and for a long time always has been, “The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath”, in which the hero (there can be no other word for him) criss-crosses the Lands of Dream in an effort to find Unknown Kadath, where the Gods of Earth rule. Also, I love cats, and this story has cats, as does “The Cats of Ulthar”. “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” suffers from a very long buildup to a very obvious conclusion, but has the merit of ending in a most unexpected way.

I am now done with reading of H. P. Lovecraft for awhile; at least until Christmas, or thereabouts, when I should be able to purchase my very own copy of H.P. Lovecraft: The Fiction, from the Library of Essential Writers series. (And even if I do, I will not toss my Del Ray paperback short story collections; the covers are too fun to dispose of.)(less)

like · see review

May 26, 2011 Lara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, never-finished

Maybe I'm jaded, but I just couldn't get into it. I liked Pickman's Model, and then I kind of bounced around, trying to find a story I could enjoy or be scared by. I got partway through the Dream Quest of Unknown Kadeth and just got bored to tears. I kept falling asleep. I just find other people's dreams really uninteresting. And I got distracted by the way he writes: every single noun has to have a hyperbolic adjective attached to it. Drove me nuts.

Go to LOLTHULHU.com for big laffs!

1 like · like · see review

Mar 24, 2011 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you think Lovecraft is all doom and madness, this compilation of stories is here to teach an important lesson: sometimes he's also writing about how cats can save someone from moon monsters. This collection of short stories is a well-selected look into the stories Lovecraft wrote set in and around the world of dreams. Only brushing the Cthulhu mythos, I found these other works to offer a more rounded view of the author and the universe he created. Included among the shorter stories are two no...more

like · see review

Feb 21, 2012 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Terrifying but at the same time a work of art. A friend of mine recommended this for me, and as soon as I started to read it I couldn't stop. It goes on and on with never ending terror and hate, and fills me to the top with satisfaction. But I feel so much hate for H.P. Lovecraft for not putting pictures, which would utterly terrify all readers. The spine of the book has a person with his arms and legs cut off, and all the while being punctured like an earlobe. What a beautiful sight.(;

like · see review

May 07, 2012 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lovecraft is best known as a master of horror, and while this collection contains a few stories of that sort, it's main focus is on his works of fantasy. While they can still be pretty creepy, Lovecraft's fantasy stories are often beautiful and moving as well. "Celephais" is a great example of this. It's a story about a man who has fallen on hard times and retreats into a world spun in his childhood dreams, where he is the king of a great and beautiful land called Ooth-Nargai. There are many mor...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2011 Synd rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first introduction to the fascinating world of H.P. Lovecraft. Interesting collection because you can see how his writing style is is very different later on than his earlier stories, as they are kind of jumbled together here. I really enjoyed that a majority of these stories played on Lovecraft's idea of the dream, and how he viewed the subconscious. Good stuff.

like · see review

Aug 24, 2010 Madeleine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-he-brought-to-the-bearriage, peer-pressure, mmx, our-libeary

I love how Lovecraft wrote. Really. His word choice, his style, his rampant anglophilia, his imitable style that inspired so many of horror and fantasy's modern-day kings. You can tell the man's got serious talent -- and a truly terrifying imagination, my God -- and it's a right shame that he didn't get the recognition he deserved in his lifetime.

A collection of short stories just wasn't the best introduction to him for me. And it doesn't help that I read this in 30-page chunks spanning more th...more

like · see review

Aug 08, 2012 Derek Rivard rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love HPL's dream literature best, especially the hauntingly beautiful tale "The Strange High House in the Mist," my most favorite HPL story of all time, except perhaps the story about the dream world village "where no man may kill a cat." This is a must read if you truly wish to understand the work and legacy of HPL.

like · see review

May 28, 2011 L Hess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

The most horrifying of horror writers is HP Lovecraft. This is not the famous Cthulhu series, but a different Lovecraft book with stories that I personally found even more upsetting. He has a way of making his strange horror setting disturbing and deeply beautiful at the same time. Note: it is *very* abstract.

like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 Ian Lindstrom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lovecraftian

Nice collection and a good primer for Lovecraft. A lot of the stories are short and all of them great. One thing about Lovecraft is that I can reread his stories and enjoy them each time, not many writers out there I can say that about. Oh, and a note about the cover: it is fantastically creepy :D

like · see review

Jan 23, 2011 Craig a.k.a Meatstack rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: kreft-library, 2011, did-not-finish

Didn't finish. But since it was a collection of short stories, I feel that I've sampled enough to call "Mission complete."

Here's the thing. I don't care for horror movies, books, stories, etc. Just never been my thing. In addition, his archaic writing style is also not really my favorite.

Those were the two strikes against this book.

In the "gaming" world and culture, you cannot swing a cat by the tail without hitting a Lovecraft reference. This was my reason for wanting to read these...I wanted...more

like · see review

May 17, 2012 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read about half of these and had to take a break. For the most part, I hadn't read these stories (and novellas) before, and I hadn't picked up any Lovecraft in years, besides some pastiches by other writers.

But man, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath! So rad!

like · see review

Dec 21, 2010 Michael Tapia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Well, what I have to think is that by this book is very bloodcurdling, and mysterious of many
different unknown supernatural creatures. And to tell you honestly is that you have to enjoy this
book and as a user of this magnificent site I give this book 4 stars.

like · see review

Jul 03, 2010 Sebastian rated it 2 of 5 stars

Having read "Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre: The Best of H. P. Lovecraft" before, the stories in this here collection are mostly underwhelming, the best tales in this book are the Charles Dexter Ward one and The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath for acting as a roof over the dream cycle.

like · see review

Jun 15, 2010 Nicholas Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are many things that have to be thought of after reading through the stories of Lovecraft. A lot of those thoughts make you question your very existence in this world. That I think is what makes an exceptional group of stories, making you somewhat believe the stories on some level in your mind. While knowing all along that it is a story for amusement. And this is exactly the author does best. His stories are the right combination of thrilling and horrifying that make the reader aching for...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2009 arianna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, horror

This book was definitely amazing. Lovecraft was able to weave very frightening and amazing worlds, and the way the editor put them all together was indeed perfect. In some stories then end was rather predictable (because everyone wants to be like Lovecraft) but i still found myself excited to read them. I couldn't give this book 5 stars though because sometimes the difference in ages of writing was hard to grasp. It just seemed t draw on and on during some stories, and others went so fast i coul...more

like · see review

Dec 05, 2010 David Melbie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of old-school writing!

Recommended to David by: Picked myself

Wow! I have finally read Lovecraft! I like the way he writes. He wasn't big on dialogue, which I prefer, but his descriptive writing was -- and is -- superb! --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.

like · see review

May 29, 2012 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great selection of the "dream cycle" stories. I love having these themed collections in my library for the ease they afford in quickly finding a particular tale you may be in the mood for.

like · see review

Mar 18, 2009 Mmhudgins101 Hudgins added it

A good Read for an alternate look on reality and the oddity of dreams and the power. Many Dreams in this book the author claims to have kept a dream diary of all his lucid dreams.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Horror

230 users

Fantasy

42 users

Short Stories

32 users

Horror > Lovecraftian

14 users

Science Fiction

10 users

Classics

9 users

Literature

9 users

Anthologies

8 users

Pulp

7 users

Fantasy > Weird Fiction

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Cthulhu 2000
by Jim Turner (Editor)
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
by Robert E. Howard
The Taint and Other Novellas
by Brian Lumley
The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana: A Guide to Lovecraftian Horror
by Daniel Harms
The Hastur Cycle
by Chaosium (Editor)

About H.P. Lovecraft

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

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a...more

More about H.P. Lovecraft...

Books by H.P. Lovecraft

The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories

At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales of Terror

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Dream Cycle o...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death
avg rating	preview: The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death Goodreads rating: 4.29 (3290 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36321.The_Dream_Cycle_of_H_P_Lovecraft?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1354069561l/36321.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36321.The_Dream_Cycle_of_H_P_Lovecraft?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death by H.P. Lovecraft[/url]

The Dream Cycle of H.P. Lovecraft: Dreams of Terror and Death

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website