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The Case of Charles Dexter Ward

H.P. Lovecraft

4.17 · Rating details · 15,890 ratings · 756 reviews

Incantations of black magic unearthed unspeakable horrors in Providence, Rhode Island. Evil spirits are being resurrected from beyond the grave, a supernatural force so twisted that it kills without offering the mercy of death!

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Paperback, 127 pages

Published April 19th 1994 by Del Rey Books (first published May 1941)

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Oct 05, 2013 mark monday rated it really liked it

Shelves: rain-man-reviews, horror-classic, weird-masters, cthulhu-knows-best

Dear Mr. Lovecraft,

I, Joseph Curwen, necromancer supreme, have rather a bone to pick (forgive my little joke). I have noticed many problems with your narrative The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. First of all: that title. Surely you realize that I am the protagonist of the tale - not the fey amateur Charles Dexter Ward? I do not think it is too much to ask that the title of your document correctly identify its leading personage. Second: I have noticed a strong bias against scholars of the so-called Dear Mr. Lovecraft,

I, Joseph Curwen, necromancer supreme, have rather a bone to pick (forgive my little joke). I have noticed many problems with your narrative The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. First of all: that title. Surely you realize that I am the protagonist of the tale - not the fey amateur Charles Dexter Ward? I do not think it is too much to ask that the title of your document correctly identify its leading personage. Second: I have noticed a strong bias against scholars of the so-called "dark" arts in your work - a bias that clearly and unfairly slants your narrative in favor of such laughable nonentities as that impressionable youth, his hysterical parents, his meddling doctor, etc, as well as towards questionable groups such as the unimaginative bourgeoisie and the overly imaginative lower classes, and various small-minded institutions including the Church and the Mental Ward. Your insufferable bias against such studies - indeed, against all those who would bravely dig up graves, retrieve bodies, revive those bodies, and proceed to imprison, interrogate, and torture those revived bodies until certain ancient bits of knowledge are at last shared - is not just regrettable and close-minded, but genuinely insulting on a personal and professional level. For shame, sir, for shame! Your prejudices do you no credit. Third: I find your general attitude towards a humble wizard such as myself, as well as towards my peers, we who only wish to remain immortal, even if it means possessing and discarding otherwise useless youths (like Charles Dexter Ward for example), so that we may come to learn ancient knowledge and thus reshape the world and all of mankind, for the better good no doubt, well... I just have to say that your entire attitude towards my lifestyle choice is appallingly narrow-minded and shockingly judgmental. Very unbecoming behavior for a writer of 'horror' fiction!

I will admit that there are many good things within your story. You have been accused of indulging in intensely theatrical purple prose; personally, I find your style of writing to be highly atmospheric, thrilling, and surprisingly enjoyable overall. The narrative itself is involving and even rather intricate. You have also been accused of tellnotshow-itis. I did see some of that in your lengthy flashback to my own story (the tragic tale of an unjustly accused and persecuted investigator of the supernatural - a former pillar of the community! oh how the small-minded love to tear down their betters!)... but that was merely a story within a story, told secondhand, and so I forgave it. Conversely, the last third of the novella - where the insufferable Dr. Willett finds my secret underground cavern and its attendant labs, cells, sacrificial altar, and deep well-cages for the unruly undead - is written in an exciting and tense you are there style that I much appreciated. I was quite pleased with your descriptive powers and I cheered frequently at every gasp of horror uttered by the unimaginative and mulish Dr. Willett. And last but certainly not least, regarding the public accusations that detail your racism: as a necromancer who does not discriminate based on race when choosing my various living, dead, and undead victims, I was specifically on the look-out for any race-based judgments. I am happy to note that I saw no example of that sort of foolishness. Well, save for the black cat unfortunately named "Nig". That made me quite uncomfortable.

But back to my grievances! Most repugnant of all: the ending. You seek to reduce me, sir, to conquer me as I have conquered death! I laugh in the face of that. Ha! Ha! Ha! From tiny particles of dust I shall rise again. And when I do, know that even your currently deceased state shall offer you no refuge.

...more

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Apr 19, 2018 Sr3yas rated it really liked it

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is the only lengthy work of Lovecraft classified as a novel rather than a novella. Lovecraft wrote this story in 1927, and as per legend, When HPL finished writing this novel he was so disappointed with the final draft that he decided to shelve it instead of publishing it, and only after Lovecraft's demise did this work found the light in 1941. (It's not a legend, but a true fact. I just wanted to use "As per legend" in a sentence)

So what is it all about?

❝

...more

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Sep 16, 2008 Stephen rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, 1900-1929, cthulhu-worship, weird-and-new-weird, audiobook, fang-bangers

Let me be clear at the outset of this review that when it comes to the work of H.P. Lovecraft, I am definitely one who drinks deep the ~~kool-aid~~ Cthulhu-aid. For me his stories are something to be savored and relished; succulent, meaty feasts of atmosphere, hyper-lush imagery and dark melodrama dipped in dread. If you’ve read other works by HPL and have not been impressed or fallen under his spell, this story is not likely to change your mind. However, if you are already a wanton Lovecraft go ...more

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May 16, 2018 Leonard Gaya rated it liked it

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1927) is probably a culmination in Lovecraft’s career. After some short stories such as The Rats in the Walls, The Shunned House or The Call of Cthulhu, it is the first work of fiction that has the dimension of a full novel and goes over the themes he had previously developed. The investigation into a dark mystery — usually taking place around the town of Providence, Lovecraft’s place of residence. The discovery of a repulsive cult, most evocative of Alchemy, Qab ...more

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Jul 10, 2014 Char rated it really liked it

Shelves: 20s-horror, horror-readers-group-reads

" What the thing was, he would never tell. It was like some of the carvings on the hellish altar, but it was alive. Nature had never made it in this form, for it was too palpably unfinished. The deficiencies were of the most surprising sort, and the abnormalities of proportion could not be described."

That was just a sample of the type of writing found within this short novel by H.P. Lovecraft. Reading this reminded me how much I love this type of writing.

I hereby vow to read more of Lovecraft ...more

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Oct 18, 2014 Apatt rated it liked it

“There is about certain outlines and entities a power of symbolism and suggestion which acts frightfully on a sensitive thinker's perspective and whispers terrible hints of obscure cosmic relationships and unnameable realities behind the protective illusions of common vision.”

That little passage explains why Lovecraft’s characters often go mad at the mere sight of blasphemous eldritch monstrosities from beyond; something I often wondered about. It is also a fine example of his penchant for c ...more

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Jan 28, 2018 Mir rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: lovecrafty, fantasy

The blurb says: A nameless terror surges through centuries to engulf the soul of Charles Dexter Ward, a brilliant New England antiquarian. Rather amusing in retrospect, as the character doesn't seem to realize the danger until near the end; if the book were written from Ward's perspective, presumably he would be having a satisfying few years of progressing in his fascinating historical research. His family, too, is only mildly concerned, wishing he would write more often and maybe get a girlfrie The blurb says: A nameless terror surges through centuries to engulf the soul of Charles Dexter Ward, a brilliant New England antiquarian. Rather amusing in retrospect, as the character doesn't seem to realize the danger until near the end; if the book were written from Ward's perspective, presumably he would be having a satisfying few years of progressing in his fascinating historical research. His family, too, is only mildly concerned, wishing he would write more often and maybe get a girlfriend. Only the omniscient narrator is really worried.

The Horror is mostly rather understated, but the monstrosities are classic Lovecraft:
It is hard to explain just how the single sight of a tangible object with measurable dimensions could so shake and change a man; and we may only say that there is about certain outlines and entities a power of symbolism and suggestion which acts frightfully on a sensitive thinker's perspective and whispers terrible hints of obscure cosmic relationships and unnameable realities behind the protective illusions of common vision.

It's kind of sweet on some level that Lovecraft thinks it is fine for grown men to scream hysterically and maybe faint when they see scary stuff. Not the 18th century guys, though; they were made of sterner stuff back then and only have PTSD when the action is over.

I enjoyed this book. It is not very scary, so don't be put off by the NAMELESS TERROR expressed by various characters. The prose is somewhat less purple than is oft Lovecraft's wont -- my impression is that he is a lot more lurid when writing about the Dreamlands and other Unknown exotic locations than when using real world settings (this is set in an area he knew himself, and that is clear from the descriptions of streets and houses and neighborhoods; it may be extra enjoyable if you are from this bit of New England yourself).

My edition, which is the Creation Oneiros one, had enough typos to be mildly distracting, but on the plus side did not have the claustrophobically squashed print I've encountered in several Lovecraft reprints. ...more

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Mar 09, 2013 Lyn rated it really liked it

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft is definitely one of his best works and this is a high compliment, as I have liked almost all that I have read from him.

This work, first published in 1927, combines most of the themes common to his works: occult, arcanery, unspeakable nighttime horrors, deep dark pits with unknown creatures, etc. even some hints of the Cthulu cult.

The other element of this book that is noteworthy is the scope of influence that Lovecraft created. Innumerable hor ...more

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Feb 22, 2014 Nickolas the Kid rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

http://metalinvader.net/el/napalm-eye...

Μια παλιά κριτική στο METAL INVADER!!! ...more

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Oct 30, 2018 Alejandro rated it liked it

Shelves: paranormal, short-story, horror

Insidious investigation!

A NAME TO REMEMBER

A novella focused in the investigation of a psychiatrist about Charles Dexter Ward...

...medically certified insane, who escaped from a mental asylum (funny enough, while Arkham, Mass., inspired the famous Batman’s Arkham Asylum...

...it seems that there wasn’t any mental asylum in H.P. Lovecraft’s work named it in that way)...

...so the investigation of this psychiatrist who is obsessed with an ancestor involved in dark practices.

But sometimes, the ...more

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Jan 07, 2015 ᴥ Irena ᴥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

4.5

Lovecraft must be the only author whose works I've read and don't mind certain things most readers seem to hate. Yes, it can be slow. Yes, he can be overly descriptive. Yes, there is an omniscient narrator. Yes, there is lots of retelling. And in most cases, some of those annoy me too.
However, all of it pales in front of his extraordinary imagination and the atmosphere you find in his stories. It doesn't matter if it is a short story or a longer one. He is one of a kind and The Case of Charle 4.5

Lovecraft must be the only author whose works I've read and don't mind certain things most readers seem to hate. Yes, it can be slow. Yes, he can be overly descriptive. Yes, there is an omniscient narrator. Yes, there is lots of retelling. And in most cases, some of those annoy me too.
However, all of it pales in front of his extraordinary imagination and the atmosphere you find in his stories. It doesn't matter if it is a short story or a longer one. He is one of a kind and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is one of those stories that shows just how great Lovecraft was.

'What horrors and mysteries, what contradictions and contraventions of Nature, had come back after a century and a half to harass Old Providence with her clustered spires and domes?'

It starts with the escape of Charles Dexter Ward from a private hospital near Providence, Rhode Island. He 'was placed under restraint most reluctantly by the grieving father who had watched his aberration grow from a mere eccentricity to a dark mania involving both a possibility of murderous tendencies and a profound and peculiar change in the apparent contents of his mind'. Charles seemed to switch his personality to the one from eighteenth century. Even his physical appearance was changed. The last person to talk to him before his escape is his family physician, Dr. Marinus Bicknell Willett. The only thing left in the room is a strange blue powder.

'This is no common case—it is a madness out of time and a horror from beyond the spheres which no police or lawyers or courts or alienists could ever fathom or grapple with.'

From there, the story goes back to where and when it all started. From Ward's unhealthy interest in his ancestor Joseph Curwen who came from Salem during the witch-hunt trials to all the changes everyone noticed. It goes even further in the past, because there is a story within a story here. Who was Joseph Curwen? What did he do? What happened to him? Why would someone try to erase every trace of him? From Ward's research, private letters and rare diaries he managed to find, he found out that his ancestor 'was marvelled at, feared, and finally shunned like a plague'.

You already know where Charles Dexter Ward would end up, but his path from a solitary young antiquarian to the changed man the doctor left in that hospital room is a remarkable story. Considering that Dr. Willett is the one who brought him into this world, the ending is extraordinary and the doctor one of my favourite characters I've read. ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Bill Kerwin rated it liked it

Shelves: weird-pulps, weird-fiction, 20th-c-amer

Lovecraft remained dissatisfied with The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. It was his longest work of fiction, and he referred to as “a cumbrous, creaking bit of self-conscious antiquarianism.” He composed it in 1927, but made no attempt to revise it in the ten years of life that remained to him, even though short horror novels like Ward were more marketable and paid better than the novellas and long short stories in which he excelled.

For years I thought H.P. too harsh in his assessment, for I liked
Lovecraft remained dissatisfied with The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. It was his longest work of fiction, and he referred to as “a cumbrous, creaking bit of self-conscious antiquarianism.” He composed it in 1927, but made no attempt to revise it in the ten years of life that remained to him, even though short horror novels like Ward were more marketable and paid better than the novellas and long short stories in which he excelled.

For years I thought H.P. too harsh in his assessment, for I liked Ward when I first read it. It evokes H.P.’s home city of Providence with love, incorporates a number of autobiographical details in its portrait of Charles Dexter Ward, amd convincingly combines in one lengthy sustained narrative the colonial witch scare atmosphere (including a brief reference to Salem), the dark romanticism of Hawthorne, and the customary Lovecraftian subterranean search for the Elder Gods and their minions. The two accounts of underground exploration—first in the Curwen era, later in Ward’s—gave me the absolute willies, and I believe I rated the novel more highly than it deserved because of the two good scares it delivered.

It really is a bit of a yawner, though, particularly the Curwen sections. Too much about the colonial period is related third hand by narrator Marinus Bicknell Willett, whose veiled hints and slightly pompous objectivity often almost put me to sleep. (OK, I’ll be honest. At least twice, it did put me to sleep.) The use of contemporaneous accounts culled from diaries and letters would have made the this early narrative more vivid, but without them it is only the final raid by the good men of Providence that makes the Curwen story come alive.

There was something else, though, that interested me this time around. I realized that The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is the closest thing Lovecraft ever came to a detective novel. Willett is the novel’s detective, and like many detectives before and after, he looks for the solution to the present difficulty—the mental disintegration and disappearance of Ward—in the criminal and occult history of the past (Joseph Curwen). There are detours and red herrings along the way, but eventually our hero finds his way to the criminal’s ancient lair, where evil and danger await.

My advice is to give Ward try. Skim a bit of the first half, don’t take the mystery too seriously, and I’ll bet you’re be good and scared—at least twice—just as I was. ...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Werner rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Fans of "horror" and horrific science fiction

Shelves: science-fiction

Though Lovecraft is a favorite writer of mine, until now this book (one of only two novel-length pieces he ever wrote) has been one I hadn't gotten around to reviewing. It was recently nominated as a common read in my Supernatural Fiction Readers group; and though it wasn't the one chosen, that reminded me of it, and I resolved to correct the lapse. It's one of my favorite Lovecraft works, and certainly one I highly recommend to other readers who like this type of fiction.

The Goodreads descripti Though Lovecraft is a favorite writer of mine, until now this book (one of only two novel-length pieces he ever wrote) has been one I hadn't gotten around to reviewing. It was recently nominated as a common read in my Supernatural Fiction Readers group; and though it wasn't the one chosen, that reminded me of it, and I resolved to correct the lapse. It's one of my favorite Lovecraft works, and certainly one I highly recommend to other readers who like this type of fiction.

The Goodreads description for this edition (which isn't the one I read) doesn't really give you any accurate clue as to what the book is about, and the reference to "magic" is erroneous; like Poe, Lovecraft tended to eschew magical causes for his horrific plots, preferring naturalistic explanations. (Nonetheless, this novella reads a lot like supernatural fiction, both in mood, tone and style and in the fact that his "science" operates in ways that in practice might be easily mistaken for magic.) The premise here is that in colonial New England, a would-be sorcerer has learned both how to extend his life far beyond its natural limit, and how to reanimate even the long-dead (which some old-time alchemists actually believed was possible by the proper treatment of their "essential saltes"). His villainous activities are destined to have sinister results, both in his own time and that of the author. (Though it was published posthumously in 1941, it was actually written shortly after World War I.) To avoid spoilers, I won't elaborate further.

Some Lovecraftians characterize this as one of his "non-Cthulhu" works. To be sure, it was written well before "The Call of Cthulhu" (1927), and the agent of evil here is a human being, not a Great Old One. But there are indications that some of the motifs of the Mythos were already germinating in the author's mind. It's indicated that the baddie got his information from occult traffic with unhallowed elder beings from beyond the earth ("Those Outside"), and one scene in particular depicts a hidden-away place with phenomena that could come from out of any of the later Mythos stories. (Indeed, Lovecraft himself almost certainly never divided his works into those two neat categories in his own mind. Nor did he even coin the "Cthulhu Mythos" term, which was the invention of August Derleth after HPL died.) But although exposure to this place sends our principal good guy into a temporary paralyzed state of catatonic terror, this book does lack some of the heavy-handed moralizing about the supposedly reason-annihilating terror of exposure to Lovecraft's view of nihilistic "reality" that appears in some of his stories (though one earlier passage hints at it.) In terms of his plotting here, a case could be made that this is perhaps one of Lovecraft's more "optimistic" works (if we can apply that adjective to anything from his pen :-) ).

Lovecraft is a master of purple prose, one of the authors I most admire when considered strictly as a stylist, and he's at the top of his form here. The storytelling is first-rate, and the evocation of atmosphere is masterful. Much of the story is built around the title character's antiquarian research, a motif I particularly like, and HPL handles it very adeptly. He set the tale in his native Providence, and he brings that setting to life as only he could --he makes it real to me though I've never been there! (One reviewer complained about the wealth of historical detail as distracting and slowing the story, but for me it was actually one of the strong points of the book.) For Lovecraft fans, this is a must-read; and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone wanting to sample his work.

It's worthwhile here to briefly mention the 1963 movie The Haunted Palace (www.imdb.com/title/tt0057128/ ) directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price (which I watched before I read the book). Although it takes its title from a Poe poem, this is actually a loose adaptation suggested by this book, though the film writers moved the setting to Lovecraft's fictional Arkham and changed a number of other aspects, including the ending (which seems designed to set up a sequel, though I don't think one was ever made). The movie is worth watching on its own merits, but no one should imagine that viewing it will give them a real understanding of the book's actual plot. ...more

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Nov 20, 2019 Emily Lissek rated it it was amazing

Rich in detail and mystery, normally I can guess how these stories end, but this one kept me guessing to the very last chapter. Loved it.

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Mar 05, 2020 Dustin Domingo rated it really liked it

"Incantations of black magic unearthed unspeakable horrors in Providence, Rhode Island. Evil spirits are being resurrected from beyond the grave, a supernatural force so twisted that it kills without offering the mercy of death!"

It takes a while to get going for me but the final half of this novel is so otherworldly, I got chills. Per the usual Lovecraft style, there isn't much room for dialogue. Sometimes I thought this complemented the story and a lot of times, I wanted to get in the heads of ...more

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Jan 26, 2014 Kenneth McKinley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

This is my fourth HP Lovecraft story and, so far, it's my favorite. That says a lot. Because, I'm really enjoying discovering his writing and connecting his influences to my favorite horror authors of today. For some odd reason, Lovecraft wasn't happy with his novel. He wrote it in 1927 and he didn't try to get it published. It wasn't until after his death that August Derleth and Donald Wandrei published it in the May and July issues of Weird Tales in 1941 did the story see the light of day. I f ...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, classics

Lovecraft is a special writer, capable of twisting the mind of the reader in ways that all of the visual horror we are forever shown in this day and age can never accomplish.

What WAS the thing at the bottom of the pit? What was it that the good Doctor saw? So many open questions to let our minds fill in the blanks with the things that horrify us above all else.

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is Lovecraft's longest work (at least that I've encountered) and there is so much in the meager 120 or so ...more

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Jan 03, 2015 Kimberly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, group-read

Classic.

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Oct 09, 2012 [Name Redacted] rated it it was amazing

Shelves: magic, lovecraft, classics, horror, halloween-2012

This was the first work by Lovecraft I ever read, but I have not re-read it in nearly 2 decades. I had odd tastes, even as a child. I remembered very little, aside from the broad plot-points, so you can imagine my consternation when, upon re-reading it this week, I discovered that I am merely one step away from following in the footsteps of young Charles; so many of the descriptions of him sounded like the man i have become and, as it happens, 3 years ago I began to dedicate myself to exactly th ...more

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Jun 28, 2008 Terence rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: HP Lovecraft fans

Shelves: horror-gothic

I'm rereading this based upon Stephen's review so if I do not appreciate it more, it will be entirely his fault :-)
_______________________________________

In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward HPL ventures a novel-length story about his Elder Gods and one man’s tragic fate when he delves into mysteries better left unexamined. Charles Dexter Ward is the scion of a well established Providence family who begins investigating esoteric matters and discovers that an ancestor, Joseph Curwen, was killed by I'm rereading this based upon Stephen's review so if I do not appreciate it more, it will be entirely his fault :-)
_______________________________________

In The Case of Charles Dexter Ward HPL ventures a novel-length story about his Elder Gods and one man’s tragic fate when he delves into mysteries better left unexamined. Charles Dexter Ward is the scion of a well established Providence family who begins investigating esoteric matters and discovers that an ancestor, Joseph Curwen, was killed by a terrified town when they discovered his unhallowed necromantic studies.

The reader doesn’t actually spend a lot of time with Charles Ward. Instead HPL tells the story through the boy’s doctor’s attempt to find out what happened to him. HPL’s strength as a storyteller does not reside in memorable characters but in the ability to evoke an atmosphere of mounting horror and despair, and he does that very well here. You can feel the terror Dr. Willett experiences when he’s trapped in the lightless vaults beneath that ill-omened Pawtuxet farmhouse where Curwen raised up monstrous entities from Outside:

But Marinus Bicknell Willett was sorry that he looked again; for surgeon and veteran of the dissecting-room though he was, he has not been the same since. It is hard to explain just how a single sight of a tangible object with measurable dimensions could so shake and change a man; and we may only say that there is about certain outlines and entities a power of symbolism and suggestion which acts frightfully on a sensitive thinker’s perspective and whispers terrible hints of obscure cosmic relationships and unnameable realities behind the protective illusions of common vision. In that second look Willett saw such an outline or entity, for during the next few instants he was undoubtedly as stark mad as any inmate of Dr. Waite’s private hospital. He dropped the electric torch from a hand drained of muscular power or nervous co-ordination, nor heeded the sound of crunching teeth which told of its fate at the bottom of the pit. He screamed and screamed and screamed in a voice whose falsetto panic no acquaintance of his would ever have recognised, and though he could not rise to his feet he crawled and rolled desperately away over the damp pavement where dozens of Tartarean wells poured forth their exhausted whining and yelping to answer his own insane cries. He tore his hands on the rough, loose stone, and many times bruised his head against the frequent pillars, but still he kept on. Then at last he slowly came to himself in the utter blackness and stench, and stopped his ears against the droning wail into which the burst of yelping had subsided. He was drenched with perspiration and without means of producing a light; stricken and unnerved in the abysmal blackness and horror, and crushed with a memory he never could efface. Beneath him dozens of those things still lived, and from one of the shafts the cover was removed. He knew that what he had seen could never climb up the slippery walls, yet shuddered at the thought that some obscure foothold might exist. (pp. 102-03)

And this is a description of the relatively empty vaults found in 1928; nothing at all like these same vaults from 170 years earlier when the men who descended into those hellish catacombs emerged unable to speak about what they had seen and heard – the only account of the venture coming from the journals of a man who remained above ground.

I’ve got the entire Ballantine collection of HPL’s stories sitting on my bookshelf but poor Charles Dexter has languished there while I favored its brothers such as The Lurking Fear or The Doom That Came to Sarnath. It took Stephen’s review mentioned above to prompt a reread and I’m glad that I did.

So, Stephen, you may not have steered me to a tropical paradise, but I did manage to avoid any literary ice bergs. ...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Swjohnson rated it really liked it

“Do not call up that which you cannot put down.”
— H. P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

I first read H.P. Lovecraft’s 1927 short novel “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” when I was 11 years old, in the tacky Del Rey edition pictured. At the time, I was surprised by the difference between the densely erudite content and the pulp cover art. A horror writer with high-literary roots, Lovecraft remains a unique and original artist; at his best, he combines the ethereal sensibilities of “d “Do not call up that which you cannot put down.”
— H. P. Lovecraft, "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward"

I first read H.P. Lovecraft’s 1927 short novel “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” when I was 11 years old, in the tacky Del Rey edition pictured. At the time, I was surprised by the difference between the densely erudite content and the pulp cover art. A horror writer with high-literary roots, Lovecraft remains a unique and original artist; at his best, he combines the ethereal sensibilities of “decadent” fantasists like Lord Dunsany and Arthur Machen with the bleak gothic tales of Poe and Ambrose Bierce. My scholarship is a bit of cheat, since those are all known influences, but Lovecraft is also different from his peers in his obsession with abstract, implacable dread. He delights in a trademarked sensation of religious-epiphany-in-reverse; the fabric of reality, when explored too deeply, always yields inscrutable horror. Poe and Bierce are actually more reliant on the pulp mechanics of surprise endings and clockwork irony. Lovecraft is fonder of dark, cosmic irresolution.

“The Case of Charles Dexter Ward” features a typical Lovecraftian hero, a young man in 1920s Providence, RI whose “antiquarian” obsessions lead to occult discoveries. By “antiquarian,” Lovecraft means (without a trace of irony) that Ward is preoccupied with the postage stamp-sized world of pre-Revolutionary Providence, with interests as disturbingly esoteric as Colonial wood-working techniques.

Ward begins to research an ancestor, Joseph Curwen, whose identity was mysteriously effaced from town records and learns that he was a notorious practitioner of black magic. He begins his own series of experiments into the unknown, resulting in what appears to madness. Or is it? Or has his identity been taken by a figure from the past? Another Lovecraftian archetype, psychiatrist (or “alienist”) Dr. Willett investigates; his discoveries take him to inexplicable occult findings, a startling conclusion, and an epic battle of wills.

It would be unfair to call Lovecraft’s style eccentric. It is urbane, precise, and boldly oblivious to contemporary literary trends. Defiantly anachronistic, with British spellings and mannerisms ("shew" anyone?) and an obsession with minute detail and rhetorical elegance, his prose can be detached to a fault: all the dialog in “Dexter Ward” could fit on the head of a pin, and most subjective expression occurs in letters and journal entries, some written in a brilliant, intentionally-enigmatic pastiche of 17th century prose. Lovecraft even makes a rare, satirical swipe at TS Eliot, and one can see the unlikely parallels between the two writers: buttoned-up early 20th century antiquarians chafing against modernity, shaking their fists at an opaque universe.

Virtually unknown during his lifetime, Lovecraft has since gained literary respect and looms large in popular culture. But he is often misunderstood or willfully misread; think of the innumerable films that are based on his work in name alone (and “Charles Dexter Ward” was filmed by Roger Corman as the much-altered “The Haunted Palace”). Readers willing to accept his unusual technique will be rewarded by the prodigious, wildly unconventional imagination of an American genius. There is nothing like him.
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Oct 28, 2017 Shannon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, books-reviewed, horror, audio-book

A young man explores the past of his dark ancestor.

Contains the usual audio brilliance given to you by Dark Adventures Radio Theatre and flows better than the literature, I suspect.

OVERALL GRADE: B plus.

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Oct 05, 2016 Quirkyreader rated it it was amazing

This was a re-read and it was just as good as the first time.

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Nov 21, 2019 Lena rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, lovecraft-y, horror, classic

Enraptured by the dark mysteries surrounding his ancestor, Charles Dexter Ward devotes himself to the history, art, and alchemy of Joseph Curwen.

“I have brought to light a monstrous abnormality, but I did it for the sake of knowledge.”
- Charles Dexter Ward

When Charles goes mad it is up to his father and doctor to figure out what happened. But it is Dr. Willett who alone ventures into the dark, dungeon, depths of otherworldly horror: Yog-Sothoth!

Unlike most Lovecraft screamers he not only manag ...more

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Mar 08, 2014 Дарья rated it really liked it

Shelves: buddy-reading

Admittedly, a friend of mine and I were suppose to read—and of course finish—this last Halloween. Ha, what a turn of events; now that I have finished this.

This was my first time reading anything by H. P. Lovecraft even though I have quite plenty of his work on my to-read list, as well as physical copies waiting to be read. I can frankly say that I have enjoyed this one very much, the ending most of all. The descriptive and steady style of writing kept me thoroughly engaged in the story and I ca ...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Bandit rated it liked it

I have such mixed feelings about this book, it was a very interesting and spooky story, but on the other hand reading it felt like work the entire way to the end. The denseness of prose, the utter lack of dialogue, the constant verboseness didn't lend themselves to an enjoyable read. I have to say I'm glad to have read it and I plan on reading Lovecraft in the future, though most likely sticking to his shorter works. ...more

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Jan 21, 2017 Louis rated it really liked it

For a story to be creepy, it has to creep. Lovecraft obviously understood this well; this story is a collection of small, subtly unsettling events that coalesce into a frightening whole in its own good time. This is the kind of book you will want to take your time to read, allowing it space to cast its spell.

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Jan 23, 2009 Michael rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Horror fans, sci fi fans, goths

Recommended to Michael by: Dungeons and Dragons

Shelves: pulp-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Having just re-read this book as part of the goodreads HPL reading group, I feel I can revise my original review. The book was apparently not one of Lovecraft's favorites among his own work, and it was never published in his lifetime. It is the longest piece he ever wrote, and in various ways it reflects his discomfort with the novel, as opposed to his facility with the short story. There are redundancies, as if HPL himself found it difficult to remember what had already been said (or was unsure Having just re-read this book as part of the goodreads HPL reading group, I feel I can revise my original review. The book was apparently not one of Lovecraft's favorites among his own work, and it was never published in his lifetime. It is the longest piece he ever wrote, and in various ways it reflects his discomfort with the novel, as opposed to his facility with the short story. There are redundancies, as if HPL himself found it difficult to remember what had already been said (or was unsure what the reader would recall) and sections that seem to pad out the narrative unnecessarily. I still regard it as a masterpiece, perhaps all the more enjoyable for its flaws.

The story involves a young antiquarian who discovers that he had an identical ancestor burned as a witch shortly before the Revolution (rather late for witch-hunting, as HPL knew full well). As his investigations continue, he seems to come under the spell of this long-dead sorceror, and begins to mimic his behaviors and interests. Ultimately, he discovers the formula to summon his ancestor from the dead, and the man kills him and attempts to replace him in life. All of this is witnessed through closed doors by the family and and the family doctor, who comes to understand what has happened only in pieces. The climax of the story comes when the young man's imposter is placed in an asylum (because he acts like someone from 150 years ago) and the doctor examines the underground lair of the magician - finding horrible secrets there.

About the first third of the book is taken up with recounting the life of the sorceror, Joseph Curwen, in the 17th and 18th centuries, up to his extirpation from Providence by an angry mob of local and sailors. This part of the book Lovecraft evidently dismissed as an "indulgence in antiquarianism" but for a historian it is a pleasure to read. I wish that more vampire authors would take the time to painstakingly research the past as HPL does here, in order to give the backgrounds of their long-lived protagonists some depth. The story makes a somewhat questionable representation of the Lovecraft oeuvre, because there seems to be no true "cosmic threat" to humanity - just a lone scholar attempting to raise the dead. This theme did allow HPL to show off his occult erudition, however, and to insert some well-placed humor at the expense of the occultists of his day. ...more

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Oct 28, 2009 Printable Tire rated it it was amazing

Being from Providence, I feel I have to like things associated with Providence, and thus be a H.P. Lovecraft fan (of course, I don't like Family Guy, but that's another story). Fortunately a story like this makes it easy to like him. It certainly helps that I know and walk the streets and locations mentioned in this book, read parts of the book in Salem where some of the story takes place, am a fellow alumni of the same school as the protagonist, and also, when I get lost in Cranston, feel inexp ...more

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Dec 05, 2017 David Sarkies rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

Don't Rise Up what you Can't Put Down
5 December 2017 - Sydney

The first thing that I did when I started to read this book was to jump onto Facebook and search for a 'Charles Dexter Ward', Well, I found one, but he had his account locked down to tightly that you could only send him a message. Actually, I'm not at all that surprised because he probably gets lots of friendship requests (and messages) from Cthulu freaks out there. Actually, I'm almost tempted to set up an account on Facebook called Don't Rise Up what you Can't Put Down
5 December 2017 - Sydney

The first thing that I did when I started to read this book was to jump onto Facebook and search for a 'Charles Dexter Ward', Well, I found one, but he had his account locked down to tightly that you could only send him a message. Actually, I'm not at all that surprised because he probably gets lots of friendship requests (and messages) from Cthulu freaks out there. Actually, I'm almost tempted to set up an account on Facebook called Charles Dexter Ward, and see how many people send me friend requests (or messages about how to do some Cthonian rituals). No, I have better things to do with my time, such as reading more Lovecraft.

Anyway, I'm currently sitting on one of Sydney's Ferries heading across the harbour so that I can finish the couple of pubs on the north side that I have yet to visit. Actually, these ferries are pretty cool as I found a table on which to rest my laptop, a power socket for my cord, and free wifi. However, I didn't bring my cable since I didn't expect to find such conveniences, and I won't be using the wifi since I'll probably be at my destination once I connect. It is still cool looking out of the window and seeing the Opera House, and a massive cruise liner that still baffles me as to why people spend extraordinary amounts of money to travel on (and the only reason I would go on a cruise liner would be to make an attempt to travel from Melbourne to London, or even to Capetown, without actually catching a plane, though apparently getting into Sudan by the land border is nigh impossible).

However, I probably should say something about this rather long short story because I doubt you are reading my reviews simply to find out what I am doing while writing it. Anyway, it is about a man, Charles Dexter Ward, who disappears from an insane asylum, and his doctor who attempts to get to the bottom of what is actually going on. Mind you, as is the case with most Lovecraft (though this is only the second that I have read), the one thing that you really don't want to do is to dig into things because what you end up uncovering is no doubt going to have a dramatic effect upon your mental health, if not actually kill you.

The story begins back in the 16th Century when a Joseph Curwen leaves Salem due to the onset of the witchhunts, and settles in Providence. Here he builds a house and continues his experiments, which involves at first the sacrifice of an awful lot of animals, and then humans beings in the form of slaves. After a while, the towns people become rather concerned, despite the fact that he is incredibly wealthy, and stage a raid on his house to discover some rather nasty creatures that he seems to be grooming, The creatures are killed, and the house, and Joseph, burnt to a crisp.

We then jump to the modern era, or the modern era where Lovecraft is concerned, and we have Charles discovering that Curwen is his ancestor, and then attempting to dig into what Currian was on about. Anyway, I don't really want to go too deep into the synopsis as there are some rather interesting twists in the story, but what it does involve is the good doctor descending into the labyrinth beneath Curwen's former house to actually get to the bottom of what it going on with Ward. As I also suggested, where Lovecraft is concerned this is not all that wise, and it always brings to mind the old Call of Cthulu roleplaying game which was designed to basically kill off your character, though not in the way that other games (such as Paranoia) did. The thing is that the world of H.P. Lovecraft is a very, very dangerous world.

A couple of things that I have noticed is that most of the stories seem to be set around New England. Actually, a lot of Stephen King's stories are also set in the same region. Sure, that has something to do with both them actually living in and around the area, but there is also something quite spooky about New England. First of all you have the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials, though that was just a carry on from what had been occurring in the continent for centuries beforehand. Actually, it is interesting that we here more about the witch trials in Salem, and very little about what actually happened in the old world.

Thus, it is not surprising that Lovecraft connected Salem with his Cthulu Mythos, suggesting that the trials were not based on hysteria, or people attempting to get back at their enemies, but instead was actually based on the fact that people were dealing with the dark realms. However, these dark realms were the realms of Satan, but rather the realms of the Great Old Ones – a realm that if people knew about then they would surely go insance. Curwen, and Ward, are just one of the many cultists that are scattered across the region, and I have to admit that New England does come across as a very spooky place. While I could be wrong, but didn't the headless horseman roam this area? In another way it is the old world, or the old world at least where the United States are concerned. The cities here date back centuries, and the architecture and town planning is reflective of this. This place is a realm of dark secrets that go back to the time of the colonials, and even before. Remember, this was also where the persecuted religiousnists fled to start a new life.

The other interesting thing is the idea of controlling what you raise. This is a theme that seems to echo through the story – if you are going to dabble in the dark arts, make sure that you know what you are doing. How many people do stupid things and end up getting themselves killed. Well, I guess that is why we have the Darwin awards. Then again drugs and alcohol tend to have that effect on people – we're drunk so lets do something stupid. I'm not sure this is something that Lovecraft was trying to get across, but this is something that clearly came out at the end. Interestingly, this does actually apply to witchcraft as people do end up delving into the arena only to discover that it back fires – Dr Faust anyone? ...more

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About H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft

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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