Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!
Rate this book!
Write a review?
Collections of short fiction based on the Cthulhu Mythos never get old but they can be predictable. Editor Ellen Datlow attempts to spice up the idea by featuring stories based on the monsters of H. P. Lovecraft's weird and twisted mind. Even the ardent Lovecraft fan may go mad trying to place some of the creatures, so Datlow added a neat Monster Index to keep you up on the creepies you will meet. The fiction itself tends to be uneven but there are enough gems to keep you reading. Neil Gaiman's
This is an anthology with a great list of authors included. They've taken H.P. Lovecraft's stories and put their own spin on them. I got through a few of them, but they were mostly unable to hold my interest. It's not because they were written poorly, or boring in nature. I firmly believe this is a case in which many people will enjoy this book, but it was definitely not for me.DNFed after skimming through many stories and not being gripped and sucked in.I will say that the story about the goa...
Some of the writers here are usual guests in this kind of Anthologies, the likes like Barron, Kieran, Langan, Rasnic Tem, Mamatas, Ligotti and maybe even Lansdale, so the Lovecraftian new legacy has, in theory at least, a strong presence here.The stories:1.Only the End of the World Again • (1994) • by Neil Gaiman **** 4 Stars, Knew from before.2.Bulldozer • (2004) • Laird Barron ** 2 Stars, Very hard text to get into.3. Red Goat Black Goat • (2010) • by Nadia Bulkin *****, 5 Stars, Never heard o...
I was kind of unsure about this book because I've read an anthology edited by Datlow before and wasn't all that impressed. I bought this on sale on audible, though, and so I was open. After reading a couple of other reviews as well, I have to admit I'm pleasantly surprised. Many of the stories had a Lovecraftian feel to them - which is the point, I think - even if it didn't work so well for me. They were never really scary, though, mostly just weird, with a couple of good ones in-between. Review...
One might expect a collection consisting of 18 separate submissions by 19 individual authors (not counting foreword and introduction) to be somewhat uneven, but it seems like virtually every author who contributed to Lovecraft's Monsters brought their A game. You can tell each and every one of the featured authors has a deep appreciation for Lovecraft's mythos, but their contributions don't just amount to mindless literary hero worship: every component of this anthology (even the ones that don't...
You can always count on Ellen Datlow to put together a good anthology! As with any collection, I personally like some stories more than others, but this is definitely recommended: not just for Lovecraft fans, but for any reader of horror and dark fantasy.***** Only the End of the World Again by Neil GaimanA bad-ass werewolf visits Innsmouth, and gets mixed up in more than he bargained for. Reminded me a bit of 'The Wicker Man,' with extra paranormal elements. Humorous without being 'light,' Gaim...
Anthologies can be a love/hate type of read. Some tales suck you in.... while others leave you struggling just to get through. This was the case with Lovecraft's Monsters. The premise is fabulous. Stories from wonderful modern day authors based on the monsters created by H.P. Lovecraft. Some held my interest, some did not.I'll just chalk this one up to being "it's not you, it's me".3 Ninja-Bunnehs-Saying-Eh (Arc received in exchange for an honest review)
I really wanted to love this, but quite a few stories fell short IMO. There were some really amazing tales, which is why I left 4 stars, but a few of them, I just couldn't finish. I'm still glad I got it and it's still absolutely worth getting. We all have different tastes after all.
Above average anthology from the usually outstanding Datlow (the hardest working editor in horror). Avoids some traps by excluding some of the usual suspects you would expect in an anthology like this (I won't name them) and substituting others who I bet this was their first foray into Lovecraftiana. It mostly works. Some of the usuals are still here (Barron, Kiernan), but these are the ones that almost never deliver a substandard product.There be monsters here. All these stories are themed arou...
This was an ARC from NetGalley.This anthology is an excellent homage to the monsters of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Solid stories by some of the best authors in the business, past and present, each with a striking illustration make this a must for any fan of the Mythos.
Lovecraft's Monsters is a short story anthology of tales featuring monsters created by H.P. Lovecraft.First off, H.P. Lovecraft, along with Edgar Rice Burroughs and Arthur Conan Doyle, is a writer that I'm much more interested in the works they inspired rather than their own writings. I know it's akin to liking a remake better than the original but HPL's prose has always been hard to digest for me and his character read like they were written by someone who never leaves his house. However, his C...
Only the End of the World Again by Neil Gaiman— As much of a Neil fan as I am, these story doesn’t do a lot for me. It’s clever and well-written, but just…not what I usually like. I’m afraid that’s going to be true for the entire book… 3/5Bulldozer by Laird Barron— This is more like it. A Pinkerton agent heads west on the trail of a man who has become something more, or maybe something less than human. All the tropes of a good Oater with all the unspeakable horror of the nameless elder ones. 4/5...
I loved the first five stories in this book, and the last few stories were also pretty good. This anthology is worth picking up just for the beginning and end, even if the middle wasn't the strongest.
I'm four stories in so far and completely loving this anthology of stories based upon the creatures of Lovecraft's imagination. So far my favorites include "The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge, "Remnants" by Fred Chappell, and "Black is the Pit From Pole to Pole" by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley. Awesome delicious horror. "Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman - This story was later made into a graphic novel, and features a werewolf detective who sets up shop in Innsmouth, an...
A very serviceable collection. Doesn't cleave as closely to Lovecraft's turgid prose as some I have read, which is a PLUS. Recommended.(view spoiler)[“Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman4 STARSLarry Talbot wakes up at Innsmouth and traverse through various townsfolk and creatures, all of whom has advice on how to cure werewolf-ness, toward the Opening Ceremony that night. A fevered dream. The Elder Gods loses once again, though.“Bulldozer” by Laird Barron4 STARSSo gritty you can tast...
Voice actors continue to amaze me. Across 15 hours and 18 tales and poems, Bernard Clark audibly crafts scores of distinct characters, embodying perfectly this diverse and deliciously mad collection of Lovecraftian descendants. Like the recent (excellent) HBO series Lovecraft Country, these authors take everyone's favorite weird, goth boy as a jumping off point rather than an end game, creating new story out of old work. The DNA is there and unmistakable, but the modern generation of Lovecraftia...
It's been a week since I finished this collection and already I can't remember much about it. Are the stories bad? No, well not actively so, but they're certainly pretty bland. It doesn't help that so many of them draw on the same parts of Lovecraft's work (Innsmouth, Innsmouth, more and more Innsmouth). There's not even one tentpole piece to hold up the rest. Neil Giaman's inclusion is a selling point, but it's fair to say it's not one of his more notable works. I guess that leaves Kim Newman
I love all things Lovecraft (my license plate used to read "Dagon") and this was one of the first books I added to my list years back but just got my hands on it a week or so ago. The stories contained within are a mix of classical HP style mixed in with some werewolves, steampunk, and yes, even Frankenstein's monster makes an appearance. Not all of these tales are exclusive to the collection and can be found in other places such as Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth and others but Datlow applies a de...
Great collection. Given the common “resource” for the stories, they sort of repeat and feel predictable when read back to back. To specify I mean the theme, The writing styles themselves Chang for the most part from author to author. The storytelling thus far has been gripping and the twists, coral at break neck speed berries dropping you at the feet of despair. Taking a break before continuing.
Ellen Datlow is an anthologist I can typically count on. When I see her name on the spine of a book I know I should pick it up. She has outdone herself with Lovecraft’s Monsters, which does not have a bad story in it. I am currently evacuated due to a hurricane so this review will have to do!