3 Review(s)

Description : “The world is indeed comic, but the joke is on mankind.”Howard Phillips Lovecraft, also known as H. P. Lovecraft, was a well-known American author who wrote science, fantasy and horror fiction. One of his most popular creations is the myth of Cthulhu. Although he struggled financially as a writer, his works regained popularity in the latter half of the 20th century. As a result, he became known as the master of Gothic horror.This box set includes:1) The Dunwich Horror and Other StoriesWilbur Whateley is born in strange circumstances in the small, isolated village of Dunwich. He is shunned by the local community and turns to shadowy rituals and the study of witchcraft. When a ghastly monster is released, it is not just the people of Dunwich who are threatened, but the very existence of the human race...This collection includes three other works of terrifying genius in "The Whisperer in Darkness," "The Shadow Out of Time," and "The Haunter of the Dark." Both nightmarish and ingenious, these tales are sure to keep every reader up all night.2) At the Mountains of Madness and Other StoriesSet in the Antarctic, where a group of explorers make sinister discoveries, this is one of Lovecraft's most successful “and most chilling“ works. In this edition, the novella is accompanied by two short ‘The Shadow over Innsmouth’ and ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’.3) The Call of Cthulhu and Other StoriesA definitive collection of stories from the unrivaled master of twentieth-century horror."I think it is beyond doubt that H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." - Stephen King.Frequently imitated and widely influential, Howard Philips Lovecraft reinvented the horror genre in the 1920s, discarding ghosts and witches and instead envisioning mankind as a tiny outpost of dwindling sanity in a chaotic and malevolent universe. S. T. Joshi, Lovecraft's preeminent interpreter, presents a selection of the master's fiction, from the early tales of nightmares and madness such as "The Outsider" to the overpowering cosmic terror of "The Call of Cthulhu." More than just a collection of terrifying tales, this volume reveals the development of Lovecraft's mesmerizing narrative style and establishes him as a canonical- and visionary-American writer.4) Macabre TalesThis collection brings together the unique stories from H. P. Lovecraft's formative years, ranging from the petrifying 'Dagon' through the playful 'Ibid' to the subtle horror of 'The Music of Erich Zann.' Featuring ancient powers, long-buried secrets, and cosmic terrors, Macabre Stories demonstrates the range and depth of Lovecraft's writing.Sometimes shocking, sometimes horrifying, but always engaging, these tales are an impressive example of the master of horror's ability to entertain.5) Stories of the DreamlandThe Dream Cycle is a series of stories and novellas written between 1918 and 1932 and set in the "Dreamlands", an alternate dimension that could be entered through dreams. In this realm, Lovecraft's imagination was given full reign as he created an entire world full of wonder and terror. A group of "weak gods" stalk the Dreamlands, protected by the mysterious Nyarlathotep, as Lovecraft's protagonists navigate the alien landscape.6) The Randolph Carter TalesCarter is a quiet and melancholy dreamer with a sensitive disposition, prone to fainting during times of emotional stress. But he can also be courageous, with enough strength of mind and character to face and foil the horrific creatures of the Dreamlands. Randolph Carter is an antiquarian and one-time student of the Miskatonic University. Based on clues from various stories, he was probably born around 1874 and grew up in and around Boston. At the age of nine, he underwent a mysterious experience at his great-uncle Christopher's farm and thereafter exhibited a gift of prophecy. He is the descendant of Sir Randolph Carter, who had studied magic during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Sir Randolph had then emigrated to America and his son Edmund Carter later had to flee the Salem witch-trials. Carter also had an ancestor involved in one of the Crusades, who was captured by the Muslims and learned ""wild secrets"" from them. This volume contains all of H P Lovecraft's stories about Randolph Carter.