This being the first of a 4 volume collection, it includes the earliest (and inherently weakest) of Lovecraft's works. For the modern reader, these are a rather dragging, slow, not that enjoyable reading experience. Plenty of "woe me this and woe me that", "oh, the indescribable horror!" (and it truly is not described at all...) and "some people know some dark secrets, but they keep them to themselves". Plenty of 1800s heavy-handed dark atmosphere, but not that much actual story (usually none, to be honest). I still love some Lovecraft stories, but not those in this volume (which I found simply annoying, pardon my heresy). ( )

One of my favorite Lovecrafts. A science fiction horror story. A genre Lovecraft basically invented.. ( )

This, to me, is the stereotypical Lovecraft near his worst. The absolute worst is when he has a character detailing dreams. But this? This comes very close.

When you get right down to it, nothing really happens throughout this story. The narrator details a few letters, eventually makes his way to the letter writer's home, we're told of some of the secrets he learns from Akeley—never ever shown, because that's simply not how Lovecraft rolls—then the narrator gets creeped out, makes a weird discovery, and bolts from the house. The end.

The only thing that saves this is, between all the tell and the foot dragging, there's some wonderfully creepy ideas in there, but they're never brought out. Lovecraft himself sums it up quite well on page 84 with the line: "...their frightful effect on me was one of suggestion rather than of revelation."

Not one of his better ones. ( )

I am beginning to think Lovecraft's entire reputation is built on maybe a half dozen of his works. If so, this is one of those founding stones. ( )

Very well written. Horror isn't one of my favorite genres, but I could imagine that who likes this genre would find it really interesting. ( )