The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Other Stories of Horror

A collection of six short stories and one novella, some of which I'd read before and some I hadn't.

My general opinion of H.P. Lovecraft, based on what I'd previously read, is that at his best he had a keen ability to tap into the overwhelmed and overwhelming feelings that humans can sometimes experience when confronted with the incomprehensibly unfamiliar and the inconceivably immense. And his mythology, full of sleeping ancient gods and mad cultists, is a lot of fun to play around with, as a great many talented folks have done. On the other hand, my impression was that his writing could be somewhat tedious and his style overwrought to the point that it not only is it far too easily parodied, but it almost manages to do the job itself. show more This particular collection did cause me to revise my opinion of his writing abilities upward a bit, though. And I think he only uses the word "cyclopean" twice in the first six stories (before "Innsmouth" comes along and doubles the count).

A breakdown on the stories:

"The Colour Out of Space": This was the first Lovecraft story I ever read, by a couple of decades, and I remembered being pretty disturbed by it back in the day. I'm pleased to be able to report that, unlike a lot of stuff I read when I was a teenager, it holds up extremely well. It's a compelling, seriously creepy story that thoroughly captures the uneasy, uncanny feeling of ordinary, familiar things slowly growing twisted and strange. It also illustrates quite nicely the fact, often forgotten today, that sometimes saying "It was too horrible to describe" really is more effective than actually describing whatever-it-is.

"The Outsider": A strange little piece -- well, strange in slightly different ways than Lovecraft usually is, I guess -- that culminates in a twist that might have been chilling if it weren't obvious a mile away. Mostly it left me wondering what the heck the backstory was, since it's never really explained.

"Imprisoned with the Pharaohs": This one was ghost-written for Harry Houdini, who is also the main character. Which fact is, I think, more interesting than the story itself. There's way too much set-up for too little payoff, and the whole thing relies a bit too much on a sort of "Ooh, isn't Egypt ancient and mysterious and exotic?" vibe that seems a little quaint today.

"The Transition of Juan Romero": Short and very slight story about miners who disturb... something. OK, this one could have done with a little less "I dare not tell you" and a little more description; I actually had to flip back and check to see if I'd missed something.

"In the Walls of Eryx": A science fiction story about a man trapped in an invisible labyrinth in the jungles of Venus. It's better written than most SF of the time, and the scenario struck a particularly nightmarish chord for me, completely lacking in a sense of direction as I am. I'd actually read this one before, too, and the story had stuck with me, but I'd completely forgotten that Lovecraft had written it, so I was pleasantly surprised to encounter it here.

"The Festival": A Christmas story! Sort of. This one didn't make much of an impression, which is too bad, because a Lovecraft Christmas story sounds like it ought to be a particularly demented kind of wonderful. But mostly it's just one of those pieces where he reads like he's swallowed a particularly morbid thesaurus.

"The Shadow over Innsmouth": This tale of a decaying New England town that brings whole new levels of meaning to the word "fishy" is undoubtedly one of Lovecraft's best known works. There's probably good reason for that. It's an interesting story, with a moderately creepy premise and a lot of great attention to detail. Unfortunately, much of the most important exposition is written in a really annoying example of phonetic dialect, and there's a faint whiff of xenophobia to the whole thing that makes me mildly uncomfortable in ways the author never intended.

Rating: 4/5, mostly on the strength of "The Colour Out of Space" and "In the Walls of Eryx." show less

"The Shadow over Innsmouth" is the best thing Lovecraft ever wrote. Once read, its feeling of suspense and decay will never leave you.

This contains the title story that is probably the best short story of the 20th century; certainly it is one of the best Lovecraft stories. A fellow goes travelling to Arkam, and is drawn into Innsmouth through some inner attraction. The place smells badly of fish and he finds a drunk who tells him a weird story. The story comes true as he is forced to stay in town that night.. Fortunately, he is aware of danger enouigh to put a throw lock on his door (where it had just VERY recently been taken off). The description of the events through to the end of the book are most excellent and one can see the horror in his mind. Many think "The Colour Out of Space" is Lovecraft's best story, and it IS excellent, too, but it lacks the immediacy and show more pacing of the "Shadonw" story. show less

Actually, what I have is called "The Weird Shadow Over Innsmouth", and is just an e-book on my phone, which I read while at the laundromat.

While entertaining, I don't actually feel very terrified while reading these stories. Sorry, dude.