An excellent biography of the Edgar Allan Poe of the first half of the 20th century, arguably of the entire century. H. P. Lovecraft lived in poverty, was unrelentingly racist, somewhat arrogant and pompous, possibly suffered from Aspberger's syndrome, but nevertheless wrote stories making up the Cthulhu Mythos that influence horror even today. Accompanying the biographical details are sidebars summarizing the plots of his stories, the lives of his friends, as well as influences on his life and writing. Well-illustrated with art and photos, indexed, an excellent introduction to Lovecraft and his legacy. ( )

Moderately interesting, this is written in an informal and, frankly, pedestrian style and presented in a “magazine” type of format – loads of little articles inset in boxes break up the regular text, which itself is broken into tiny “bite-sized” pieces. It is also, happily, lavishly filled with photos and drawings, creating a temptation to merely flip through and admire the photos and read the more interesting stories. I did read it all, though, and, despite the layout and mediocre writing, enjoyed the book quite a bit.

Lovecraft's life and importance in the history of “weird” tales is very nicely presented, exploring both the influences on his work and the ways his writing affected the genre. His admiration for and connections with writers such as Arthur Machen, Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch, etc. are given ample space. Montague shows a fine sense of how much is “enough” in her examination of how various events, travels, and people in his life might have played into Lovecraft's work, as well as in her survey of his influence on later writers, movie producers, etc. Lovecraft himself, not surprisingly, comes across as very odd and, in some ways, deeply repugnant. Even more so than I anticipated, actually, which is saying something! In her favor, Montague is never coy about her subject's virulent racism, nor does she excuse it as a “product of his time.” She does, however, show that Lovecraft also had some finer qualities. He was apparently a good friend, a fond nephew, a faithful correspondent, a devoted mentor and encourager of other writers, and, though he was a failure as a husband, his shortcomings were pathetic rather than vile. I was surprised and interested by the extent of his travels, both in the northern and southern parts of the east coast, as I'd pictured him as more of a hermit. Given his extensive friendships and the dedication his friends showed, it seems he must have been much more pleasant company than his stories led me to imagine. Despite his hideous racism, Montague succeeds in showing him to be, in other ways, somewhat sympathetic.

After finishing this my list of not-to-miss Lovecraft stories is a little longer, and I have a couple other authors to look up – a mixed blessing! Three and a half stars, rounded up in gratitude for the useful descriptions of the various stories and the delightfully abundant (if sometimes monstrous!) illustrations. ( )