The Starry Wisdom: A Tribute to H.P. Lovecraft

I picked this up and read it a while ago. It was originally published in 1995 by Creation Books, and I got a reprinted edition. Likely it is familiar to most long time mythos fans. The cost then was less than $14.00, plus shipping. Based on what I thought about it they should have paid me a similar amount to take it off their hands. Production qualities were good.

Mostly it was a terrible mish mash of poorly written drivel. The bulk of it was so bad that it tainted the rest for me. For some reason the authors seem to think that using various words for body orifices is cutting edge.

The only reason I can think of for anyone to buy it is the graphic version of Call of Cthulhu by John Coulthart. And even this was maddening! The artwork was show more exquisite, but it was presented in very cramped panels. Enalarging this work to a few pictures or even one picture per page would have been worth every extra penny I had to pay. As it was, the 2 page depiction or R'lyeh could not be laid out to really enjoy without breaking the spine of the book. The fantastic details were lost in the tiny panels. What a disappointment! Maybe someday someone will reprint Mr. Coulthart's work in a more convivial form.

Other than that I can honest to goodness think of no reason that I want to reread any of it. Maybe I will try the Lumley and Campbell works again some day. They were lost in the haze. Price's story about Shub Niggurath was better than his usual product but isalso available in the Shub Niggurath Cycle, as well as Blasphemies and Revelations. Mainly because I'm a maniac I recently got Song of the Black Worm Gism by the same creative team and so far have found it impenetrable.

Spend your Cthulhu bucks elsewhere, gang show less