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Dreams of Terror and Death

The Dream Cycle of H. P. Lovecraft

By H.P. Lovecraft

(7)

| Paperback | 9780345384218

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Book Description

"[Lovecraft's] dream fantasy works are as terrifying and haunting as his tales of horror and the macabre. A master craftsman, Lovecraft brings compelling visions of nightmarish fear, invisible worlds and the demons of the unconscious. If one author truly represents the very best in American literaryContinue

2 Reviews

not an easy read for non-native English speakers, but nonetheless a horror classic

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Alcest is the best said on May 19, 2010 | Add your feedback

Lovecraft's Ancient Dream Cycle Text Delivers Nightmares.

Sit down young reader as I am sure you'll need to be off your feet when you hear of the strange adventures that have happened of late. No, I am not mad sir, but was very nearly driven mad at the tale I am about to tell you. Please don't think me out of my mind, I am merely going to recite to you the ... (continue)

Sit down young reader as I am sure you'll need to be off your feet when you hear of the strange adventures that have happened of late. No, I am not mad sir, but was very nearly driven mad at the tale I am about to tell you. Please don't think me out of my mind, I am merely going to recite to you the fantastic tale of what has happened to me in these recent times.
A young author named Neil Gaiman first introduced me to these terrible stories dealing with such 'Elder Gods' as Nyarlathotep and Azathoth. It was his idea that analysis of the stories by an old gent from Providence, a Mr. Howard Phillips Lovecraft, would both enlighten and perhaps terrify me.
Unlike a previous collection of his works, The Best Of H. P. Lovecraft: Bloodcurdling Tales Of Horror And The Macabre, this collection that I held in my unsteady hands dealt with only the 'alleged' fiction concerning Lovecraft's 'Dreamworld'. With such stories like The Silver Key, The Dream Quest Of Unknown Kadath, and others, I shivered at the thought of what terrible wonders one might be subjected to when we go to sleep. I found myself deeply concerned for Mr. Lovecraft's main character throughout these short stories a noted Mr. Randolph Carter.
Carter appears throughout various Dreamworld stories in this collection. A fancier of the outre, he has always had some kind of strange ties to the occult. Perhaps it was his heritage, perhaps his strange group of friends, who can be sure. One thing is certain however, he has adventures in dreams like no other.
All of the stories in this collection do not perfectly fit into Lovecraft's Dreamworld setting. Some like Pickman's Model, or The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward, seem to just be loosely tied to it. Perhaps there was no other place to properly collect such stories, I am not certain. I do know that each was horrific in it's own way. You can tell which ones do not directly relate to the Dreamworld as most of the stories have a fantasy feel to them, while others that only slightly fit that setting are more straight out horrific.
All in all, when I think about it Mr. Reader, the old Gent Lovecraft must have had a horrific life. To think of all the horrors he must have had to endure while awake in the likes of such giants like great Cthulhu himself! Now we are shown not only were his horrors in the waking world, but Mr. Lovecraft couldn't even escape such terrible nightmares while asleep!
The Dreamworld stories were a treat to read sir. I do however confess to sleeping with the light on now and only in short, very short intervals.
Contents:
Introduction: Concerning Dreams and Nightmares by Neil Gaiman
Azathoth
The Descendant
The Thing in the Moonlight
Polaris
Beyond the Wall of Sleep
The Doom That Came to Sarnath
The Statement of Randolph Carter
The Cats of Uthar
Celephais
From Beyond
Nyarlathotep
The Nameless City
The Other Gods
Ex Oblivione
The Quest of Iranon
The Hound
Hypnos
What the Moon Brings
Pickman's Model
The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath
The Silver Key
The Strange High House in the Mist
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
The Dreams in the Witch-House
Through the Gates of the Silver Key

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CaptHowdy said on Sep 9, 2007 | Add your feedback