The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories by John Gregory Betancourt

The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories Reviews

• 
  Jamie

  I'd previously read most of the Lovecraft, Howard and Smith stories here, so I picked this up mainly due to my interest in a few of the other authors that I've been wanting to read more from, particularly
  Darrell Schweitzer and
  Brian McNaughton. I became a fan of McNaughton after reading the freakishly macabre and wry
  The Throne of Bones, and Schweitzer from his fantasy writings in which he deftly blurs the lines between dreams and reality, to haunting effect. Thoughts on a few of the stories:
  
  Envy, the Gardens of Ynath, and the Sin of Cain by Darrell Schweitzer (4.0) - A chillng tale of eldritch beings who visit the Earth in search of buried secrets, and to whom humanity are merely fleas.
  
  The Doom That Came to Innsmouth by Brian McNaughton (4.0) - The descendant of an Innsmouth native, with some dark secrets and a desire to fulfill his legacy, returns to the site of the destroyed town at the invitation of a suspicious government agency promising reparations.
  
  Those of the Air by Darrell Schweitzer and Jason Van Hollander (3.5) - A haunting family secret that stretches back to the dark days of Dunwich.
  
  The Eater of Hours by Darrell Schweitzer (4.0) - A neverending dreamlike nightmare brought on by an eldritch evil intent on devouring all. Schweitzer seamlessly flits between dream and reality, blurring the lines to the point where they almost become meaningless.
  
  Ghoulmaster by Brian McNaughton (4.5) - No tie-ins to the Cthulu mythos, but a wonderfully wry and macabre ghoulish mystery.
  
  The Spawn of Dagon by Henry Kuttner (3.5) - A most decidedly sword & sorcery yarn, making its inclusion in this collection an odd choice. Kuttner's Elak stories are very much akin to Fritz Leiber's well known Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories, with two sword wielding companions seeking adventures in the lost lands of Atlantis. All of the Elak stories share common threads - good wizards battling evil wizards, loose tie-ins to chilling bits of Lovecraftian mythos, and typically a mission involving the fending off of evil otherworldly invaders. Kuttner's prose and characterizations do not quite measure up to Leiber's, particularly when it comes to the entertaining nature of the feisty relationship between the heroes and their lively banter.
  
  Dagon and Jill by John P. McCann (5.0) - Hilarious exchange of letters between an overly naive and "woke" publisher looking for inclusive and diverse religious material and an author of Cthulu themed books for children who makes no pretense at hiding his nefarious intentions.
• 
  Still

  I've read all of this I can this year. I'll pick up next year probably.
  Important fact: this is fantastically cheap deal for the e-book Kindle edition.
  If you can spare a buck or two buy this.
  
  Several years later… I’ve finished this anthology and man it;s hit or miss but the misses fail to detract from the hits. If you enjoy Lovecraft this is for you.
  Lots of improvements on the Cthulhu Mythos… every century old tale can stand a tune up.
  
  Fun read. Highest recommendation!
• 
  Matt

  Probably as good a collection as you're going to get from the Cthulhu mythos. The quality varies wildly, with some of it being truly awesome and creepy -- "The Events at Poroth Farm," pretty much all of the Clark Ashton Smith, and, of course, all of the HP Lovecraft -- while some of it basically reads like mediocre fanfic. The only one I couldn't get through was "Dark Destroyer," which had way too many characters and way too little of interest going on: it read to me like a not-so-great middle issue of a episodic comic book.
  
  A few thoughts, though:
  
  First, what was surprising to me was how much Lovecraft's race anxiety pervades throughout the entire Cthulhu Mythos, even in pieces that weren't written by him. The man was a towering racist, but you'd expect that the dozens of people who have built on his universe in the decades since he died to not spend as much time as he did on "mongrel races" and weird comments about degenerates. I still enjoy the writing and the universe, but I was surprised at how frequently I had to be like, "really? Do we have to have another evil inbred character in these stories?"
  
  Second: the stuff that was infinitely better was the stuff that ended in a bleak, "and now I descend into insanity" type way. I really wasn't a fan of the couple of stories that were written in a more "Conan the Barbarian" type style -- I'm thinking specifically of the Robert Howard story and "The Spawn of Dagon," -- gladiators and machismo just don't have any place in what's supposed to be a universe where the humans who come into the contact with its reality end in gibbering terror.
  
  Third: "Dagon and Jill" was hilarious, and was the perfect way to end this book.
  
  And finally: where in god's name are all the women? There are very few women in these stories, and they are virtually all damsel's in distress or peripheral passersby.
• 
  Marc *Dark Reader of the Woods*

  Excellent collection which you can probably get at a great price. This is an excellent introduction to the Cthulhu myths for the curious but uninitiated, but even a seasoned fan will find much delight in the stories from this massive collection. Contains all of the foundational Lovecraft stories (Call of Cthulhu, Shadow over Innsmouth, At the Mountains of Madness, the Dunwich Horror and many more) along with many stories from the 'Lovecraft circle' contemporaries like Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard and a lot of modern stories as well. I don't think there is a dud in the bunch, though you will enjoy some stories more than others, naturally. Many of my favorites were placed late in the book, so please keep reading, Of course, you could jump around, grouping stories by author, chronologically or however else you choose. Personally, I have read much Lovecraft and some collections of modern tales based in the mythos, but had not encountered stories from his contemporaries, and later authors such as T. E.D. Klein, though I have heard much about them. Imagine my joy at having these all assembled in one mighty tome! I became especially excited to read Robert Howard's tales. My favorite stories in the end included Ghoulmaster, The Doom that came to Innsmouth, the Dark Boatman, and the terrifyingly understated Events at Poroth Farm. Unless you have been scouring the earth for years collecting all of the mythos stories you could find, you are sure to find something new and delicious in this collection of top-notch tales of terror.
• 
  James

  I'm not sure there's a whole lot to say about this collection--if you're a fan of Lovecraft's work, you're going to love it. If you're not, you probably won't. It's definitely worth the $0.99 price tag--it's a massive book!
  
  There are too many stories in this collection to give an in-depth review, but I can say that none of them really disappointed me. They're all solid entries, though some are definitely better than others. "Toadface," "Pickman's Modem," "The Eater of Hours," "The Worms of the Earth" and "The Fire of Asshurbanipal" stand out. "Dagon and Jill" and "The Innsmouth Heritage" are stellar, and worth the price of the book by themselves.
  
  The one thing I didn't like about this tome--and it affect most of the "megapack" collections available--is the editing, which runs from decent to abysmal. Typographic and spelling errors abound, the formatting is spotty in places, and there were many times when--oddly--numbers were inserted instead of characters. (There are several points where a 1 is used in place of an I or a lowercase l.)
  
  But all in all, a great collection--as are most of the megapacks!
• 
  Steven

  If nothing else, this represents a fantastic bargain for ebook folks, although I'm sure some of the tales will seem familiar to at least a few (there's the expected number of entries from H.P. Lovecraft.) There's also room for a second volume, too, and possibly more. Missing from this anthology -- August Derleth and Brian Lumley (and possibly others, but I'm not that up on the Mythos at the moment.) The stories range from the somewhat turgid to the blackly hilarious (the closing tale is short, sharp, and funny.)
  
  Again, quite the bargain, especially for newcomers to the Mythos.
• 
  Eileen

  I bought this for "The Events at Poroth Farm" by T.E.D. Klein, which is hard to find. Brian McNaughton's "The Doom That Came to Innsmouth" (which also appears in the very good
  Tales out of Innsmouth: New Stories of the Children of Dagon) and the satirical "Dagon and Jill" by John P. McCann are other favorites, as was the "Worms of the Earth" by Robert E. Howard, best known for his Conan tales and whose work I am not at all familiar with despite his close association with the Master himself.
  
  "Pickman's Modem" by Lawrence Watt-Evans was written in 1992 and is unintentionally amusing in how it portrays the nascent Internet. "For those unfamiliar with computer networks, let me explain that in online conversations, the normal social restraints on coversation don't always work; as a result, minor disagreements can flare up into towering great arguments, with thousands of words of invective hurled back and forth along the phone lines." And did you know that some magazines are now accepting submissions by email!
  
  Unfortunately, I found most of the rest of the stories highly derivative and uninspired. While many famous names are present, there are very few examples of an original take on the Mythos (such as the work of the late great W.H. Pugmire). Even worse is the complete lack of female authors. They couldn't at least fit a Caitlin Kiernan in somewhere? I know of at least two all-female Lovecraftian anthologies:
  Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror and
  She Walks in Shadows. Come on, guys.
• 
  Ints

  Šo grāmatu es nopirku elektroniskā formātā par ļoti lētu naudiņu. Kā jau var noprast pēc nosaukuma, tā ir sakompilēta antoloģija, kur ronami gan veci, gan salīdzinoši jauni stāsti. Nopirku un savā lasīklī pazaudēju. Varētu jau teikt, ka taupīju kādam garākam ceļojumam, bet tas ne par ko nenāca. Beigās atnāca ceļojums, pareizāk sakot padsmit stundu garš pārlidojums, un grāmata izlasījās.
  
  Skaidra lieta, ka grāmata sniedza tieši to, ko biju sagaidījis – neparakstāmas šausmas un atsauksmes uz Lovkraftu visā pasaulē. Stāstu kvalitāte variēja no izciliem līdz galīgi nekādiem. Modernā daļa apstājas deviņdesmitajos gados, tādēļ liela daļa no mūsdienīgām tēmā šajā stāstu krājumā nav tikušas. Lai gan interneta pirmsākumi te jau ir manāmi. Bet nu par stāstiem, kas man ieķērās atmiņā.
  
  “At the Mountains of Madness,” by H. P. Lovecraft – klasika, kas, manuprāt, jāizlasa katram, viens no episkākajiem Lovkrafta stāstiem, kura spinofus ir rakstījuši daudzi rakstnieki, video un galda spēļu autori. Stāsts ir pašpietiekama un noslēgta pasaule, kas liek šaubīties par mūsu pašu pasaules nozīmību un vietu vēsturē. Sarakstīts laikā, kad uz Zemes bija vēl šādi tādi baltie plankumi un domājams sabiedēja nevienu vien lasītāju. 10 no 10 balllēm.
  
  “The Events at Poroth Farm,” by T.E.D. Klein – par kādu atvaļinājumu, kur galvenajam varonim nepaveicas ar mājvietas izvēli. Tā nu ir sanācis, ka te pasauļu robežas ir īpaši plānas. Viss sākas ar kaķi. Labākais stāstā ir nelielās agrīno šausmu stāstu darbu analīze, kurai paralēli risinās stāsta šausmas. Varbūt beigas nebija īsti labi uzrakstītas, bet 8 no 10 ballēm, aizķeras atmiņā.
  
  “Envy, the Gardens of Ynath, and the Sin of Cain,” by Darrell Schweitzer – mēģinajums kopēt Lovkraftu ar visu viņa stilu, uz Zemes ir kaut kas, kas sen ir pazaudēts un, atgriežot to, var nonākt Gardens of Ynath. Daudz noslēpumu, maz ko var uzreiz saprast, bet uz beigām viss savelkas interesantā loģiskā stāstījumā. 8 no 10 ballēm.
  
  “Drawn from Life,” by John Glasby – šis ir stāsts par gleznām, kāds nezināms mākslinieks zīmē dīvainas ainavas, kas piesaista uzmanību ar savu nezemes izcelsmi. Tai pat laikā tās ir tik reālas, ka šķiet kā logi uz citu šausmīgu pasauli. Diemžēl stāsta varonim nākas uzzināt, kā šie darbi top. Gaumīgi sarakstīts stāsts, ieturot standarta šausmeņu stilu. 8 no 10 ballēm.
  
  “The Children of Burma,” by Stephen Mark Rainey – otrais pasaules karš, Japāna iekaro Birmu, šis ir kāda oficiera stāsts, kurš, pildot Imperatora pavēli, būvē džungļos lidlauku. Vietējie ir kaitinošs traucēklis un tos labāk ir novākt uzreiz, taču izrādās, ka viņi ir kādas būtnes “bērni”. Labs džungļu šausmu stāsts, kur cietušie veic tādus pašus šausmu darbus, kā viņu upuri. 9 no 10 ballēm.
  
  “The Call of Cthulhu,” by H.P. Lovecraft – interesants vecmeistara stāsts, kas radīja Kutūlu, šeit ir par viņa atgriešanos. Kaut kur Jaunzēlandes krastu tuvumā parādās ne vairāk ne mazāk R’lyeh pilsēta, tas viss sapīts kopā ar sapņiem un dīvainiem kultiem, stāsts ir pa pirmo. 9 no 10 ballēm. Neatkarīgi no stāsta novēroju, ka Jaunzēlandes cilvēkiem Kutūlu nav svešs un mans t-krekls ar uzrakstu Obey Cthulhu zinātāju vidū tika uzņemts ar atzinību gan lielveikalā, gan vulkānu piekājē.
  
  “The Graveyard Rats,” by Henry Kuttner – tāds jauks kapu apzadzēju stāsts, kur vietējais kapu uzraugs un pie reizes arī līķu zaglis ir satraukts par konkurenci. Žurkas, šķiet, aprij miroņus ātrāk nekā viņš tiem tiek klāt. Tas iesit robu budžetā, bet sūdzēties nevar, jo tad nāks gaismā paša noziegumi. Nākas stāties pretī žurkām pašam. Neskatoties uz visai drūmo noskaņu, uzjautrinošs gabals. 8 no 10 ballēm.
  
  “The Salem Horror,” by Henry Kuttner – šis bija tipisks vampīrstāsts Lovkrafta garā, galvenais varonis autors savā izīrētajā mājā atrod slepenu istabu, kurā darbi vedas neparasti labi. Ir gan viens blakusefekts uzmācīgi okultisti, kas viņu brīdina par briesmām. Bet kuru gan interesē pasaules sienu plānums brīdī, kad romāns rakstās pats no sevis? 7 no 10 ballēm. Nekas sarežģīts, bet labi izstāstīta koncepcija par ļaunumu, kas slēpjas aiz plānās realitātes kārtiņas.
  
  “Pickman’s Modem,” by Lawrence Watt-Evans – šis ir tas stāsts par internetu. Galvenā varoņa draugs no cilvēka, kurš nejēdz normāli savirknēt teikumu pēkšņi ir kļuvis par interneta trolli augstākajā pakāpē. Viņa spējas provocēt cilvēkus ar komentāriem ir augušas eksponenciāli. Šis bija vienkāršs un labs stāsts, kas deva ļoti labu izskaidrojumu tam, kādēļ visādi citādi normāls cilvēks interneta komentāros pārvēršas par īstenu briesmoņu. 8 no 10 ballēm.
  
  “Dagon and Jill,” by John P. McCann – šis ir tāds jokus stāsts par Bērnu grāmatām. Mūsdienu pasaulē ir svarīgs rasu, reliģiju un citu lietu līdzsvars. Šeit kāds Danvičas autors cenšas publicēt savas Bērnu grāmatas, kuras veltītas Seno dievu pielūgšanai. Grāmatas ir šausmīgas, taču redaktori un juristi vairāk uztraucas par to, ka kulta bērni nogalina tikai baltos pastniekus. Grāmatas autors piekrīt, ka Dagonam ir vienaldzīga upura rase. Jaunā pasaules kārtība beidzot dod iespēju pamodināt Vecos dievus! 9 no 10 ballēm.
  
  Ja esi Lovkrafta daiļrades cienītājs, tad droši var lasīt šo grāmatu. Stāstu ir daudz, tie lielākoties ir sarakstīti sešdesmitajos un septiņdesmitajos gados, netiek aizmirsti arī klasiķi, kas šim žanram ielikuši pamatus.
• 
  Tadhg

  Strictly speaking I didn't finish this, but I'd read so much of it, spent so many hours on it, that there is no way I'm not counting it.
  When reading a collection of just Lovecraft stories I very quickly get tired of the same style of story being used over and over again. It seems that every author in this anthology disagrees with me because they all used it too. The fact that I read 32 of the 40 stories is more telling that finishing this became a personal challenge rather than a pleasure - and that's no reason to read a book
• 
  Jorge Williams

  I had already read all the Lovecraft, Ashton Smith and Howard stories but for the 99p or whatever it cost me to download this megapack was totally worth it for the stories by other authors I knew less of.
• 
  Chuck Knight

  I will say, girding myself for haters, that I truly enjoy H.P. Lovecraft and his contemporaries’ output of cosmic horror. I do understand that he clearly (at least in his writing) held moderately racial biases and somewhat misogynistic ideas. However, his being deceased precludes me from talking to him about his views. That being said, I don’t feel that the use of these words or ideas detract from the tale and in most cases, actually enhances the eerie atmosphere he/they were trying to capture. Ok, onto the review. This is the first of three massive collections of Lovecraft and Lovecraft inspired stories. There are approximately 40 stories here, ranging from the “pulp era” to current age authors. If one is a T.E.D. Klein fan, the novella that was expanded into The Ceremonies is included. That alone, in my opinion is worth the price of admission.
  So whether you like “ old school” or want newer cosmic horror, you cannot go wrong with this collection.
• 
  Jason Darrell

  When you buy a large anthology, you accept that there might be the odd duff tale in amongst the better ones.
  
  Not in the case of The Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK: every one of the 40 tales well deserves its place.
  
  
  John Gregory Betancourt, in this case editor, expertly keeps the anthology fresh by interspersing the early 20th century Lovecraftian tales with newer efforts.
  
  There's a clever choice of stlye, too. Some tales live and breathe the Cthulhu Mythos, whilst others simply reference or imply the world that Lovecraft created is prevalent within their tale.
  
  If you're a fan of Lovecraft, Machen, Ashton-Smith, Derleth and co, you'll not be disappointed.
  
  There's a lot to get through, but worth the investment of your time and cash to whisk you off to worlds you thought may exist, but never really believed they could. This volume may just change your mind!
• 
  Damian Herde

  Overall, it’s a worthy anthology featuring many classic and iconic stories of the Cthulhu Mythos, at a bargain price point.
  
  There are some outstanding choices included in the contents, including some stories I’d been trying to track down. I bought the book on the strength of that, given I’d read a majority of the stories before.
  
  Of the 40 stories, there are a number that just don’t fit and another handful that are of lesser quality, and their removal could have allowed some of the conspicuous absences to have been included. For example, the creation of the entities Gla’aki (Ramsey Campbell), Ithaqua (August Derleth) and Tsathoggua (Clark Ashton Smith) would have been perfect [and I see they never made it to volume 2 either].
  
  The editors made the choice to use only male authors, which needn’t have happened in 2012.
  
• 
  Selçuk Gökhan Kalkanoğlu

  Ne diyeceğimi bilemiyorum. Kitaba başlamamın üzerinden o kadar uzun zaman geçti ki... Çok uzun, çılgınlar gibi uzun. İçerisinde 2-3 çok da iyi olmayan öykü dışında genelde gayet başarılı, gerici, cillop gibi öyküler vardı. Pek çoğunu takdir ettim.
  
  Lovecraft'ın kendi eserlerinin genelde fikirsel bağlamda güzel ama edebi anlamda çok da iyi olmaması enteresan bir durum. Buna özellikle değinmek istedim.
  Ve, yakın dönemde yazılmış öykülerde teknik anlamda bir ilerleme sezdim. Konular daha çetrefilli, daha "bizden," ve anlatım daha hakiki geldi.
  
  Maluk mitosu seviyorsanız okuyunuz, okutunuz efendim.
• 
  Mike

  An excellent and diverse collection - well, as diverse as an HPL-inspired collection can be.
  
  If you like Lovecraft, you'll like most of these stories. I've spent so long reading them (about 7 years since I bought it!) that I can't recall which stories I liked best but, of the recently read tales, Ghoulmaster and The Dark Boatman stand out.
• 
  Bill Borre

  "Drawn from Life" by John Glasby - Valliecchi uses his music as a portal to hideous worlds.
• 
  Martin Rundkvist

  A good mix of classic HPL stories and later contributions. Klein's "Poroth Farm" alone makes the e-book worth the price even though some of the many included stories aren't that great.
• 
  Shawn Lachance

  A lot of solid stories. Personal favourites were the John Glasby entries.
• 
  Janice

  I don't know how this short-story collection exists. Not all of the stories can be in the public domain, yet, here it is, just 99 cents for the Nook edition. I hope that Dark Nyarlathotep doesn't own my soul now.
  This book includes Lovecraft classics like (My favorite) "The Color out of Space," "The Shadow Over Innsmouth," and "The Whisperer in the Darkness." It also includes stories by prominent horror, fantasy, and sci-fi authors like T.E.D. Klein, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert Bloch, writing about the Lovecraft universe.
  Some standout stories, not written by Lovecraft, were;
  "The Events at Poroth Farm," by T.E.D. Klein, about a professor staying with a religious couple and the supernatural events plaguing their farm.
  "Worms of the Earth," by Robert E. Howard, about a Briton dealing with the Roman occupation.
  "The Doom that Came to Innsmouth" by Brian McNaughton, about the offspring of a family from Innsmouth returning to his heritage.
  "The Faceless God," by Robert Bloch, about a greedy dealer of antiquities.
  "The Children of Burma," by Stephen Mark Rainey, about Japanese soldiers in World War II dealing with something terrifying in the jungles of Burma.
  "Pickman's Modem," by Lawrence Watt-Evans, a technological take on the Cthulu mythos.
  You get 40 stories for 99 cents with this collection, there's a chance you'll find something you like.
• 
  Cathy

  How on earth is this only 99 cents as an e-book? Most of the stories included aren't public domain. I don't know how they did it, but I'm glad they did -- this is an entertaining mix of a few of Lovecraft's most famous stories, plus works by his contemporaries and fellow pulp writers that refer in some way to his fictional universe, and finally some more contemporary stories that are Lovecraftian in some way. Some are more obviously mythos-inspired than others, but they all hang together as things that someone who likes Lovecraft would like. There's no introduction and no editor is credited, but someone did a good job curating this.
  
  The e-book formatting isn't perfect and there are a few OCR errors, but I've seen a lot worse in books that cost a lot more. It even has a fully active table of contents and working chapter stops, so you can leaf through the stories easily.
• 
  Michael Kelly

  This is an absolutely massive anthology (a page count of 900+), selling at a ridiculously cheap price on Kindle, making it a no-brainer.
  
  It contains many of Lovecraft's own best stories, from 'At the Mountains of Madness' to 'The Dunwich Horror', plus a wide selection of tales from his contemporaries and more recent authors writing within the Mythos he established.
  
  Surprisingly for a volume of this size, I can honestly say that there was not a single story I disliked. In fact, there was only one which (while I still liked it) failed to hit the extreme high notes of all the others. And since this one wasn't bad, and there were very specific reasons relating to personal taste that made it not quite so august as the others, I won't name it here since it's still a worthy read.
  
  So a massive collection of classic horror without a single bum note. That's quite some achievement.
• 
  Clint

  I picked at this book slowly over a three year span. I’m kind of sad to finally run out of stories. My 4 star rating is more a reflection on the value of this volume. I think I paid .99 or maybe $1.99? Either way, it was a great value. I withhold one star for the inclusion of HPL’s stories; which sounds silly, but they are readily available elsewhere. I would have preferred stories grouped together with similar inspirations and perhaps short essays exploring the influences.
  
  The tales themselves range from 2 star forgettable with a few 4 or 5 star firecrackers with many landing in the 3 star okey-dokey range. Most of the authors included are not surprising of those I would expect to find. I did find a good handful of new to me writers.
  
  Recommend for fans of the ole Mythos.
• 
  Jim

  Contains a few excellent stories by HP Lovecraft himself (albeit stories which are available in many other volumes) and a lot of other nonsense that felt like second rate fanfic-level writing. They kept putting me (literally) to sleep while reading in bed. I got about 1/3 of the way through the volume and eventually got turned off irrevocably by a rape fantasy piece that doesn’t feel remotely of the same tone as HPL’s original material. I’ll give the book 2 stars because of the HPL stories, but the rest has completely put me off the idea of reading any other “mythos” material from here on out.
• 
  Jon

  It's a good collection, with classics and originals. My favorite of the lot was "Ghoulmaster," by Brian McNaughton. There's a sort of vague sorting by theme, each anchored by a classic Lovecraft story, but it's not an absolutely formal arrangement. I've actually read so much Cthulhu mythos stories, I've had to start tracking anthology TOCs to make sure I'm not hitting too many duplicates. </sadbrag> This one, I had read almost half the stories before. But the the price certainly hit my sweet spot, and I bet it will for you too.
• 
  Mcf1nder_sk

  This is only my second book of 2019, but at over 900 pages, I'm glad to get this one off my TBR list. In addition to a few of Lovecraft's most famous works, this anthology includes tales from such distinguished writers as Robert E Howard, Lin Carter and Clark Ashton Smith. Not all 40 books deal specifically with Cthulhu, but the otherworldly creatures in these stories definitely belong in the same dimension. The great majority of these stories were all well-written, with characterizations and storyline pacing that makes them worthy of inclusion in a Lovecraft anthology.
• 
  Wayne

  While it took me a long time to read, having set it aside to read manuscripts for work on several occasions, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. For the amount of fine work included, the cost of .99 makes this quite possibly the best deal in existence ever! If you are a fan of supernatural fiction, do yourself a favor and read this collection. Highly recommended!
• 
  Eric Hart

  An excellent selection of Lovecraftian tales. The sheer size could lead one to think this could be one of those carelessly put together cheap ebooks. But there's actually a thematic unity to stories that riff off of Lovecraft's themes and creations, such as some really interesting variations on The Shadows Over Innsmouth, with the originals provided for comparison.
• 
  Besha

  My three favorite Lovecraft mythos stories are Elizabeth Bear's "Shoggoths in Bloom," Ruthanna Emrys's "The Litany of Earth," and Caitlín Kiernan's "Pickman's Other Model."
  
  None are in this collection. Nor are any other women writers. Nor any real interrogation of the deeper (and nastier) themes of Lovecraft's work.
  
  I was, however, glad to reread "The Events at Poroth Farm."
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  Jessy

  A very good mix of Lovecraftian stories. There was a lot of variety, from classic to modern, and from horror to humor. The only downside to this collection was that as a Lovecraft fan, I have read many of these stories elsewhere. But if you are new to Lovecraft, or don't mind rereading or skipping stories, this is an excellent collection, well worth the price.