Lovecraft Unbound by Ellen Datlow

Lovecraft Unbound Reviews

• 
  Steve

  I thought about rating this one 4 stars, because of a number of really fine stories. However, there are at least a 100 pages wasted on pretty lame material. I think when you get to a 100, the sin for an anthology becomes unforgivable. I have notes for the individual stories, but I left them elsewhere. Maybe I'll put them up later. In the mean time, the good stuff:
  
  The Crevasse, by Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud
  Cold Water Survival, by Holly Phillips
  Houses under the Sea, by Caitlan Kiernan (Best Story)
  
  The above 3 are terrfic, and, interestingly, the most Lovecraftian (something Datlow, in her introduction, was seeking to distance herself from). I could easily reread these 3 again and again. They are certainly good enough for me not to take Lovecraft Unbound down to the used book story for trade-in. (My wife says that I always say that.)
  
  The next few are also quite good:
  
  
  In the Black Mill, by Michael Chabon. Starts out a bit too slick, and had me thinking "I've seen this movie before." But Chabon earns bonus points for the ending. He didn't pull any punches. Really good. I was glad to see a "name" author bringing his "A" game.
  
  Vernon Driving, by Simon Unsworth. (Probably the closest to Datlow's desire to make Lovecraft new. Here, I believed it worked.)
  
  The Din of Celestial Birds, by Brian Evenson (I need to read more by this guy)
  
  Come Lurk with Me and be my Love, by William Browning Spencer. (I really like this one. The setting is a familiar one for me.)
  
  There are several other stories that I was ok with. But the above made the anthology worthwhile. 7 stories out of 21? I could probably bump it up to half, but here's what hurt the collection:
  
  Sincerely Petrified, by Anna Tambour. She can write, but there's no dread, and it's way too long and way too boring. 28 pages!
  
  Leng, by Marc Laidlaw. Man, I wanted to like this. Set in Tibet on some hard to reach plateau. Meant to recall, in tone at least, At the Mountains of Madness. Meant. Very little dread, but there was one good scene, but that's not enough after 24 pages. It felt like 50.
  
  Commencement, by Joyce Carol Oates. Stale crap. I know she admires Lovecraft, but this story doesn't reflect that admiration. A good example of an author appearing in an anthology because of their name, and not the quality of the story. 24 pages that also felt like 50.
  
  One Day, Soon, by Lavie Tidhar. Only 9 pages, but it has zero to do with Lovecraft. It's a Holocaust story (and not a particularly good one). This one had me questioning Datlow's editorship. At this point, I figured she was stuffing stuff in to make some sort of page count. As I said above, pick off a few more weak stories, and you have an anthology that's a hundred pages lighter, and thus leaner and meaner. Given the core strength of the good stories, she missed a golden opportunity here. That's too bad.
• 
  Nancy Oakes

  I am rating this one at 3.5, the highest rating I've given an Ellen Datlow collection so far. Having just finished four other books she's edited, I have to say that this one has a wider range of good stories than the previous four volumes of The Best Horror of the Year do individually. It's still a mixed bag though, with some stories much better than the rest, some following under the category of "good and I'd probably look for more by their authors," and some that just didn't do it for me. In short, your typical anthology. If you're considering reading this one, keep in mind that the book was not intended to be a collection of Lovecraft pastiches but rather a collection of stories inspired by Lovecraft's work. Even so, it comes out a bit unevenly and while the authors each offer a brief write-up on how Lovecraft inspired their work, some of the stories seem to be a bit off.
  
  So let's get down to business:
  There are six I really liked and five that were good, not great, so that accounts for over half of the stories in this book. The best story in this book is without question Caitlin R. Kiernan's "Houses Under the Sea," set in beautiful Monterey. The story is seen through the eyes of a narrator who not only has no name but no gender either. He/She has been assigned to write about Jacova Angevine, his/her former lover, who once had a promising career in academia but later became the head of a cult called "The Open Door," whose members she led into the ocean one day in a mass suicide. It's one a summary doesn't do justice, but my god ... this story is absolutely chilling and probably meets best the Lovecraft-inspiration criteria. I have to give Ms. Datlow kudos for including it. "The Crevasse," set in the Antarctic is also an excellent, Lovecraft-inspired story but one I've read before; also set in the Antarctic is Holly Phillips' "Cold Water Survival," another previously-read but excellent story. Also clearly in the Lovecraftian zone is (believe it or not) Michael Chabon's "In the Black Mill," which I found to be outstanding; I did a double take when I got to this author's entry because well, he does horror & dread so nicely -- a side of Chabon I've never seen before! "Marya Nox" by Gemma Files also caught my eye -- told in more or less epistolary format, it focuses on a strange church in Macedonia that was uncovered after having been purposely buried in its entirety. "Catch Hell," by Laird Barron isn't exactly Lovecraftian so to speak, but there's definitely evil lurking in the woods around the Black Ram Lodge. This one I've read before and while I really like this story, its inclusion in this particular volume is kind of a mystery.
  
  The six that were (imho) good/not great but still deserving of a mention are "The Din of Celestial Birds," by Brian Evenson, “Come Lurk with Me and Be My Love” by William Browning Spencer, "Leng," by Marc Laidlaw -- I'm a total sucker for anything set on the Plateau of Leng, and "That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable” by Nick Mamatas. This one resonated with the idea that there's nothing one can do when confronted by cosmic forces beyond anyone's control and it appealed. And while "The Office of Doom" was kind of playful with its interlibrary loan of the Necronomicon, I'm still not quite sure about it. Ditto for "The Recruiter," which was dark enough for my weird tastes but kind of missing something there.
  
  That leaves
  
  “Sincerely, Petrified” by Anna Tambour
  “The Tenderness of Jackals” by Amanda Downum
  “Sight Unseen” by Joel Lane
  “Machines of Concrete Light and Dark” by Michael Cisco (whose work I normally LOVE but this one was just off)
  “One Day, Soon” by Lavie Tidhar
  “Commencement” by Joyce Carol Oates
  “Vernon, Driving” by Simon Kurt Unsworth
  “Mongoose” by Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear
  
  that I wasn't overly impressed by.
  
  Obviously anyone reading this collection will have their own personal favorites, since as I've noted before, horror is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I'd recommend it -- there are many fine stories here.
  
  
• 
  Mattia Ravasi

  Video-review:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eYeo...
  
  A collection of Lovecraftian stories that are often not really Lovecraftian, and that are sometimes not that great even when they are. It's not actively bad (except in a few cases), but as douchy as that sounds, you're probably better off re-reading the actual thing, or why not,
  McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories.
  
  Joyce Carol Oates' and Michael Chabon's stories are still both masterpieces.
• 
  Sesana

  This is not a collection of Mythos stories, or even stories necessarily set in Lovecraft's world. It seems the idea was to collect stories inspired by the tone in much of Lovecraft's work. Bleak hopelessness, psychological strain, that sort of thing. Oh, there are indeed things recognizable as Old Ones, but none of the familiar ones. So if you're a fan of Lovecraft, you're likely to enjoy the style the authors were aiming for, but feel somewhat mislead with what you get. Be forewarned.
  
  Anthologies tend to be mixed bags, and this one was no exception. There are some great stories in here, and there are some that just left me cold. My two favorites were Holly Phillips's Cold Water Survival and Caitlin R. Kiernan's Houses Under the Sea. Creepy, well-written, and nicely paced. There are other good stories, and ones that might have been good with one or two improvements. I'd say that I enjoyed more than half of the stories, always a good divide for an anthology.
• 
  Paul

  An all original themed anthology without a significant share of clunkers and/or telegraphed stories (telegraphed to fit the theme) is a rarity. Each author’s take on the Lovecraft’s cosmic horror obsession is varied, and yes, creepy as hell.
• 
  Henrik

  Probably this year's most praised book already. So far I am very impressed by this anthology! The authors have really managed to take inspiration from HPL without stripping away their own, unique voice and approach to storytelling, and--bless the Old Ones!--without descending at all into pastiches.
  
  OCTOBER 28:
  
  "That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable" by Nick Mamatas:
  
  At first it is a little unclear what is going on, besides the three characters being in some cave, sort of hiding and talking. Soon, though, it turns out that they are hiding because--I imagine--the world has been run over by other, strange creatures and the human race is trying to survive in hiding.
  
  That one of the characters is, they say, a prophet and is eaten near the end by a shoggot, and the ending, despite its dry, matter-of-factly humorous tone, leaves no questions as to the dark conclusion for mankind only made this odd story even more interesting.
  
  Highly recommended.
  
  OCTOBER 28:
  
  "One Day, Soon" by Lavie Tidhar:
  
  Amazingly enough the author succeeds in treating this reader with yet another story about a book and its alluring powers; probably one of the most clicheed elements in the Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos universe.
  
  This had a fine, unique take on it all, and it worked wonders how the author shifts between characters and their thoughts & experiences as the protagonist drifts further and further away from the world.
  
  And those nightmarish scenes with people walking down a mountain without faces. Shudder!
  
  I like what the author says after the story, as way of explaining the story & its inspiration point in HPL: "The real horror from Lovecraft comes from futility ... We can rage against the dying of the light, but I think Lovecraft understood best of all the futility of that grand gesture--and that, to me, is the real horror."
  
  Well said.
  
  OCTOBER 30:
  
  "Commencement" by Joyce Carol Oates:
  
  A very, very cool tale told in Oates' unique style & tone of voice.
  
  What appears to be "simply" an almost minute-by-minute description of the excitement connected to a University's annual ceremony, the commensement, ends up as a horrible tale of dark proportions and with a nightmarish punch I have rarely seen in a story. What a treat!
  
  What makes this story work, in my opinion, is Oates' uncanny ability to jump into the mind of a given character and with a simple line or two give us their perspective of things. A marvelous talent she's got here. On top of that her intimate knowledge of the Academic world and its rituals add to the story's texture.
  
  From the start, though, the reader suspects that something is amiss--not only do some of the lines of the University's song seem a little strange, but what is this about "the Pyramid" where in real life it would be more normal to say "God" (this is an American University, after all, and that's who Americans usually pledge their allegiance to, right?)... And what about those strange scientific studies going on at the University--and the talking head appearing when we approach the show-down?--etc., etc. And why is the Assistant Mace Bearer so anxious? Is it only because this is his first time in that position, or does he know something more sinister will happen...?
  
  All in all this is a story with amazing psychological power, garnered with an insight into matters pertaining social behavior & expectations [this is a little oddly & clumsily stated by me, but I don't know how else to say it right now:]... Oh, and with the sacrifice of the three, poor unknowing people, the poet, the educator & the scientist, of course;-)
  
  NOVEMBER 5:
  "The Office of Doom" by Richard Bowes:
  
  This is an original take on the whole library-and-the Necronomicon thing. Unfortunately it didn't quite work for me. The idea is great and with a fine perspective, really, but the actual execution never grabbed me.
  
  NOVEMBER 11:
  "The Crevasse" by Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud:
  
  A marvelous, suspenseful tale in the Antarctic. What happened before HPL's At the Mountains of Madness, perhaps? Great, intense narrative that captures the wild & cold of the area very well, as well as human nature when things go "bump in the night."
  
  Oh, and the cries of the wounded dog--chilling.
  
  NOVEMBER 14:
  "Sight Unseen" by Joel Lane:
  
  According to the author's note what affects him most in HPL's stories is "the sense of personal loss wrapped up in the "cosmic" metaphors," and he reads one of my favourite stories in that light: "The Shadow Out of Time." While I do agree that personal loss & family alienation is in that story I do not agree that cosmicism in HPL's writing is merely metaphoric or that the family alienation is particularly important for "The Shadow...". Both are important for Lan'e story in this anthology, though, (with an emphasis on the latter aspect) and he writes a powerful, mysterious tale with these themes underlying everything...
  
  With a result I admire very much. Kudos.
  
  NOVEMBER 16:
  
  "Houses Under the Sea" by Caitlín R. Kiernan:
  
  Wow.
  
  This is the first time I read a Kiernan story but it is definitely not the last time. Written in crisp, gritty modern-day language this story is probably the best, most unique and individual take on some of HPL's "sea stories" (such as "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" and "Dagon"). It is a tale that stands 100% on its own, and it is only shades and subtle hints that reveal the Lovecraftian elements--that weaves the atmosphere together as great as they do.
  
  Utilizing a classic HPL approach--that of the unnerved narrator--this is a story where real-life swearing, lesbianism, drinking, hints of war-time journalism and other present-day ingredients makes a mesmerizing tale of loss, love and dire (hints of) ancient horrors (perhaps even comsicism?).
  
  Apparently Kiernan's been called "Lovecraft's spiritual granddaughter" by some reviewers. Quite a feat for one who does not shy away from heavy swearing as well as eroticism, and many will maybe wonder why (at a superficial glance), based on her writing style alone, since it is a far cry from HPL. But it is a deserved titel.
  
  NOVEMBER 26:
  
  "Catch Hell" by Laird Barron:
  
  This is a dark, atmospheric tale--but I am hard pressed looking for any Lovecraftian connection here. Okay, the atmosphere, the secluded, wooden area, and something about dark rites in the night. But that is pretty generic, isn't it? And the rest was rather religious (involving, supposedly, if not exactly Satan, then at least some dark ancient wood god of some heathen religion as well as a dysfunctional, married couple).
  
  I agree that the occult and (dark) religious tones exist in several of HPL's tales, but this one veered too far away to really be called "Lovecraftian", in my opinion.
  
  Leave that aside (and leave expectations of such a tale at the threshold)--and you really have a good story, mind you, with sadistic (sexual) currents.
  
  NOVEMBER 30:
  
  "In the Black Mill" by Michael Chabon:
  
  A Pulitzer Prize-winning author writing Lovecraftian fiction? Huh, who would have thought?
  
  Let me say it right away--and a pretty darn good one, at that!
  
  The first half of the story reminded me of Thomas Ligotti's metaphysical, impenetrable story "The Red Tower," only Chabon's is somewhat more reader-friendly and accessible. Quite a compliment. When a few years ago I first read "The Red Tower" I didn't really like it--and partly because the story didn't grab me beyond a purely intellectual and conceptual level. It has grown on me since, and I now consider it a highlight in Ligotti's complete works (and that's a rare, high mark). So it is indeed a compliment that I compare the first half of "Black Mill" to Ligotti's story.
  
  The protagonist arrives in the strange town of Plunkettsburg (even that city name could have been Ligotti, hehe), where he will be working at the college excavating an ancient, mysterious indian site, trying to uncover what the beliefs of a vanished indian tribe were. Immediately the foreboding, drab existence of the Plunkettsburg Mill attracts his attention.
  
  It was a genuine thrill following the protagonists endeavors to find out what is going on at the mill--beyond the fact that every worker (all male) seem to loose a limb, and some even die horrible death in there.
  
  It all turns into a, plot-wise, rather clicheed story of an old religion where the women sacrifice the town's men to a dark, twisted god, which is something I found a little annoying. This could have been so much more, I thought. Then again, the writing style and the approach to this hackneyed theme remained unique, so Chabon actually manages to pull it off in an interesting way.
  
  I also enjoyed the subtle insider-joke hints, such as the name "Carlotta Brown-Jenkin." What a hoot! Chabon clearly knows his Lovecraft;-)
  
  I do hope he will keep writing Lovecraftian fiction once in a while, when not writing Pulitzer Prize novels;-)
  
  MAY 21, 2010:
  
  "Sincerely, Petrified" by Anna Tambour:
  
  There is a trait in this story that plays a fascinating part in the whole Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos evolution: How fiction becomes reality. Add to that the two protagonists genuine love for the ancient (somewhat related to HPL's antiquarianism, at least on a general level) and a discussion on the importance of fear of the unknown to move things onward.
  
  Unfortunately the story as such strikes me as rather confusing and with characters that were either underdeveloped or seemed to change in ways that are never explained or, even, of real importance for the story's advancement. I can't decide which, I must confess.
  
  All in all... I found it an interesting story, but mainly on an intellectual level. And there wasn't any real horror in it, even when such elements, I imagine is the intention, are in play.
  
  More reviews coming.
• 
  Joe

  This is a collection of "Lovecraft inspired" works of short fiction by various authors. I was dubious going in because the introduction from the editor states up front that she refused to put any stories in that have direct references to famous Lovecraft stories. Great, no Lovecraft in a Lovecraft anthology, I thought.
  
  Not to worry, the editor only half followed through on her threat. I think the added challenge of having to do Lovecraft stories without relying on his famous stories improved the quality of the work and forced the authors to get inventive.
  
  Here are some mini-reviews of each short story:
  
  The Crevasse by Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud: A strong start to the collection begins with a classic Lovecraftian setting...Antarctica. A scientific expedition almost fall into a crevasse which suddenly appears beneath them. One of their sled dogs has to be cut loose and drops into the unknown. What follows is classic Lovecraft. My only complaint is that this one feels too short. I feel like the story ends at the halfway mark. Oh well, leave them wanting more I guess.
  
  The Office of Doom by Richard Bowes: A slight tale regarding someone checking out the Necronomicon through interlibrary loan. There are also witches which is (see what I did there?) something I don't remember Lovecraft using like this before. Not my favorite.
  
  Sincerely, Petrified by Anne Tambour: A scientist invents a curse to keep people from stealing petrified wood from a national park....OR DOES HE? Pretty lame.
  
  The Din of Celestial Birds by Brian Evenson: I guy finds a huge haunted birdcage in a scary abandoned village. I know this should be scarier but, come on, even the scariest birds are not that scary. I mean, Hitchcock's "The Birds" was one of his least scary movies. I don't know what that has to do with anything but I'm just saying. Not awesome.
  
  The Tenderness of Jackals by Amanda Downum: A were...jackal(?) is in love with somebody and this one sucked.
  
  Sight Unseen by Joel Lane: Creepy goodness. Guy finds out his father might not have been crazy when he thought that aliens had replaced his eyes and were controlling everything he saw. This one felt like a logical extension of Lovecraft ideas. Very good.
  
  Cold Water Survival by Holly Phillips: My favorite of the book so far. How has no one ever thought to do a horror novel in this setting before???!!! A research group are on a huge iceberg slowly floating south. They slowly begin to discover strange things in the ice because of course they do. There are horrible snow storms and it is very easy to become lost because GPS doesn't work on an iceberg!!! This setting and idea are a fantastic way of stripping about all of the modern technology that would make classic Lovecraft stories impossible. The writing was superb as well. I've already requested more books by this author from my library. 5 stars!
  
  Come Lurk With Me and Be My Love by William Browning Spencer: A guy falls in love with a creepy girl he meets at a farmer's market. I've always said that organic produce would be the end of us. A suitably creepy ending but this idea needed to be fleshed out better.
  
  Houses Under the Sea by Caitlin R. Kiernan: Pretty good creepy homage to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" by way of James Cameron.
  
  Machines of Concrete Light and Dark by Michael Cisco: Very boring story that I stopped reading. I honestly have no idea what it was going for.
  
  Leng by Marc Laidlaw: Great premise and story. A mushroom scientist (that's a thing, right?) goes in search of two other mushroom scientists (wait, there's more than one mushroom scientist?) in China. Another great idea for a story. Lovecraft stories depend on seclusion and isolation so where better to set it than in China. Do we know what really happens in China? Hell no we don't so it's probably monsters.
  
  In the Black Mill by Michael Chabon: Fantastic story by one of my favorite authors. This one is very much in the style of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" meets "The Mangler" by Stephen King. A creepy town where everybody works at a mysterious mill and everybody seems to be missing a body part. Top shelf story telling here.
  
  One Day, Soon by Lavie Tidhar: Boring story. Someone seems to have found the Necronomicon...and I've fallen asleep.
  
  Commencement by Joyce Carol Oates: Wonderful! This is the second short horror story I've read by Oates and I must say I'm impressed. It makes me want to explore her other writing. Basically the entire story is a Lovecraftian take on the pomp and circumstance of modern day graduation ceremonies. Satirical, hilarious, and horrific all at once!
  
  Vernon, Driving by Simon Kurt Unsworth: This one should not have been included and it an INCREDIBLE stretch to say this was even Lovecraft 'inspired.' That being said, an interesting short tale of a cuckhold and what love can drive us to do.
  
  The Recruiter by Michael Shea: Boring and weird. Skipped.
  
  Marya Nox by Gemma Files: Great story told as though it is the transcript of an interview with a priest who is retelling the story of his visit to an ancient church. Creepy and effective story telling.
  
  Mongoose by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear: Wow! This one was amazing and accomplished a lot of world building in an extremely short amount of time. This one is Lovecraft meets "Pacific Rim"...IN SPACE! In the future, there are rips in the Universe that interdimensional monsters occasionally come out of. The protagonist is an exterminator of these monsters and he has a monster of his own which he has named Mongoose. Mongoose is a cat sized...something...that hunts down and kills the invaders. However, in their most recent assignment they may be in over their heads. The story does a great job of setting up the threats and establishing the characters in an incredibly short amount of time very effectively. Wonderful combination of genres here.
  
  Catch Hell by Laird Barron: Yuck! This was like "Rosemary's Baby" but with less appealing sex and characters. Plus, infanticide! Yeah! Skips for sure.
  
  That Of Which We Speak When We Speak Of The Unspeakable by Nick Mamatas: Cthulhu (or some reasonable facsimile) has invaded and taken out most of humanity. Three youths sit around in front of a cave awaiting the end. Had a "Cabin in the Woods" vibe that I enjoyed.
  
  All in all, a terrific collection of Lovecraft inspired stories. The gems greatly outweighed the duds. Seriously, just skip the following and this book is nearly flawless: "The Office of Doom", "The Din of Celestial Birds", The Tenderness of Jackals", "Machines of Concrete Light and Dark", One Day, Soon", "The Recruiter", and "Catch Hell." I feel like those stories didn't follow the assignment. 13 fantastic stories out of 20? I'll take those numbers every time. If you love the Lovecraft, (or if you just like creepy stories) this one is a high, high recommend.
• 
  Crowinator

  I love the horror genre, especially in short story form, to which I think it’s ideally suited, but I’m not as well read in the classics as I’d like. I haven’t read any Lovecraft stories until recently: when I checked out this book, I checked out a book of Lovecraft stories to read first, so I could experience what I’d heard about his writing style and his themes firsthand. I read (more like skimmed, to be honest) five stories before giving up entirely. I hate to admit it, but even though I find the ideas behind the stories fascinating, I couldn’t get through the turgid prose. So maybe this collection is for people like me, because these stories are expressions of what the various authors appreciate about Lovecraft, written in their own style, not his.
  
  Everything I find fascinating about Lovecraft (and couldn’t get to in his writing) is evident in these stories: the cosmic horror (yeah, I know everyone uses that phrase, but it’s such a good one); the idea that we are blind to true reality, which would drive us mad if we got a glimpse of what was really going on; the monsters that are so alien as to defy description and yet are also so entrancing; the sense of impending doom, of dread, of the end of the world lurking just over our shoulders; the sense of isolation in knowledge, of what it’s like to know the terrible truths of the universe when no one else even suspects.
  
  I thought this was a pretty even collection; like with every book of short stories, I have favorites and I have stories I didn’t really like, but in this case, I thought they were all well written. A couple have blended together in the days since reading -- “The Crevasse” and “Cold Water Survival” were excellent stories, but they both took place in the arctic and involved an exploratory party finding evidence of nonhuman life in the ice (or are they going insane from cold, isolation, and altitude?), knowledge of which bewitches some characters into madness and death. At least one struck me as a little out of place – “Vernon, Driving” is excellent as a dark psychological tale of murder but seems only tangentially related to Lovecraft, with no supernatural elements at all.
  
  I have several favorites, so here’s the basic list, ranked in order of favoritism:
  
  “Houses under the Sea” by Caitlin R. Kiernan – a journalist attempts to understand (and write about) his ex-lover’s involvement in the mass suicide of a cult. This is a weird, weird, disturbing story, about people walking into the sea, the worship of unspeakable gods, and a video connecting the two, told from the point of view of someone who missed the boat (so to speak) and isn’t sure if that’s a blessing or a curse. The narrator is so haunted and distressed that it made me agitated just reading it, and Kiernan’s writing is just perfect.
  
  “Leng” by Marc Laidlaw – a mycologist (study of fungi) traces the steps of a missing scientific duo to a temple in the mountains of China guarding Leng, a place where untold undiscovered species of mushroom are supposed to exist. I found this story really creepy and actually had to put the book down after reading and go watch something funny on TV. The wormy tendril protruding from the forehead of the “enlightened” almost did me in.
  
  “In the Black Mill” by Michael Chabon – an archaeologist professor researching a long-dead, violent primitive society is distracted by questions about the “famous” Plunkettsburg Mill, in which all the men seem to work despite the frequency of maiming and death. This seemed to me the most straight-up horror story of the bunch, written with intensity and slow-building mystery. What I liked most about this one besides the detailed description of the mill and the creepy black train is the inevitability of the ending. Once the poor doomed narrator steps off the safe path to satisfy his curiosity, you can only wait for his mistakes to catch up to him.
  
  “Mongoose” by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear – inter-dimensional monsters proliferate in space, and a hunter is hired to eradicate them in a space station along with his companion cheshire Mongoose, who is an alien species itself that no one really understands. People impatient with science fiction in which you must infer or wait for world-building details won’t get into this one (I like them), but otherwise it’s a good old monster hunt in space with a pretty happy ending (especially for this collection).
  
  “Catch Hell” by Laird Barron – a couple with a strained relationship and an interest in perverse dark rites stay at a lodge in tiny backwoods community outside of Seattle, where their attempts to get pregnant end with horrific results. This is a great example of the dark turn a relationship between damaged people can take, with a sort of demonic, Rosemary’s Baby twist that I expected but then was still surprised by, because it didn’t turn out how I thought.
  
  “The Crevasse” by Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrud – a scientific expedition high in the mountains (of Tibet, I believe) finds a crevasse in the ice when one of their members falls to his death, and they believe they find evidence of an ancient civilization in the crevasse but can’t seem to document it. This is the first story in the collection and it sets the scary, suspenseful mood perfectly.
  
  “That of which we speak when we speak of the unspeakable” by Nick Mamatas – three teens hang out drinking in a cave in a post-apocalyptic world taken over by shoggoths. This story has a bleak ending (and a totally appropriate one), but what struck me the most is how matter-of-fact the teens take the end of the world. With no hope left, they cling to their blasé, cool demeanors until the end.
  
  “Commencement” by Joyce Carol Oates – a young scholar performs the role of Assistant Mace Bearer for the first time in a large, prestigious university commencement, but what that really means slowly becomes known as the ceremony progresses. This one was predictable, but the oratory style of the telling (and the pointed commentary on overblown, self-congratulatory commencement ceremonies in general) sold it for me. Academia is full of ritual, after all.
  
  I think the best stories in this collection either scared me or gave me an unnerving sense of reality vertigo, or both. I put stories like “Leng” and “Houses under the Sea” in the “both” category, as well as “Catch Hell”, “The Crevasse”, and “Cold Water Survival”. All of them had some truly weird imagery, a slow-building sense of dread, some really scary scenes, and disturbing endings (that were both final and open-ended at the same time, as if the story continues past the page).
• 
  GD

  I really wanted to like this book, and I usually love Mythos stories by other writers. The Mythos is so badass that it's kind of hard to fuck it up. But these stories, mostly they had nothing at all to do with Lovecraft. I know that one of the stated aims of the editor in the introduction was to, you know, see how far they could go with Lovecraft, but after a certain point it just becomes supernatural fiction, and you get the feeling that this book was named Lovecraft Unbound to get it to sell. On top of the stories having little to nothing to do with Lovecraft, most of them were not good at all, very amateur, that's the feeling I got from a lot of these stories. There were some badass exceptions. Caitlin R Kiernan was her usually great self, but referenced too many other writers in her story. Michael Chabon was great and Joyce Carol Oates was great (but those two could describe grass growing and make it interesting), Gemma Files, William Browning Spencer, and there were a couple of writers I read for the first time that I liked, but overall, not worth the effort.
• 
  Heidi Ward

  An excellent new-Lovecraftian anthology. Each of the tales is unique; none of them lean too heavily on a mythos pastiche, instead largely paying hommage to Lovecraft in the form of evocative squirmy things and an enormous and mindlessly carnivorous universe. Highlights come from Laird Barron, Caitlin Kiernan, Michael Chabon, and Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear.
• 
  Lawrence

  "I found Lovecraft in graduate school and fell instantly in love," writes
  Sarah Monette, coauthor of one of the stories included in this anthology, "not only with his darkly elaborate cosmology... but also with his own love affair with the English language. And somehow, for Lovecraft and for me, the two things go together...."
  
  Monette's point is well taken. It wasn't until I started reading Lovecraft Unbound that the following fact, obvious in retrospect, washed over me: the author that made me commit to being a reader, way back in my early undergraduate days and whether I willed it or no, was
  H.P. Lovecraft. So it's fair to say that Lovecraft — florid (but, to me, incredible in its floridity) prose, racism (you should just try rereading "The Call of Cthulhu" sometime) and all, has had more of an effect on me than just about any other writer.
  
  And, it was so often while reading Lovecraft Unbound that I thought to myself, "I'm sure glad I'm reading this, and not more Lovecraft." Yes, it's true that the more Lovecraftian stories here are the ones that grabbed me the most — because, for sure, how much the stories here take from H.P.'s own style varies greatly — but, they're pretty much all based in the modern, knowing world, and leave Lovecraft's own prejudices thankfully behind.
  
  Which stories are the more Lovecraftian? Probably the greatest success, for me, in this regard was
  Marc Laidlaw's "Leng", after reading which I had to put the book down for several days because I was so creeped out by it. "Leng" combines sheer horror with the religious element of the supernatural (and, I always do seem to get suspicious of approaches to the supernatural that don't wrestle with religion in some way), as well as the retrospective urge, common to such great Lovecraft stories as "The Whisperer in Darkness" and "Through the Gates of the Silver Key", for me to slap my head and ask: Why didn't I see that twist of horror coming??
  
  Other successes for me were
  Holly Phillips's "Cold Water Survival", one of the most directly stylistically Lovecraftian stories here;
  Brian Evenson's non-modern (in setting) "The Din of Celestial Birds"; and
  Anna Tambour's science-mocking (quite in contrast to her own ideology, apparently) "Sincerely, Petrified", which no one else here seems to like. "Houses Under the Sea", by
  Caitlín R. Kiernan, was also good, but didn't meet my Goodreads-raised expectations as the best story in the book. Kiernan, Phillips and Laidlaw are the authors I'm most into finding out more about now that I'm done, though.
  
  For the most part, the stories in Lovecraft Unbound were hits far more than misses for me — even
  Richard Bowes's goofy and (against editor Datlow's protocol) explicitly Lovecraft-referencing "The Office of Doom" was worth reading. The fact that I began Lovecraft Unbound at pretty much the same time as
  Ben Marcus's portentous recent anthology
  New American Stories, and ultimately chose this one over that one to finish, nearly speaks for itself. The most blatant offender, for me, though, against Datlow's rule of only stylistic Lovecraft inspiration was, weirdly enough, Monette's story, "Mongoose", cowritten with
  Elizabeth Bear. It's an entertaining space opera featuring Lovecraft namesakes that is completely out of place in this book, and it's more than twice as long as "One Day, Soon" by
  Lavie Tidhar — which, though much less engaging as a story, and though I'd say other reviewers here have rightfully complained about its bad fit, is still a much better counterpart to Datlow's other selections than "Mongoose" is.
  
  Weirdly enough,
  Michael Chabon's story, which has apparently polarized a bunch of Goodreaders, was missing from this (second) edition. I wonder why? It's one of the ones I was most looking forward to reading, not in the least because people here seem so divided on it....
  
  What do the stories in Lovecraft Unbound have in common? Mostly, I'd say — and, the best ones definitely feature it more densely — they allow indulgence in the, to me, necessary ideology that, to reference
  Jorge Luis Borges's Lovecraft pastiche from the '80s, "there are more things in heaven and earth... than are dreamt of in your philosophy." In this case the philosophy is, of course, scientific determinism, which, though direct argument can't seem to beat it back sufficiently even in my own head, maybe a refraction of life through a story like "Leng", "Sincerely, Petrified" or one of Lovecraft's own classics, at least can help with. And for this, I say that this anthology may in fact be a better representation of the soul of this age than something like Marcus's, which so far has stylistically skirted around what I consider the deeper questions. Not bad for an homage to a pulp horror writer!
• 
  F.R.

  I was disappointed with this collection, but then that was partly my fault as my expectations were askew. If I'm honest I didn’t read the introduction until I’d read all of the tales. (It sounds perverse, but I never read introductions until I’ve finished reading the rest of the book. Primarily because, if you have a piece of classic fiction you’ve never encountered before, the introduction is often quite happy to ruin the entire plot). And the thing is, the introduction does make it entirely clear what the book is doing. Ellen Datlow wanted stories that were inspired by Lovercraft, but were not pastiches of Lovecraft. Therefore scary tales, but with absolutely no references to Cthulhu. Now, the thing I find with Lovecraft is that he had this fantastic, wild imagination which came up with all these mad and incredible ideas, but the man was not much of a prose stylist. As such I like tales which lean more towards pastiche, that overtly take his ideas and themes and render them with sharp writing that old H.P. couldn’t have dreamt of. As such, when I realised this book wasn’t doing that – and that some of the tales were barely Lovecraftian at all – I have to say that I sighed rather than celebrated.
  
  Not to say that there aren’t some really good stories here. Favourites would be those by Laird Barron; Brian Evenson; Amanda Downum; Joel Lane; William Browning Spencer; Caitlin R. Kiernan; Michael Cisco; Michael Chabon and Joyce Carol Oates. Some of those wear their Lovecraft heritage like a pullover, while others have it so diaphanous and flimsy that you wouldn’t even know it was there unless they were collected together in a book with H.P. Lovecraft’s face on the cover. All in all, it’s not a bad collection, just not really what I wanted.
• 
  Kylie

  Usually when I tackle a short story collections there will be at least one or two duds from my point of view, but while there were a few here that I didn't like as much as others they were all rather inventive and there wasn't a one that I felt like saying "Why did they include THAT in here?" over.
  
  My without-a-doubt favourite is Mongoose. It's pretty much straight-out sci-fi with a Lovecraft bent, I can honestly say I was sad when it finished. Looking up Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette's work I don't think so far they've revisited the main character(s) or the setting, which is sad. However I do appear to already have one of Monette's novels, so I'll have to dig that out soon and give it a go. Honourable mention also goes to Caitlin R Kiernan's story Houses Under the Sea, again a story I was engaged with enough to want more on the setting. I did wonder if her more recent novel might factor in some themes from the story but probably not. I will say that Laid Barron's story stayed with me, not so much through enjoyment but more by the rather graphic nature of the end.
  
  Generally speaking, although some of the stories are more tangentially related to Lovecraft via shared themes, sense of dread etc there are quite a few that form around similar plot angles too; the Necronomicon makes an appearance, and two of the stories chart expeditions to as yet relatively uncharted areas of the globe. A hardcore mythos fan might not enjoy all that's here, but it's well worth a shot for any Lovecraft enthusiast.
• 
  Martha Sockel

  After I read Ellen Datlow's 'Poe' collection, I have been looking forward to picking up this book, and I have to say it didn't disappoint.
  
  I see it's got a few low stars, but I do wonder if some people were expecting a more straight-forward collection of pastiches. The stories here are inspired by Lovecraft, but mostly not Mythos stories themselves. It is the themes of cosmic horror, the indifference of the universe to humanity and our beliefs and science, and intrusion of the unexplained and unknown, the "things that should not be" that we have no hope of understanding.
  
  Even still, you will find stories that allude to ghouls, Deep Ones, Antarctic weirdness, and other familiar Lovecraftian tropes, but are not explicitly set in the universe Lovecraft created.
  
  My favourites were probabably "The Crevasse", that is set in the Antartic, "Houses Under the Sea", about a cult linked to an undersea civilisation, and "Catch Hell", which features a forest being that reminded me of both Shub-Niggurath and Arthur Machen's Great God Pan.
  
  There were a couple of stories I really didn't like, especially "Commencement", which is why I gave this 4 rather than 5 stars. But this really is a superior collection of weird stories, and I will be looking out for other work from some of the writers here, and other collections that Ellen Datlow has edited.
  
  So, a great collection for those who like the Mythos or weird tales in general, especially if you are tired of simple pastiches of Lovecraft's work and want to look beyond the purple prose
• 
  Juushika

  All short story anthologies are doomed to ups and downs; this is no exception. Lovecraft provides wide but often transparent (more often in theme than in mythos) and occasionally repetitive inspiration, especially in the stories written expressly for this collection, a problem exacerbated by post-story blurbs where authors provide two-penny insights into Lovecraft's work. But Datlow is an accomplished collator: the selection is broad, the variety of styles--sometimes ranging too far: there's a few instances of glaring failed humor--keeps a steady forward flow, and the quality over these 20 stories is more good than bad. In the best selections, Lovecraft's influence thrives but the story is unique and distinctly written. Philips's chilling "Cold Water Survival" haunts the corners of Lovecraft's impossible geometry and ancient landscapes. Kiernan is one of my favorite Lovecraft-influenced authors; "Houses Under the Sea" is not her best but has many of her trademarks: the dark poetry of humanity, tipping over the brink of what lies beyond our ken. Monette and Bear's "Mongoose" is science fiction that flirts with Lovecraft and Lewis Carroll but remains startling and unique. I've read better Lovecraft-influenced short stories (see: Kiernan's collected short fiction), and Lovecraft Unbound has a number of selections with good intentions but mixed results. But on the whole, the collection lives up to, although it fails to exceed, its aim. I recommend it moderately.
• 
  Marie Michaels

  This is not the collection of Lovecraftian tales that I necessarily expected, based on the title, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. Most of the authors take a step back from Lovecraft and incorporate his themes and mood - creepiness, despair, dangerous knowledge, dangerous explorations - more than the substance of his works, although there are definite hints of the be-tentacled that lurk. I enjoyed all of the stories and appreciated that the authors took the Lovecraftian themes in different directions, so there was really no predicting what the next story would be like. These were thoughtful and unsettling, the best parts of Lovecraft and mostly clear of his authorial failings. A few of them almost poked fun at the Mythos, like "The Office of Doom" while still maintaining the aura of uncertainty.
  
  My favorites were: "The Crevasse," "The Din of Celestial Birds" (aaaah creepy), "Cold Water Survival" (the second of two polar expedition tales), "Houses Under the Sea, "Leng," "In the Black Mill," and "Mongoose." I actually picked this up when I noticed that Amanda Downum had contributed a story, "The Tenderness of Jacakls" and although her story didn't have as much of the Lovecraftian creeps as the above, it had a great atmosphere and interesting premise. They're so different that I quickly stopped entertaining any particular expectations and enjoyed the entire collection. This will definitely stand up to re-reading in the future.
• 
  H. Anne Stoj

  I have to admit that I'm a huge fan of reading works based on Lovecraft's or influenced by him and I tend to really enjoy Ellen Datlow as she draws typically wonderful pieces together from all over the place. This, in that regard, wasn't an exception to the rule. Nearly all of the stories were well done and the influence of HP could truly be found. Oddly for me the ones that I liked best (with the exception of Mongoose which took place in space) were set in Antarctica and Lovecraft's own Mountains of Madness is not a favorite of mine simply because I always feel that I have to slog(goth?) through it. But the two in this collection which I'm now forgetting the names of were brilliantly done dealing with the ideas of madness, isolation, things found that shouldn't have been and all the wonderful ideas that Lovecraft tends to bring out. I enjoyed Caitlyn R. Keirnan's Houses Under the Sea as well and always tend to like coming across her short fiction as she has a splendid voice.
  
  My favorite story will probably always be Details by China Mieville (found in Looking For Jake and a couple other places) and nothing yet has fully compared to that, but there were a few in here that came a bit close.
• 
  Alison C

  Lovecraft Unbound, edited by Ellen Datlow, is just what it says it is - an anthology of horror stories inspired by the work of H.P. Lovecraft. Some of the stories are originals and some are reprints, the oldest being Michael Chabon's "In the Black Mill," originally published in 1997. As with any anthology, there are some stories here that work for me, and some that don't; no doubt other readers will respond to stories that don't appeal to me and vice versa. In particular, I loved Richard Bowes' "The Office of Doom," the aforementioned Chabon tale, "Commencement" by Joyce Carol Oates, Simon Kurt Unsworth's "Vernon, Driving," and Laird Barron's "Catch Hell," but I must note that the overall quality of all of these stories is very high, as one has come to expect from editor Datlow. These authors are primarily American and British, although there's one Israeli thrown in for good measure, and some are very well known, others less so; all deserving to be read, however. If you like dark fantasy/horror, you don't need to be a fan of HPL (although knowledge of his work helps in the understanding of some of these stories) to enjoy this anthology. Recommended!
• 
  Lea

  Not being a big Lovecraft fan, I can't really say why I picked this up -- but I was pleasantly surprised with it. The quality of the writing is consistently good, with the stories being inspired by Lovecraft, rather than imitations of his work.
  
  My favourite story was Mongoose, by Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear -- it was suspenseful, but had a lovely charm to it, with engaging characters.
  
  Sadly, the weakest for me was In The Black Mill, by Michael Chabon. I really expected to love this one, but found it dull and predictable -- I saw the entire story unfold by the second page (virtually within one sentence), which was incredibly disappointing. Oddly, this was also the only story in the book with editing errors -- I have no idea why that would be, but there they were.
  
  I would have loved to have seen Quinn Belhorn's GhoulSpeak included in this collection, as the lighter tone would have been a nice counterpoint to some of the more serious pieces.
  
  I would think this book would appeal to anyone who loves suspense or horror, but especially to fans of Lovecraft.
• 
  Andy

  This was a nice little collection of Lovecraftian fiction, with a lot of variety too. It's got humor, irony, horror and a good splatter of gore when needed.
  
  Some of my favorites:
  "The Crevasse" is a great way to start the book off -- Antarctica explorers discover a staircase in a crevasse, and something more.
  "Catch Hell" is a story like Arthur Machen could have written and is one of the best here.
  "Mongoose" is a quirky, affectionate, feel-good sci-fi/horror tale.
  "The Din of Celestial Birds" is one of the strangest, goriest and weirdest stories I've ever read.
  "Vernon, Driving" is probably the most disturbing of all, and there's not a single monster in it.
  "In the Black Mill" has a great setting and is one of my top five here even if the end was a bit of a letdown.
  "Leng" on the other hand is slow to start but has such a creepy, horrific payoff that it's one of the best and most memorable here.
  "Cold Water Survival" is my personal favorite, subtle, moody, wonderful setting. Just beautiful writing.
• 
  Dan Henk

  I think Lovecraft often gets a bad rap. People read that he influenced the modern greats, everyone form authors like Stephen King and Clive Barker, to movie makers like John Carpenter and Wes Craven, and then dive into his books expecting the same fare. He wrote for a different era. His mind-bending, first person surrealistic approach to a creeping, nameless horror stunned and fascinated huge segments of early century America. The America that read, that is, which wasn't nearly what it is today. I enjoy his approach, even if some of it is a bit florid, but his ideas are dauntless. They broke conventions and rearranged the way a future breed of horror authors would look at the world. Even today, I find them stunningly original, and well worth the read. If any sound familiar, it is only because they have been copied, usually far less efficiently, by later day authors.
• 
  Steve

  Fantastic and atypical collection of Lovecraft-inspired tales. Note that I didn't say 'Lovecraftian' because they aren't mythos, and there isn't a single pastiche among them.
  
  My favorites in this collection are:
  
  Brian Evenson - Din of Celestial Birds
  Holly Phillips - Cold Water Survival
  Caitlin R Kiernan - Houses under the Sea
  Marc Laidlaw - Leng
  Michael Shea - The Recruiter
  Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear - Mongoose
  Laird Barron - Catch Hell
• 
  Lindzie

  This is my first time reading anything related to HP Lovecraft. I found the style interesting and very much my thing. I didn't care for all the stories included in this collection, but most of them were very well written. It have me a greater understanding of what to expect from H.P. Lovecraft's work.
• 
  Suge

  I do enjoy reading stories that were inspired by Lovecraft. This was a very fun and creepy collection. Not all of them were winners, there were one or two that didn't strike my fancy but otherwise, I liked this collection.
• 
  Josh Towzey

  Favorites:
  
  The Crevasse
  Houses Under the Sea
  Leng
  Marya Nox
  Catch Hell
• 
  Jefferson

  A good collection of diverse stories that avoid the usual fan-fiction pastiche, evoking Lovecraft's mood and themes without resorting to name-dropping Cthulhu or Miskatonic University.
• 
  Mouldy Squid

  Another excellent anthology of horror from legendary editor Ellen Datlow. Here she has collected 20 tales influenced by Howard Phillips Lovecraft, best known for his "Cthulhu Mythos" stories from the first three decades of the 20th Century. This anthology is just what I like to see from new Lovecraftian fiction, that is, these stories are new.
  
  Lovecraft is one of those authors who are famous, not just for their own work, but for pastiche. Too often Lovecraftian fiction is but pale imitation of the master and usually not very good imitation. It is then refreshing when an entire collection contains no pastiche at all, and moves the form forward into new territory. Lovecraft Unbound does just that.
  
  Datlow's intention with this anthology is to present stories influenced by Lovecraft; his philosophy and aesthetic rather than his famous monsters. Every story in the collection evokes the "cosmic fear" that Lovecraft strived to create in his work. As such, these stories tend to read more like Blackwood or Machen than Lovecraft himself. That is just fine by me since Lovecraft admired both of those writers and tried (and succeeded) to create that atmosphere of dread and futility that hallmarks "cosmic fear".
  
  Because of Datlow's editorial decision, this collection will not be for everyone. Cthulhu does not raise is be-tentacled head, nor to any of Lovecraft's monsters take centre stage. If that is what you are looking for, then you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you are wanting to see what powerful writers can do in moving the Mythos forward, creating new frightful vistas, then Lovecraft Unbound is the anthology for you.
  
  Most of the stories are solid, well written works ranging from the blackly humorous to the hallucinogenically weird. There are some real stars as well. Brian Evenson's magic-realism "The Din of Celestial Birds" uses folk tale like language to create a strange and unsettling horror. Dale Bailey and Nathan Ballingrung's "The Crevasse" is a tale of an Antartic expedition in the midst of failure that makes a startling discovery. The loneliness and emptiness of the endless ice is powerfully evoked. Michael Chabon brings us breathless adventure a la "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" that ends with a unsettling twist. I was delighted to see that Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear return to the universe of "Boojum" (which can be found in
  Fast Ships, Black Sails) with fun and inventive "Mongoose".
  
  The two absolutely outstanding stories are Marc Laidlaw's "Leng" and Laird Barron's "Catch Hell". The Barron has one of the most disturbing and simply icky scenes I have come across in an long, long time. It will be particularly disturbing, I think, to women. Read at your own risk. "Leng" is exactly what I love about this anthology; it incorporates the "cosmic fear", Lovecraft's fantastic geography and powerful diction directed to a singular purpose of creating dread. The amatuer enthusiast (a common protagonist in Lovecraft's work) follows in the footsteps of a professional expedition that has disappeared. Along the way he discovers more than he wishes to about the realities of the universe. Laidlaw manages to create the sense that the fantastic Plateau of Leng is in fact a real place by adding factual detail upon factual detail until you wholly believe in it. The central horror of this story gave me two nights' worth of disturbing dreams. It is perhaps one of the best non-pastiche Lovecraftian stories since F. Paul Wilson's
  "The Barrens".
  
  All in all, Lovecraft Unbound is an excellent anthology of horror. Datlow has done herself proud with this one. If Lovecraft is your thing and you are looking for new directions in Lovecraftiana, do not miss it.
• 
  Bethany

  "ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"
  
  Now that that's out of the way, I admit it: H.P. Lovecraft isn't really my thing. It's not that his ideas aren't brilliant and genre-bending (not to mention a bit mind-breaking), but I've only ever been able to truly enjoy him when I consider his works in a historical context rather than as works of fiction, because otherwise I find his prose, well, purple. It is only by taking into account the era in which he was writing and the prevalent literary styles of the time that I can willfully disregard the two lines of adjectives that accompany every preternatural, eldritch noun he uses.
  
  I would not have picked this book up at all if I hadn't come across it used and it hadn't had thick pages that could stand up to being sweated on while working out at the gym. The idea of reading a multi-hundred page book of short stories based on or inspired by Lovecraft fills me with a certain horror that could probably use a few more adjectives and decorative 'postrophes (for mood, you understand). Fortunately, the editor of this collection is a true admirer of Lovecraft's works and every bit as leery of allowing any old high school fanfiction into their book, which is not to say I've heard of most of the authors in the book.
  
  In fact, I think I'd only heard of one or two, but since supernatural horror isn't my usual cup of tea I will give them the benefit of the doubt and pretend that they're very famous in their field and the only reason I don't know them is that I am an incurious neophyte to the genre. However, judged by my standards it doesn't surprise me that I've never heard of the majority of them. None of the stories particularly stand out in my mind except for one involving bandersnatches and momraths in some sort of space setting. It mostly stood out because I couldn't help thinking as I read it that they'd gotten the wrong drug-addled, brain-damaged author to base their story on. The rest were mostly forgettable and I spent my time reading them counting the pages until I could get to the next mediocre tale of the macabre.
  
  My favorite part of the collection, to be honest, was reading the different authors' descriptions of how they discovered Lovecraft (the average age being twelve) and then going on to say which of his works was their favorite. Every author picked a different piece as his or her favorite, which probably says more about how prolific Lovecraft was than his versatility in appealing to different people with different works, but it was also the most interesting part of the book for me.
  
  My advice with this book would be to gift it to the Lovecraft-lover in your circle of friends (I promise you, there is one) and let them decide if it's any good. If you are the Lovecraft-lover, well, don't let me influence you. As I said at the beginning, I am not, and so perhaps it will be more to your taste than it was to mine, though if you're going into expecting to hear about Dunwich horrors and all, you may be disappointed: the editor advised the contributors to steer away from borrowing directly from the Cthulu mythos.