Tales of H. P. Lovecraft - by Joyce Carol Oates (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

“H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the 20th century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.”--Stephen King

The most important tales of the godfather of the modern horror genre--a master who influenced the works of a generation of writers including Stephen King and Anne Rice--are gathered in one volume by National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates.

Combining the 19th-century gothic sensibility of Edgar Allan Poe with a daring internal vision, Lovecraft's tales foretold a psychically troubled world to come. Set in a meticulously wrought, historically grounded New England landscape, his harrowing stories explore the collapse of sanity beneath the weight of chaotic events. Lovecraft's universe is a frightening shadow world were reality and nightmare intertwine, and redemption can come only from below. For aficionados and a new generation of 21st-century readers, Tales of H. P. Lovecraft is a classic not to be missed.

From the Back Cover

When he died in 1937, destitute and emotionally as well as physically ruined, H. P. Lovecraft had no idea that he would one day be celebrated as the godfather of modern horror. A dark visionary, his work would influence an entire generation of writers, including Stephen King, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, and Anne Rice. Now, the most important tales of this distinctive American storyteller have been collected in a single volume by National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates.

In tales that combine the nineteenth-century gothic sensibility of Edgar Allan Poe with a uniquely daring internal vision, Lovecraft fuses the supernatural and mundane into a terrifying, complex, and exquisitely realized vision, foretelling a psychically troubled century to come. Set in a meticulously described New England landscape, here are harrowing stories that explore the total collapse of sanity beneath the weight of chaotic events--stories of myth and madness that release monsters into our world. Lovecraft's universe is a frightening shadow world where reality and nightmare intertwine, and redemption can come only from below.

Review Quotes

"H.P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." -- Stephen King

"If Horror and Fantasy are cities, then H. P. Lovecraft is the kind of long street that runs from the outskirts of the first city to the end of the other. It began as a minor thoroughfare, and is now a six-lane highway, built up on every side." -- Neil Gaiman

"This attractive volume offers a fine chance to sample Lovecraft's ghoulish pleasures." -- Kirkus Reviews