HP Lovecraft's Book of the Supernatural: Classic Tales of the Macabre by Various
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
This is the review of the Audiobook, which I listened to in the month of October for my October Scare Fest challenge. Here is the list of the stories in order, which I got from the editor, Stephen Jones' website:
INTRODUCTION: SUPERNATURAL HORROR IN LITERATURE Stephen Jones
FOREWORD: NOTES ON WRITING WEIRD FICTION H.P. Lovecraft
THE TALE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT Washington Irving
MARKHEIM Robert Louis Stevenson
WHO KNOWS! Guy de Maupassant
THE INVISIBLE EYE Erckmann-Chatrian
THE TORTURE OF HOPE Villiers de l'Isle Adam
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE Edgar Allan Poe
WHAT WAS IT? Fitz James O'Brien
THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT Ambrose Bierce
THE TURN OF THE SCREW Henry James
THE DEAD SMILE F. Marion Crawford
THE WIND IN THE ROSE-BUSH Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Charlotte Perkins Gilman
THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY Rudyard Kipling
THE HANDS OF KARMA (INGWA-BANASHI) Lafcadio Hearn
THE BURIAL OF THE RATS Bram Stoker
THE RED LODGE H.R. Wakefield
THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLE-STAR Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THE VILLA DÉSIRÉE May Sinclair
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT William Hope Hodgson
NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER Arthur Machen
I will list my thoughts on each one as much as I recall or my impressions I had of the stories. Several are rereads.
I would begin by saying that I have complicated feelings about HP Lovecraft. He was a very bigoted, racist person. While he had some good ideas and I do like a few of his stories, I find his writing very overwrought and formulaic. That is just my personal opinion. I know many people love his work. Clearly Lovecraft has had a lasting influence on the genre of horror, and I respect that. I feel that I prefer works that interrogate Lovecraftian themes and look at his concepts through the view point of a multicultural society and from the vantage point of overlooked and often marginalized people.
Lovecraft was a scholar of the horror genre. He read widely and considered himself an educated person on the formative stories in the genre. This collection is from his perspective and includes works that he believed stood out and are formative to the genre. I think that readers who are getting into older horror would get something worthwhile out of this collection. I have a huge interest in classic horror, and I've read quite a bit of it. Not surprisingly, I've read several of these through my years of digesting the genre. I did not personally enjoy all the stories, so it's questionable to me how formative they are. I believe that is probably an eye of the beholder.
I would love to hear others' thoughts on the stories he chose and if you agree that they are standout tales. I feel like there are some noticeable absences in this volume that I would most definitely have added to my list.
(Cracks fingers) Here we go!
INTRODUCTION
Sadly, I don't remember my impressions of the Introduction. I probably tuned it out, to be honest, as I am not that big of a personal fan of Lovecraft. I think it told me as much as I already know about him.
THE TALE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT Washington Irving
I think I've read this one a couple of times before, and I enjoy it. I found it very atmospheric and gothic, with a bit of romance thrown in. It's one of my favorites by Irving (along with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). 4.5/5.0 stars
MARKHEIM Robert Louis Stevenson
This is also a reread. I think it reads between than it works as an auditory experience. I found it rather tedious. A long, drawn out beginning but a tight ending. RLS was very good at psychological horror and this is one of those stories that about the horror inside of the human mind and heart. 3 stars.
WHO KNOWS! Guy de Maupassant
This is an odd story. It almost made me want to giggle a little. What if something stole all your furniture but brought it back, leaving no explanation of either event? I guess that's pretty much what this story is about. I take gaslighting scenarios very personally, so it was bit triggering. 3 stars.
THE INVISIBLE EYE Erckmann-Chatrian
Yikes, this one was creepy. It's kind of about being obsessed with solving a puzzle, if not unquenchable, all consuming curiosity. I feel like Hitchcock's Rear Window was inspired by this, or perhaps it comes from that Collective Unconscious. It feels like that timeless kind of story that they are still making horror movies about. I was holding my breath near the end. Legitimately, this story could have gone any way. 4 stars
THE TORTURE OF HOPE Villiers de l'Isle Adam
How aptly named Conte Cruels are. They are a storytelling that "is any story whose conclusion exploits the cruel aspects of the 'irony of fate," according to Wikipedia. This fits this short and nasty story very well. I have read it before, and it wasn't any more feel-good as last time. Well written, though not to my tastes. 3.5 stars.
MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE Edgar Allan Poe
As an Edgar Allan Poe aficionado, it's shameful to admit I zoned out on this one. I was distracted by other stuff when I was listening, so it's probably not even fair to rate it.
WHAT WAS IT? Fitz James O'Brien
I've read this one before. One part about this story made me feed really bad and seemed unnecessarily cruel, so that diminishes my liking of the story. Is this a ghost story, isn't it? 3.5 stars
THE MIDDLE TOE OF THE RIGHT FOOT Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce is a craftsman in the short horror (often psychological) story. There's a really sharp edge to this one, but it ends perfectly. 4 stars.
THE TURN OF THE SCREW Henry James
This is my second reread and it's official. I do not like this story. I know, I know, every one likes this story. Not me. Ugh! 10 words when 2 will suffice-check. Beating around the bush-check. Refusing to get to the point-check. No. I feel like I'm being generous giving it 3 stars. It's more like 2.5 stars. See my longer review of the story here.
THE DEAD SMILE F. Marion Crawford
Wow, this was an intense book. It has some seriously dicey subject matter. It's super creepy too. I can't really say much about the plot because it would spoil everything. I will say it has a very Gothic feel. Just imagine having someone give you weird, evil smile like that. Nightmare fuel. 4 stars.
THE WIND IN THE ROSE-BUSH Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman
I've read this story before. I liked hearing it as an audiobook, and I appreciated the narrator. This book has a gaslighting element as well. It really frustrated me, and I felt bad for the protagonist. The good news is that secrets and dark deeds always come to light. It's a very interesting approach to a ghost story. I read a lot of ghost stories. I can honestly say that it's one of my favorite genres. So it's nice when an author takes a different path with a ghost story. 4 stars.
THE YELLOW WALLPAPER Charlotte Perkins Gilman
This is my third time reading this story, and I think every time I read it, I notice something different. I honestly think that there is no one way to interpret this story. It's a brilliant look at mental illness, how harmful medicine has been to women's health largely (and still is) to a distressing extent. It's also about sexism and misogyny, but I do feel there is a legitimate supernatural angle as well. It just so much to unpack with this story. I recommend reading this in October if you want a longer short story to put you in the mood, but also has an impactful message. 4.5 stars
THE RECRUDESCENCE OF IMRAY Rudyard Kipling
I question that this is a supernatural story. I'd classify it as a thriller/murder mystery instead. Very steeped in colonialism and there are some dated and racist elements. 3 stars.
THE HANDS OF KARMA (INGWA-BANASHI) Lafcadio Hearn
There is something about Japanese folklore stories that will make your head stand on end. This story was horrifying to listen to, and the more I think about it, the more I shudder. It's very short, but the short horror stories almost seem to pack a stronger punch when they are well done. 4.5 stars.
THE BURIAL OF THE RATS Bram Stoker
I definitely took issue with Lovecraft's derisive comments about Stoker in the foreword to this story. I think Stoker was a very good writer. Interestingly, Lovecraft chose this story, which is more of a thriller/suspense than a supernatural horror. Having said that, it is very suspenseful! 4 stars.
THE RED LODGE H.R. Wakefield
Malignant hauntings are the ghost stories that mess with me. It's not so bad if there's a ghost in your house, but it's not actively trying to kill you. But the ones that are bent on destroying any who stay in the place, or so scary. It's the fact that you should be safe in your home, and there is an unseen force determined to cause you harm. I loved the plotting on this one and things build to a terrifying conclusion. My only question is, why did it take you so long to leave that place? 4.5 stars.
THE CAPTAIN OF THE POLE-STAR Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This story felt long and drawn out, but it's good. Kind of on the melodramatic side (which is probably why Lovecraft favors it). I like how the skeptic is slowly brought to the point of accepting the truth that there is a supernatural cause to their trobules. Along with the very real threat of the elements as their ship is iced in at the North Pole and they are running out of food. I haven't read The Terror yet, but the story reminded me of the premise of that book. Overall, I liked this one. 3.5 stars.
THE VILLA DÉSIRÉE May Sinclair
You had to wonder why she didn't clue in that something was not right about this guy. He has a creepy smile and he's really pale. I mean, come on! Anyway, this was a very short story, and not much happens until the very end. But it has a really intense moment towards the end. Definitely has some Gothic kind of elements, but also what is going on? 4 stars.
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT William Hope Hodgson
I've read this one before, and I'm similarly impressed with it. How creepy! It's not a ghost story, and I will not spoil it for you. It has a whole other equally frightening type of horror that hits those of us who are, let's say, germaphobes, where we live. Kind of melodramatic, but it works for the story. 4 stars.
NOVEL OF THE WHITE POWDER Arthur Machen
This last story is probably one of the scariest in the collection. Machen just has a way of creating these occulty kind of horrific/weird fiction stories that get under your skin. This one definitely gave me an itch under my skin. It also reminds me a little of The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories, but from the viewpoint of a loved one. It has a build towards the climax that is deftly accomplished as things get increasingly unnerving for the main character as he views his brother's changes in character. The ending, oh, goodness gracious. Makes me want to read more of Machen's stories. 4.5 stars.
Final Thoughts
This was a long review, and I thank you for taking the time to read it. Overall, it was an entertaining listen. The narrators did a good job. As I stated above, I didn't love all the stories. I am surprised which ones are missing and curious about some that were included. If you just want a volume of preselected classic horrorish stories to read, it's probably worth your time. If you don't like HP Lovecraft or anything associated with him, many of these stories have been anthologized multiple times, and with the digital age, it's very easy to find almost all of these books for free or for cheap in electronic format. I didn't think Lovecraft's forewords before each story added much to the volume, but that's just me. I'm always happy to read a good anthology, so it definitely wasn't a waste of my time. It was deliciously creepy to read some of these as I drove home from work on a cool October night.
Overall rating (as a collection): 4 stars!
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