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Awix (3310 KP) rated Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft in Books

Mar 15, 2019 (Updated Mar 15, 2019)

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft | 2008 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

8.7

(9 Ratings)

Book Rating

Dang-near essential for anyone interested in the 20th century horror story, this volume does what it says on the front and collects the most significant fiction of H.P. Lovecraft's career. Lovecraft has a unique and idiosyncratic writing style (and that's putting it mildly) and he's not afraid to insert his deeply unpleasant racist views into his stories. However, no single figure has been more influential in the development of the fantasy-horror genre in the last century.

Lovecraft's best stories take the scientific discoveries of his time and use them to summon up an extraordinary sense of cosmic dread: the vastness of the universe and the primordial origins of the human race become the stuff of genuine nightmare. All the key stories are here - the famous Call of Cthulhu, of course, along with others that are still massively influential, such as The Colour Out of Space and At the Mountains of Madness. Lovecraft wrote the book on a certain kind of horror, and this volume is pretty much it. Some of the stories are minor works, but the best ones here are epochal.

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Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated The Wind in the Willows in Books

Jul 2, 2019

The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame | 1908 | Children, Fiction & Poetry

7.3

(15 Ratings)

Book Rating

The language is beautiful (0 more)

Perhaps a little slow (0 more)

I was pleasantly surprised by this book

I was surprised by this book. I did a bit of a skim read to begin with because I intend to use some of the books content as part of an essay that I'm writing for children's literature. My skim read put me off reading it for a few days. When I did start reading it I was enthralled by Grahame's use of language and imagery. I have to say that his use of language to describe the countryside and the changing seasons is perhaps some of the most beautiful language I have ever read. He captures the scenery so perfectly that you can almost touch it.
The characters were good, toad in particular. It is clear to see that Grahame was talking about hysteria in the character of toad. Written in the early 20th century, the novel is typical of its slower pace when compared to modern literature for children. The humour and sentiment may be enough to grip even the 21st century child. As an adult though, this is a delightful little book that should never be skimmed.