Well, after a brief spell away from Lovecraft, I decided to return to something Lovecraftian. I missed the tentacles and the terror, and the feeling at the end of the tale that something odd is just out of sight.
Monsters is a great listen, rather than being a collection of Lovecraft’s stories, it’s a collection of Lovecraftian stories and poems (not really my thing, but worth a listen, some folk will love them! 🙂 written by a variety of authors, including the Neil Gaiman, each with their own tale to tell.
While some are set in the present and the past, and Cthulhu’s influence is always just around the corner, at least one is set in the future, after the old ones have ravaged the Earth and are rebuilding it in their own particular style. It follows a group of survivors and their dog, and also tells the tale of alien races, coming to their aid. It’s an interesting cross between the usual Lovecraft stuff, and a little Sci-Fi thrown in for good measure.
As well as the stories, there is also a kind of bestiary at the very end which describes the different creatures and monsters in all of his writing, which would be handy should anyone fancy writing in the same world. I’d definitely recommend Monsters, as, although there is one story which I wasn’t too keen on, mainly for the put on accent, and another which was read by a lady who sounded a little disinterested, the rest of it is superb and definitely worth the listen.
With a cry of tekeli-li, I’ll leave it there.
The (W)rites of Rob Knipe 