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Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my GIFTS AND GUILTY list.

Regardless of how many books are already queued patiently on my reading list, unexpected gifts and guilt-trips will always see unplanned additions muscling their way in at the front.

I hated this book.
I mean, I really hated this book.

Which took me by surprise because I quite liked the first in this series, Omnibus 1: At the Mountains of Madness and Other Tales of Terror and was expecting more of the same here. I didn't find it.

Omnibus 1 collects Lovecraft's longer works, and these are goods. Given a proper plot to hang a few thousand words around, Lovecraft crafted some wonderfully tense, creepy tales, where the horror is hinted at more than seen directly. That is a book I can recommend.

Omnibus 2 collects Lovecraft's shorter works, and these are not so good. There are a few gems amongst the collection, but you have to trawl through a great deal of dross to unearth them. And because the stories are presented in chronological order, and Lovecraft undoubtedly improved with age, you have to wade through many of the weakest stories first.

What got to me the most is the repetition. I'm not a huge fan of short stories, but I've been impressed by collections by ²Ñ¾±Ã©±¹¾±±ô±ô±ð and Murakami which explore a diverse range of subjects and/or styles between their covers. This is not an approach Lovecraft embraces. He had a very narrow idea about what sort of atmosphere he wanted to evoke, and every piece of work is a different attempt to achieve the same ends. It gets repetitive. And after reading dozens of repetitive short stories in quick succession you start to feel the patterns emerging, the recurring underlying world-view - let's be frank; the racism. It's something I can attribute to the era, and set aside my objections to enjoy an individual story, but on mass like this it becomes distasteful... and then repellent.

The 'early works' and 'partial fragments' weren't worth it. As for the extensive essay which concludes Dagon and Other Macabre Tales (yes, I read every page because I'm stubborn about finishing books once I've committed to them) - unless you're a serious student of Lovecraft-esque weird - just don't bother. There are no humorous little anecdotes to carry you through it; it's a dry, dated, (dull) and opinionated history of horror.

Do you know the best feeling about finishing this book?
"Thank that's over."

Now - get this book out of my house - donate it to the charity shop this second - maybe someone else will find inspiration where I found naught but drudgery and despair.

After this I read: Let the Right One In