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What are you currently reading?
JoeCovenant:
Finished Invasion - really liked it...
And have also just finished "Long Voyage Back", which I also really liked, but the voice is not like any other Rheinhart book I've read.
(Some of the parsing is a bit odd in this one. There are occasions when it's like reading a book written by Yoda!)
Am currently reading "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" by Marina Lewycka... which, according to the blurb, is a comedic novel.
Am about half way through.. nothing funny in it. It seems really badly written to me (seemingly shortlisted for the Orange prize).
I got this from a book exchange thing at work. It'll be going back very quickly. Can't say I recommend it. (But I will finish it.)
TheEvilDog:
The Collected Works of HP Lovecraft.
I've been a fan of his stories for years, so my sister gave me a collected copy of his work a couple of years ago. His work is still the only one that leaves me feeling disturbed going to sleep at night, which I suppose is a testament to how timeless Lovecraft's writing is. The Whisperer in the Darkness and the Rats in the Walls in particular still leave me feeling cold.
JoeCovenant:
--- Quote from: Castlerook on 06 Oct 2017, 05:11 ---The Collected Works of HP Lovecraft.
I've been a fan of his stories for years, so my sister gave me a collected copy of his work a couple of years ago. His work is still the only one that leaves me feeling disturbed going to sleep at night, which I suppose is a testament to how timeless Lovecraft's writing is. The Whisperer in the Darkness and the Rats in the Walls in particular still leave me feeling cold.
--- End quote ---
I've tried to read Lovecraft SO often... I just cannot get into it...
(Maybe try again.. it's been about 10-15 years since...)
LeeC:
@JoeCovenant (and anyone else interested in getting into Lovecraft)
Last Christmas I started reading them just to fully understand what the deal with Lovecraft and all things lovecraftian. I have read a dozen or so of his stories. I can make some suggestions as far as getting into them if you like. Some of his stories are very dense with purple prose or have long stretches of tedious boring things so I can understand how it can be rough to get into.
I always suggest to start off with "Dagon" as it is short and gets the idea of Lovecraft across. When I first read it, it reminded me of those stop motion monsters in Sinbad movies. "The Whisperer in Darkness" is also a good read. The first part can be a bit tedious as the professor rattles on about some ancient folklore, but it really gets interesting when the letters start. "The Dunwich Horror" is also very good, with an excellent character study in the first half and a 50s B-movie as the latter half. I like the symbolism in the latter half but it may just be my take from it and not at all what Lovecraft intended.
I will say there are a few you should stay away from until you get familiar with Lovecraft's style of writing. Here is a breakdown of the ones I have read and what I think are easy to get into followed by the ones that get rougher and finally the tough ones that you may not want to attempt until you really get into his writing.
Easy:
Dagon
The Dunwhich Horror
The Hound
The Whisperer in Darkness
Medium:
The Color Out of Space
A Shadow Out of Time
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Call of Cthulhu
Rats in the Wall
Herbert West: Reanimator
Hard:
Shadow Over Innsmouth
At the Mountain of Madness
Be it from me to tell you what to read or in what order but this is just my feeling on it. For me "At the Mountain of Madness" was very boring until the 2nd act but others might find it to be their favorite or to read a different book entirely absent from the list.
It's October so it may be quite fun to read them while in the spooky spirit of things. Have fun!
edited: reread The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and wanted to update my ranking.
LeeC:
I finished Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." The old Universal movie is but a glimmer to what the actual story is! The only things similar is that there was a scientist named Frankenstein and he made a monster. I find it had more parallels with movies dealing with AIs or robots with consciousness. Creating a new life form with the consequences and moral/existential questions that follow. It also dealt with nature and nurture a bit.
for example:
(click to show/hide) The monster was not inherently evil. He was very kind and thoughtful but due to his monstrous appearance he was shunned, beaten, and shot! This drove him to hate humanity; they loathed him and so he loathed them. He just wanted someone to care about him and someone to care for. He then started to hate his creator for making him a lonely wretch in the world with no one to love or care about him
You really start to feel for the creature. Being that the story is told from Victor Frankenstein's point of view, it is a very biased side of the story. Victor jumps to many conclusions based off of very little interactions from the monster and condemns the creature so early. Totally convinced the monster had maligned motives. Granted from his pov it seems warranted, but he just assumes the monster is malicious or deceitful from the get-go. I could not help but think of Mel Brooks's "Young Frankenstein." In the movie, Frankenstein wants to nurture and help the monster become accepted by society. He legitimately cares about the creature's well being like a father should a son. In the novel he runs away scared as soon as the monster is born, leaving the monster to roam the country side and fumble for meaning. It is truly a tragic tale! Mary Shelley uses amazing prose and poetry in her story. I also love how she handled the "explanation" of the creature's creation. I thought it was very clever. (click to show/hide)She alludes to what Victor studied and how they contributed to his work, but since he doesn't want his guest/reader to know how to make a monster themselves, he refuses to say how he did it.
There were a few moments where she was hung up on the scenery and it seemed like a love letter to the Swiss countryside which slowed the pacing at time. Other than that it was a great read and I fully encourage everyone to check it out.
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