The Shadow Over Innsmouth Paperback – February 18, 2021

I have long wanted to read the works of H. P. Lovecraft, one of the defining figures in the literary horror world and considered one of the founders of the "cosmic horror" story. His Cthuhlu mythos have achieved cult status (pun absolutely intended), and many writers, including the infamous and legendary Stephen King himself, count him as an inspiration. At the same time, he's gained a sizable "hatedom," or at least a number of readers who find the man overhyped to a great degree. I wanted to read his works myself before making up my mind, and I decided to make "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" my introductory read.Having read this story, I can safely count myself among Lovecraft's fans. If this story is anything to go by, Lovecraft was indeed a master of his genre, and I eagerly look forward to reading more of his work."The Shadow Over Innsmouth" follows a nameless narrator touring New England for information on his family, and studying the local architecture. When he hears about the small town of Innsmouth, and how repellent everyone seems to find the locals, he's understandably curious, and ventures into the town to see for himself. Right away he notices things are decidedly not right -- the locals have a loathsome appearance, the town looks to be half-deserted, and the lone "normal" local is not only a raging drunk but babbles about the town's dark history and the peculiar customs of its inhabitants. When the narrator finds himself stranded in town overnight, he comes face to face with the town's horrifying secret... one not of this world...Lovecraft's writing style isn't for everyone -- he's a huge fan of using fancy, florid words, many of which are archaic today, and he seems to enjoy the setup and world-building aspects of his craft more than the literary payoff. But I quite enjoyed his style, which is evocative and eerily lovely, while at the same time shimmering with a vivid horror of its own. I've heard other readers complain that he leaves far too much to the imagination and that his work lacks proper description, but I didn't find that here -- in fact, the descriptions of his horrors are properly monstrous and spine-chilling, and he paints a vivid picture of a decaying port town and its twisted inhabitants. And while I'm a big fan of "less is more" and especially "nothing is scarier," I did appreciate the description.Some might read a racist undertone to this work, one that sticks in the reader's craw today. But I usually read works not for the underlying message but for the story, and I find this story works well as a simple horror story. If there's an uncomfortable message about racism and interracial relations... all I can say is that Lovecraft was a product of his time, and it's possible to enjoy the work without condoning the author's behavior or beliefs.If I have any complaints, it's that a sudden revelation at the end of the story, while horrifying and fascinating, felt like it came without a lot of foreshadowing. But I enjoyed the twist enough that it doesn't bother me too much -- certainly not enough to cut down the rating.As a bonus, this Kindle version comes with a short biography of Lovecraft, providing some insight to the man behind the writing. It's not terribly in-depth, but it's informative all the same."The Shadow Over Innsmouth" is a fantastic horror novella, and it has given me a new appreciation for Lovecraft and his work. I recommend it to horror fans, especially those that like an otherworldly bent to their horror, and I greatly look forward to reading more by this author.

This story overall is quite good and has a genuinely creepy yet exciting ending, and it also gives a glimpse into some of the more controversial views of Lovecraft.However, there is a section where a drunk old man is explaining some strange things he witnessed in regards to the dark secret of Innsmouth. This section goes on for quite some time and is written in a strange way that resembles an exaggerated Southern accent. It is intentionally written in this way to add plausible deniability to the claims of this man (at least until what he says is confirmed later in the story), and is thankfully not "ramble-y" to the point of vain repetition, but it can be a bit hard to get through.The quality of the book itself is as one would expect based on the preview images. Not impressive, not bad.

This is my favourite of the three Cthulhu mythos books by HP Lovecraft. Great story and well worth the read. If you’re into sci-fi/horror genre, this is for you. Keep in mind this book was written about 100 years ago so it’s a bit archaic, but it’s still a classic! My only complaint is with the publisher/editor of this edition. Not well edited.

One of Lovecraft's most known and referenced story, simply enjoyable on all accounts. The voice in this book could have represented such a story with more effort, in my opinion.

Not much can be said that hasn't been covered by other reviews, but this is one of my favorites. Lovecraft's descriptive atmosphere (and overly purple prose) captures the imagination and brings fear-shadowed Innsmouth to life. There's also that sense of an unknown history that we and narrator only glimpse through second hand accounts. It's a mystery that turns to terror when the narrator is pursued from his hotel room.It's interesting to note that aside from some hearsay from a ticket-agent (who had never even been to the town) and a grocery boy (who didn't live there) the narrator's primary source on Innsmouth was a 96 year old drunkard. All right, the citizens of Innsmouth are interbreeding with fish men, but do we really want to condemn them based on ol' Zadok's ramblings? True, the Innsmouth folk chased the narrator at the climax, but given what we learn at the end of the book, their intentions may not have been hostile. It's worth mentioning that none of the citizens seem to be armed when they're searching for him.Anyway, this is definitely worth reading. It's one of Lovecraft's best. If you can, the audiobook narrated by Phil Reynolds is a good listen.

The rich lore Howard Phillips Lovecraft created is beyond compare. Clearly, he was a man ahead of his time, with a vivid imagination and flare for creativity that inspired an entire genre of horror.The Shadow Over Innsmouth has it's faults. The writing is very descriptive, outlining every nook and cranny that the protagonist explores, which can cause it to drag on a bit despite the short length.The dialogue is similarly long-winded, and while it is extremely well-written, it can be a bit tricky to discern the words of a character like Zadok Allen; for Lovecraft seems to have put in the painstaking effort to convey to the reader how such characters pronunciation of every word spoken.But if you can move past that, the story of Robert Olmstead and his ill-fated detour through the decrepit fictional town of Innsmouth, Massachusetts is memorable tale of mystery and suspense with a lot of thought and care put into the rich lore behind it. If you've ever seen the references to Lovecraft in video games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout and have been curious about the works that inspired them, or are just looking for a good horror novel with a unique and unsettling premise... The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a good place to start.