C
The Tomb is the first Lovecraft story that truly feels like one. The hallmarks of his style of horror are all here; an unreliable narrator who has been committed to an asylum, supernatural phenomena that is mostly left unexplained, New England, it’s all there. What I like most about this story is the unresolved nature of Jervas’ spooky adventure with the ghosts in a graveyard. It’s quite possible that it was all in his head, as the rest of the town just saw him with glazed eyes wandering around the graves, but certain physical traits of the world are acknowledged by the other characters which can’t be ignored. While it’s still missing the classic eldritch horror mythos Lovecraft is best known for, this is still a captivating short story.
The Tomb is the first Lovecraft story that truly feels like one. The hallmarks of his style of horror are all here; an unreliable narrator who has been committed to an asylum, supernatural phenomena that is mostly left unexplained, New England, it’s all there. What I like most about this story is the unresolved nature of Jervas’ spooky adventure with the ghosts in a graveyard. It’s quite possible that it was all in his head, as the rest of the town just saw him with glazed eyes wandering around the graves, but certain physical traits of the world are acknowledged by the other characters which can’t be ignored. While it’s still missing the classic eldritch horror mythos Lovecraft is best known for, this is still a captivating short story.