The Call of Cthulhu

This was somewhat of a mixed bag with the majority of the stories being great and some that felt flat, but all of them being morbid.
The author has an amazing imagination and ability to create atmosphere. I could feel the dread and instead of being scared I was curious to know more.

My favorite stories include Dagon, The Call of Cthulhu, The Colour out of Space, and The Whisperer in Darkness.

I can see how some of my favorite authors have been inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's writing and it felt special to finally read the original.

Lovecraft's seminal work seemed to be the place to start with the “father of cosmic horror” but I found it mostly dull with a few dazzling descriptive passages. Much of the language served to distance me from the adequate plot. Often I found myself re-reading passages to try to interpret the meaning in long, meandering sentences (not helped by reading it on my breaks during busy, noisy nightshifts).
Mostly I could not see beyond the narrator's racial and intellectual superiority (reflecting Lovecraft's own) more horrifying and alienating than Cthulhu themself. While some may try to explain this as “of the time” I have read many American and British works from this era that reflect the “casual racism” but lack the nasty haughtiness that Lovecraft's encompasses. This novella is supposed to be classic of horror and the macabre but I found it disappointing and disturbing (for all the wrong reasons). If this is Lovecraft's best work I don't think I'll be bother with any of his others.