The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness by H. P. Lovecraft, John Jude Palencar (Illustrator), Barbara Hambly (Introduction), John Jude Palencar (Introduction)

From the Publisher

One of the most influential practitioners of American horror, H.P. Lovecraft inspired the work of Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker. As he perfected his mastery of the macabre, his works developed from seminal fragments into acknowledged masterpieces of terror. This volume traces his chilling career and includes:
IMPRISONED WITH THE PHARAOHS--Houdini seeks to reveal the demons that inhabit the Egyptian night.
AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS--An unsuspecting expedition uncovers a city of untold terror, buried beneath an Antarctic wasteland.
Plus, for the first time in any Del Rey edition:
HERBERT WEST: REANIMATOR--Mad experiments yield hideous results in this, the inspiration for the cult film Re-Animator.
COOL AIR--An icy apartment hides secrets no man dares unlock.
THE TERRIBLE OLD MAN--The intruders seek a fortune but find only death!
AND TWENTY-FOUR MORE BLOOD-CHILLING TALES

Publishers Weekly

H.P. Lovecraft. Del Rey, $10 (384p) ISBN 0-345-38422-9 Lovecraft's transformation from beginner to master horror writer is the theme behind this collection of macabre tales, the third in a Del Rey trilogy of Lovecraft's work. It certainly succeeds in this design, making it both easy and informative to follow his development. But the works included here range from abysmal to excellent, with most occupying the weaker end of the range. Certain selections show Lovecraft at his gripping and imaginative best particularly the important novella, "At the Mountains of Madness," which deals with dreadful life encountered in the Antarctic wasteland (creatures who were "above all doubt the originals of the fiendish elder myths which thing like the Pnakotic Manuscripts and the Necronomicon affrightedly hint about."). But earlier works are less impressive. The first five stories, labeled "early tales" by their author, are among the few youthful writings that Lovecraft preserved. Three show the promise of talent to come, but the inclusion here of the xenophobic tract, "The Street," is barely justifiable. Beyond these, there are many one-note and predictable tales, often additionally marred by grotesque racism. It clearly took Lovecraft a while to develop the subtlety required for suspenseful storytelling. Editorial remarks beyond the existing one-page introduction could have added much, as would dating of the pieces. Serious Lovecraft fans, however, will not want to miss this collection, if only for the few gems included and later tales that bear on the Cthulhu mythos. (Oct.)

VOYA

There is no question that Lovecraft is tremendously popular with YAs. A reviewer could question the quality of Lovecraft's writing, but with so many talented writers citing Lovecraft as a major influence, such questioning would be useless. Accept these two titles for what they are-collections of standard Lovecraft stories with modern, scary covers. The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft, a trade paperback, contains an adulatory foreword by noted horror/fantasy writer Barbara Hambly. She touches upon the racism found in some of Lovecraft's works while acknowledging that reading Lovecraft is just plain fun. The stories and literary fragments in this collection are arranged to show Lovecraft's progression as a writer. A few rather creepy illustrations are included. Horror in the Museum was originally published in 1970 as a collection of Lovecraft's collaborations with other authors. Basically, Lovecraft revised and rewrote stories sent to him by other writers. Each story illustrates Lovecraft's distinctive style and devotion to adjectives. Both of these inexpensive titles will fly off the shelves. Transition may be more popular because it contains the story that inspired the movie Re-Animator. The cover graphics are gruesome and Clive Barkerish-sure to grab attention. Buy multiples of both, since I have yet to find a Lovecraft title sitting on the shelf in any YA collection. Note: This review was written and published to address two titles: The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions and The Transition of H. P. Lovecraft: The Road to Madness. VOYA Codes: 3Q 5P J S (Readable without serious defects, Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday, Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9 and Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

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