Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories

By: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrated by: William Roberts

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

At the heart of these stories, as with all the best of Lovecraft’s work, is the belief that the Earth was once inhabited by powerful and evil gods, just waiting for the chance to recolonise their planet. Cthulhu is one such god, lurking deep beneath the sea until called into being by cult followers who – like all humans – know not what they do. It is because of these dark, mythic tales with their terrified awareness of the limits of Man’s knowledge, that H.P. Lovecraft is one of the most influential American writers.

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©2010 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2010 Naxos AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"Reading Lovecraft is challenge enough, but listening to his work can be fraught with peril - unless William Roberts is at the mike. Readers and listeners either love or hate Lovecraft, most commonly because of his complex language and near overwhelming sentence structure. Roberts takes on this challenge and delivers these short stories beautifully. He seems to have wrangled the leviathan that is Lovecraft's style and bullied it into submission. His delivery is engaging and dramatic. It shows that he has spent time with the text and understands the author's sometimes dizzying style. Best of all, he is able to communicate that understanding to the listener. Roberts's narration provides a perfect introduction for newcomers who are interested in Lovecraft’s work but who are intimidated by his reputation." (AudioFile magazine)

Great reader and collection

This was a great collection of love craft tales. Very well read I quite liked them. Great Intro for anyone looking for the classics and explanations of the mythos. Dunwich Horror was probably my favourite with call of Cthulhu a very close second. The hound was a bit morbid but creepy. Do yourself a favour and look up some of the words because they are rich in meaning and drenched in atmosphere.

cthulu of the nightmares

great descriptions and mood. not a riveting story though as it lacks a traditional arc. the first story is the best imo. :^] gj hplovecraft.

Amazing stories read by brilliant narrator

Story:
The Call of Cthulhu is classic. The Dunwich Horror is legendary. Dagon and The Hound are both solid on their own and here work as a good "filler" for the two main attraction .

Performance:
Simply amazing.
First, I was slightly skeptical as I associate Willian Roberts with other medium (specific character) but at the same time it was also positive familiarity. Either way, after few minutes, that become irrelevant

And what mattered ... is that he is just great narrator with pleasant voice.

Many things I would consider basic for narration, but are not standard. Some examples what I mean: (this title checks all positives and none of the negatives)

* Sentences and paragraphs are clearly separated. It is a structured and formatted text, not a stream of words.

* Change of tone and speed where appropriate. Excitement, intensiveness and slight speed-up when there is "action"; slow down and hushed voice for secret whispering,...
(And especially(!): monotone only for very specific cases, like reading newspaper article inside the story.)

* Consistent volume. Neither character whispering or yelling should require volume change on my device.

* Sentences read as sentences not snippets of it. Sentence should be read as one piece with breaks only where the content of it requires. You can't read 4 words take break, read another 4 words, ...

* Distinguishable characters without over the top voices. (To be fair, this specific piece has small number of characters and only handful of actual dialog/characters interacting.)

* etc.

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I listed the above as from now on, William Roberts with Call of Cthulhu and Other Stories is my benchmark for proper audiobook experience.

Great but not very long.

Overall, I really liked the story and the reader, I just wish there was a bit more content.

Classic horror of the 40s

You either find Lovecraft entertaining or appalling. I'm entertained. This is a very nice version of the cthulhu cannon. It's silly stuff but fun.

Good

I couldn't click on the stars so... this was the only way I could review this book. I enjoyed it as an intro to Lovecraft.

William Roberts Reads More Classic Lovecraft

William Roberts' reading of the last four chapters of "The Dunwich Horror" is better than Wayne June's. There, I've said it. I compare every narration of Lovecraft to June's and Roberts and Branson Pinchot have been the only readers to approach his level, at least to my ears. And now Roberts has surpassed June for one segment. His reading of "The Call of Cthuhu" and "Dagon" gives me new interpretations to enjoy. His reading of "The Hound" is the only one I've heard, and the break in his character's voice when he finally saw what was on his trail moved me. A splendid version, very well done.

this was pretty good. worth it. good stories. yes.

good stuff. good reader. yes. I liked it. 5 stars. I am not a bot.

Very good story's and writing.

Don't listen at night if you have an active imagination! Vivid story telling and phrases.

Meanderings in alternative mythologies

Lovely performance by a reader who so closely replicates the story, it's as though he wrote it himself. Love the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He utilizes an under-represented vocabulary.