At the Mountains of Madness [Blackstone Edition]

By: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

A master of terror and nightmarish visions, H.P. Lovecraft solidified his place at the top of the horror genre with this macabre supernatural tale.

When a geologist leads an expedition to the Antarctic plateau, his aim is to find rock and plant specimens from deep within the continent. The barren landscape offers no evidence of any life form - until they stumble upon the ruins of a lost civilization. Strange fossils of creatures unknown to man lead the team deeper, where they find carved stones dating back millions of years. But it is their discovery of the terrifying city of the Old Ones that leads them to an encounter with an untold menace.

Deliberately told and increasingly chilling, At the Mountains of Madness is a must-have for every fan of classic terror.

Public Domain (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Well Read, Good Tale

What made the experience of listening to At the Mountains of Madness [Blackstone Edition] the most enjoyable?

I especially enjoyed Lovecrafts use of the English language, and Mr.Herrman's outstanding read.

What other book might you compare At the Mountains of Madness [Blackstone Edition] to and why?

Like many Poe stories.
Peter Straub.

Which character – as performed by Edward Herrmann – was your favorite?

The narrator

Who was the most memorable character of At the Mountains of Madness [Blackstone Edition] and why?

The narrator. He was an eyewitness to something he hoped no humans would ever see again..while he was reporting events objectively, he was also trying to convey a dire warning.

Any additional comments?

Worth it.

Excellent! Not the gory bloodbath I expected!

This was my first introduction to Lovecraft. I got the book because I'd heard that a movie was in the works based on it, and from what I read it sounded like something I'd like.

Turns out, it WAS something I liked!

For some reason, I was expecting a lot of gore and outright horror. I think I was also expecting some supernatural elements -- demons and the like. Instead, this book reminded me far more of some great sci-fi classics like Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama, Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Conan Doyle's The Lost World. I absolutely loved it, and can't wait for the movie now. I plan to get some other stuff by Lovecraft now that I have a better idea what he's about.

Fascinating and tense

Posed as a scientist's account, with almost no dialogue. Brilliantly imagined and told. Very well read by Mr. Herrman.

Excellent book, too short.

This needs 15 words apparently. I wish the book was longer; i hate this requirement.

incredible writing

really teases the readers lack of knowledge in the situation and plays with your imagination

Pretty Dry

As a horror fan, for a long time I've wondered what Lovecraft's work was like, having read about it, seen movies based on his work, but I'd never gotten around to reading one.

I found the story interesting, but a very dry read. It was hard to visualize anything, it just seemed to drone on without a single line of dialog. I can't quite say what literary style is it. Sort of done as a first person semi-journal. I disagree with a prior reviewer saying that it was using the literary style of that period (the 1930's). I've read plenty of books from that era, and can't say I've read one as bland as this.

Fortunately, it was only short. I'd not honestly buy another Lovecraft book after this though.

lulled to sleep

I don't know if it is the narrator or the writing but I just could not concentrate on this book. I got the jist of it but I'm sure I missed the details that make it a classic. I'll try again in a few months.

Fabulous

Great listen. Very engaging. I looked forward to any opportunity to press play. The use of language is rich and kept by brain focused as many of the words are used in ways I have simply forgotten they could be used. Loved it.

Good Storytelling, A Bit Overdramatic at Points

If you've read or listened to Lovecraft's works before, you'll get just as much enjoyment out of this one. It starts off very strong and continues to do so for awhile.
My only complaint is that among all of LC's works, and this one especially, the speaker is almost undoubtably perturbed by some likely "un-namable horror" and always comes down to the same point of "I can't stand even the thought of this, let me tell you a thousand ways why it's horrible and I should never talk about it." It just grates on the nerves a bit to the point where I just think repeatedly "Get on with it, you panzy. You saw the outline of a large form bounding sort of towards you, scary but not worth you going fetal-position over."

a classic

this is a wonderful narration of a classic horror story so beautifully written but nonetheless dated in the sense that it does not evke the same sense of dread and horror that it did when i first read it at 12