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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©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)

Horror isn't normally my thing

Despite horror not normally being my genre, I really enjoyed this set of classic tales. The narrator was excellent, well able to convey horror and to pronounce unpronounceable words.

4 stories

Chapter 1: The Call of Cthulhu
Chapter 4: The Hound
Chapter 5: The Dunwich Horror
Chapter 15: Dagon

Very atmospheric and creepy

For some reason, I had never read Lovecraft before - even though my mother had read all of his stories. This collection is incredible. The stories are creepy. But even so the performance really makes the stories. The music and the dramatic reading by Mr Roberts makes this a keeper. Something I will make a point of listening to again and again - especially for Halloween!

Chilling classic read in bite-sized form

Lovecraft's stories are among the best horror ever written, but the performance really makes the mood come alive with these. The stories are in small-ish pieces, so its easy to drop and come back to, or listen to one before bed.

Too much grandiose.

Would you try another book from H. P. Lovecraft and/or William Roberts?

Nah, dawg.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Probably the largest problem I had with this pairing. He was so keen on providing emphasis and really trying to sell the academic sentiment that it felt like a public speaker reading rather than someone trying to convey a mood of eerie atmosphere I was hoping for in a horror story.

Maybe it's just me or maybe that's just how Lovecraft is, and, while I could understand the decision to choose such a narrator to highlight a classical pillar of horror fiction, it's exhausting to listen to and it's only 3 hours long. Eitherway, he ruined it for me. Sorry to the guy cause he didn't do a bad job, it was just a bad mix.

Any additional comments?

Thanks for the daily deals. I enjoy them immensely.

it was ok

Honestly the reader is a little boring for me. He sounds so scientific, like a British scientist, that I just kept loosing interest. But I would give an HP Lovecraft book a chance again.

Meh

This is the first time with both the horror genre and a work by Lovecraft. I can't say that I was particularly impressed with it. I'm not entirely sure if its these particular stories, the genre itself, Lovecraft's writing in general, or the narrator. I found the first and third stories to be passably enjoyable. The second and last, however, had trouble keeping my attention. Also, I found none of the stories to be particularly scary or even creepy, though some of the concepts within them were fairly interesting. I think it might just not be my cup of tea, unfortunately.

Excellent Narrator!

I have a variety of Lovecraft compilations - some of which also include the stories in this audiobook. The difference is that this narrator is incredibly good! If you're going to purchase Lovecraft stories, make sure William Roberts is narrating.

exception narrator for these classic tales!

the narrator is perfectly matched to these classic tales from the godfather of horror. a fantastic light read for the commute.

Love my Lovecraft

I've read these stories in print form before but it was really lovely to have the stories read to me with this audiobook.
For new listeners, as usual a Lovecraft story usually comes with a side of racist overtones. Despite this Lovecraft is a painter with words and is very skilled creating creepy atmospheres. Good read if you are a horror fan!