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.

Good, but too much detail

Far be it from me to be telling HPL posthumously what to do, but despite the brilliant story I felt nevertheless that compared to other texts he goes into far too much detail and leaves almost nothing to imagination. Unlike the call of Cthulhu or other shorter stories, at the mountains of madness can spoil the unnerving, hinting character of HPL's style.

So if you want o know everything that is only hinted at in other stories, go for it.

Love it.

Sure it's dated in tech and writing style. It's a classic. Once you get past that it's great. I thought the narrators tone and pace were pitch perfect for the material. The writing is very descriptive which I see some reviewers did not like but I thought it painted a hauntingly scary story. Thus is my first taste of Lovecraft and it left me wanting more.

wonderfully descriptive

lovecraft's amazing descriptions and impressive storytelling is only overshadowed by his use of the eerie horror of the unknown.

Pleasantly surprised

I was hesitant to give this a shot after not enjoying my previous foray into Lovecraft, but I understand why this is one of his most enduring stories and am very happy I picked this one up. I wouldn't say this is for everyone but I found the way the tension was built to be very engaging. There's some silly logic but nothing extreme enough as to pull you out of the story.
I would recommend this to someone interested in getting into H.P. Lovecraft.

Exceptional narration

As the title suggests, outstanding voice and narration by Edward Hermann and a great classic horror/sci-fi story. But boy does Lovecraft love to go on and on with seemingly endless sentences that are repetitions and introductory build-ups to what the story is actually getting at. It's not exactly bad but sometimes makes your attention wander off only to snap back with nothing concrete still having been said.

Awesome Flight of Fancy, Weak Story

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

I've read all of HPL, including his essays but excluding the letters. He is definitely hit and miss. This is one of his most well-known books because in it, he delineates a major portion of his "Mythos" (the extended pantheon of deities and fantastic creatures that inhabit his stories). I enjoyed that part of it, as well as the dramatic reveal at the camp. (I'm being vague to avoid spoilers.) Ultimately, it's not a great story. It has pacing problems and a large portion of it is explication. Lovecraft never did subscribe to the "show don't tell" school of writing! :) But overall it's a pretty gripping listen.

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a fantastic reader, never stumbling over Lovecraft's invented words and really selling a story that isn't always delivering on all cylinders.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

John Carpenter's The Thing is actually, in many ways, the movie this book would be. And it's awesome. So watch that.

creepy, but a bit dry

This is a tale that is undeniably creepy, but more than a little dry in the telling.

Dark and Spooky

Observations: I did not quite understand what happened but it is okay. It is still frightening and mesmerizing. Pure Lovecraft. You know it is Lovecraft as soon as you hear/see it. His writing is unique and his imagination is boundless. Many authors today have been influenced by Lovecraft. In fact, this story made me want to go back and relisten to the Book entitled 14, by Peter Clines. Clines is definitely influenced by Lovecraft. I have listened to 14 at least six times. The feel is very similar to the feel of Mountain of Madness, except Clines does an even better job with his story. It is fantastic.

This story is especially great because it is narrated by Edward Herrmann. His reading of Mountain of Madness is absolutely amazing. His smooth deep voice melts me right into the story. There is no other narrator in the world that could have done a better job.

A Man of Detail

Lovecraft expounds the groundwork here for what is a detailed universe of suffering and the macabre, while leaving enough creative elements to the imagination. This novella is an appropriate introduction for anyone interested in reading more of his work.

Understanding the Old Ones

I would recommend brushing up on the geologic time scale before delving into the book. The author makes numerous references to different periods and epochs during the story and understanding (even on a basic level) of the differences in time will enhance the story.