Haggopian and Other Stories: A Cthulhu Mythos Collection

De: Brian Lumley

Narrado por: Joshua Saxon

Collection of H. P. Lovecraft-inspired dark tales.

A collection of thrilling tales from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos by one of horror's biggest legends. This volume contains the very best of Brian Lumley's Mythos short stories.

©2008 Brian Lumley (P)2019 David N. Wilson

More great Mythos

These stories are great! Love HPL and Lumley's take on Cthuhu.

Hail Nimrod

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Another Great Batch of Stories

I think this is my fourth batch of short stories by Brian Lumley I've listened to. I can't even remember how I came across him, probably from a free audiobook offer, but I'm glad I did. I stated in my first review (I think) that while I'd attempted to read some of H.P. Lovecraft's stories a few years ago, I just couldn't connect to them. Like I was trying to read something that was written for a much smarter person. With Mr. Lumley's versions, I'm kept entertained. Yes, there were a couple of stories that didn't really pull in as much as the rest, but overall, I like his work. I keep trying to get my husband to give his books a listen-to as he's a fan of Cthulhu, maybe one day.

A big plus was that Mr. Lumley provided a little backstory regarding each story. I loved that! I'm always a fan of learning more about the author and how he/she came up with their story ideas.

As for Joshua Saxton... What can be said about him? He does a great job narrating and definitely adds a little something extra to each story that he works with.

Entertaining, sometimes outstanding

There were a few weak stories, but most were entertaining and a few were outstanding. In many ways Brian Lumley’s Cthulhu stories are better than the average Lovecraft story: they aren’t overwritten and they aren’t racist. Joshua Saxon’s voice and style are a perfect fit for the subject matter of this collection.

fantastic mythos

I had somehow missed Lumley all these years and now I need to make up for lost time. binge!

Another brilliant Cthulhu mythos collection!

Here we have another fantastic collection of Mythos tales by the incredible Brian Lumley. The stories range from short stories to novelettes, and each features a different take on the Mythos and is told in a very different style.

With but two exceptions (these having no obvious tie to the Mythos), the two things all these stories have in common is brilliant characterization and a fascinating link to the Cthulhu Mythos.

I think aside from the fascinating mythology, the main thing I love about Mythos tales is how many of them end on a bleak, horrific note.

As usual, Joshua Saxon offers brilliant audio narration that sets the tone of each story wonderfully. As with his previous work, his one weakness is that the female voices are left somewhat wanting, though to be fair that is a fairly common problem.

Elsewise, his voices are varied and distinct and brilliantly crafted. His accents are damned impressive. His vocal inflections are excellent and his tempo shifts, while subtle, are very effective.

As is my wont, I'll forgo a discussion of what each story is about. I'm sure you can find other reviews that do this.

First, as was the standard at the time most were written, many of these stories start off a bit slowly while providing a lot of excellent characterization to help get to know the characters.

There are a couple of exceptions, but most of the stories are told in first person POV, which I'm not normally fond of. But here it works exceptionally well with the subject matter.

Each character throughout the stories has a unique personality and view of the world that makes their voice compelling and interesting to read.

While I do find myself wishing most of these stories were longer, each is brilliantly crafted and brings something new to the Mythos.

In particular, I find the character Titus Crow growing on me. When I first encountered him in his origin story (Lord of the Worms, I think?) contained in The Taint, I wasn't particularly fond of him. But after reading this, I find myself wanting to look up the novels about Crow and his struggles against the Elder Gods.

One of my favorite things about this collection is that it's not nearly as disjointed as most anthologies. There are some direct links tying several of the stories together, particularly the beginning and ending stories, which make for brilliant choices, especially the story that closes this collection.

On a side note, I really enjoy the introduction to each story by Lumley. There is a lot of insight into the stories themselves as well as their publication history that I find fascinating.