The Call of Cthulhu

By: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrated by: K. Anderson Yancy, Kevin Yancy, Joseph Vitaliano Jr

Length: 1 hr and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Attending to the affairs of his late uncle, a man pieces together disturbing notes, articles, and horrendous carvings of a nightmare beast on stones neither of which are from this world. It propels him on a world-wide search that culminates with the discovery that dormant, great, elder beings who seeped to Earth before humanity's dawn are stirring in their sleep and will rise to re-exert their dominion over the world at the expense of humans and their civilization.

Public Domain (P)2014 Kevin Anderson Yancy

Added sound effects were a bit much

Would you listen to The Call of Cthulhu again? Why?

I have listened to it twice so far. It it only 1 hour and 20 minutes long.

What other book might you compare The Call of Cthulhu to and why?

not sure. An Edgar Allen Poe book maybe?

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

There were all these extra sound effects that were supposed to be the sound of a scary alien or surreal horror screaming - I found it grating. The narrator was panting at points because he was scared or asthmatic or something. I appreciate the effort, but a straight reading might have been better. The sound effects were a bit distracting.

Any additional comments?

I got this audio book because it was slightly cheaper than other HP Lovecraft audiobooks. Still, one credit for 1 hour and 20 minutes? I'll just read the book next time and I'll get that from the library.

Excellent book but narrator needs work!

This is my first H.P. Lovecraft story and I loved it. It sent chills up and down my spine, made the hair on my neck stand on end and all those good creepy things. I can't wait for my next Lovecraft story.

However I have some issues with the narration. I loved the sound effects and creepy demonic voices that made my toes curl.

However, I was reading along with the eBook on my Kindle app and saw many occasions where the narrator skipped entire sentences and parts of other sentences. In many cases he used the completely wrong word or totally mispronounced the correct word. In many MANY cases he is speaking so fast that there is barely any pause, if any, between sentences. This made it difficult to follow along and was the reason I broke down and bought the eBook so I could follow along.

After getting the eBook I completely started over with chapter 1 so that I would be up to date. When I have to go buy the eBook and start the recording over that is not a good thing. I want to be able to clearly follow the narrator as he or she is performing so I can be immersed in the story. I shouldn't have to go and buy the book so I can follow along and keep up.

On the plus side, I absolutely loved the tone Kevin Yancey's voice that he used. It added to the macabreness of the story. Now if he would just slow down, enunciate his words, use the correct words and use the correct pronunciation of words he would be a great narrator whom I would buy again.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

the Call of Cthulhu review

What made the experience of listening to The Call of Cthulhu the most enjoyable?

Incredible sound effects, and the narrator's voice.

What other book might you compare The Call of Cthulhu to and why?

None.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Who was the most memorable character of The Call of Cthulhu and why?

Inspector Legrasse.

Any additional comments?

I received this to give an unbiased review.

A Horror Classic Marred by Audio Production Issues

The book material is great; creepy, ominous, and cerebral. If you've ever read Lovecraft before (chances are you've already read this story), then you already know that this story deserves all the attention it receives as new readers discover it for the first time.

The narration for this title was OK. It was more like an old radio drama, but its use of effects made it seem a little campier than the material warrants. The main narrator did a fine job, but he spoke a little too softly for my taste--I had to crank up the volume to be able to hear him properly.

*** In full disclosure, this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Chilling, Atmospheric Performance

This isn't my favorite Lovecraft story. The narrator is reporting events that have happened to others so it lacks in immediacy. However, the performance is well-done. Music and sounds further set the mood of brooding, lurking terror. In a few instances the sounds drowned out a word or two of the reader, but I don't think my understanding of the story suffered. Recommended for Lovecraft fans.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com.

Modern Lovecraft Performance

If you could sum up The Call of Cthulhu in three words, what would they be?

Creepy, good, and enthralling.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Call of Cthulhu?

Anytime the narrator sees something that he cannot comprehend (something cosmic horror) he does his best to describe it while conveying the absolute lack of comprehension about something like that existing. It's one of Lovecraft's trademarks and translates well to this performance.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The narrator keeps all of the tension and mystique at a high while adding in the sound effects and emotion that someone actually undertaking the events of the story might mirror.

If you could rename The Call of Cthulhu, what would you call it?

I would not... this is one of the stories that everyone either knows or should know and there would never be a reason to change it.

Any additional comments?

I received the code for this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review and here it is. As a longer sonic movie performance than the ones I'd listened to previously it actually seemed more like a movie. I recommend it to anyone who wants to hear a classic done a new way.

Great but the performance may divide opinion :)

Well the introduction to the audiobook makes it crystal clear that the narrators are aiming for more of a "play for radio" type of performance rather than a straight, plain reading of the text of the book.

That's absolutely what you get - an audiobook which has more in common with a BBC Radio drama or the fabulous War of The Worlds broadcast by Orson Welles. There are sound effects, musical interludes between sections and a foreboding, brooding, echoing soundbed over which much of the narrative is read. It's a roll-up of an immersive experience which I personally thought added rather well to H. P. Lovecraft's almost Victorian poetic stuffed-shirt style of prose. That said, some may hate it because of the additional sound - there are many audiobook purists who wish the words to be the stars and dislike narrators who emote too much or inflect passion or feeling into what they are saying - and if you fall into that category then this book is going to be something you will loathe with a passion.

H. P. Lovecraft pretty much launched the modern gothic horror genre and The Call of Cthulhu with its evil invocations and almost entirely dialog-free descriptive narrative is wonderful and must have been ground-breaking at a time when farces and love stories still reigned supreme, save for the wonders of Mary Shelley and Poe. That narration captures this slightly pompous and stilted style totally perfectly. Admittedly in some places the balance of the sounds against the reader's rumbling sonorous baritone voice was such that it could be difficult to make out what was being said - a major crime for an audiobook - but yet at the same time it leads us to participate more actively rather than simply to listen to words tumbling from a mouth. I would have liked to see the bass and treble equalization managed more adeptly so that the voice was less subsonic which would help with discerning what was being said. If you're the narrator reading this comment it might be worth thinking about that should you come to record further books, which I hope you do.

I listened to a free review copy but this is one of the rare audiobooks that I would have paid for and would have had no regrets. I'm looking forward to more from the narration/production team, especially if they are by Lovecraft who was such a tragic loss at so young an age and in an increasing state of penury too.

Good stuff - more more!

First Lovecraft tale I've ever read

This is the first Lovecraft tale I've ever read and I can understand why he is considered a master of the horror genre. The slow buildup and atmosphere in this tale really heighten the tension and fear levels. I'm usually not a lover of horror, but as Halloween is getting closer I feel like I will be reading more of Lovecraft's work in the coming weeks.

While I think the Yancy's narration was actually really good, the audio could use a bit of editing. The pops and hisses from his excellent pronunciation hurt my ears after a bit and became a bit distracting. Occasionally, the background sounds overwhelmed the narration and there were multiple occasions that I felt the music/sounds were more Halloween store than horror story. However, I really enjoyed the narration and I look forward to listening to more.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Loved it

Any additional comments?

Love K. Anderson Yancy and his SonicMovies.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBlast dot com."

I guess I just did not get it.

I have heard about these tales forever it seems. I finally decided to give this Cthulu thing a shot. I am obviously very much in the minority here, but the story just did not gel for me. It was not anything that grabbed me, pulled me in, and refused to let go. Rather, I just wanted to be done with it and say that I tried.

As for the performance, there is a lot going on. On the good side, there was a dramatic score and sound effects. On the down side, the narration was often drowned out in places by those very things. Also, the narrator was a bit too monotone for my liking. Perhaps he was trying to set a foreboding mood, but it just came across as flat and uninspired.

I truly wanted to like this, but it just did not happen.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.