Tuesday, January 6

Book Review: Under the Pyramids & The Unnamble by HP Lovecraft

Author: HP Lovecraft
Title: Under the Pyramids
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, short stories, & Classic 
Pages: 46
First Published: 1924
Where I Got It: Borrowed from my friend, Court

"Told from the first-person perspective of escape artist Harry Houdini, "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" is a fictionalized account of an encounter that he claims to have experienced while on vacation in Egypt in January 1910. Enlisting the services of a guide named Abdul Reis el Drogman, Houdini is taken on a tour of Cairo and eventually forced to break up a conflict between his guide and a Bedouin leader by the name of Ali Ziz. Drogman enlists Houdini to help him settle the fight by way of a "custom of great antiquity in Cairo" a boxing match atop the Great Pyramid of Giza. Houdini soon discovers, however, that the entire argument was merely a ruse designed to lure him into the desert at night and kidnap him. The escape artist is tied up, taken to an unknown location, and dropped down a deep pit."

This is first story I've read by HP Lovecraft. I'm a huge Poe fan (as you all know) and my friend Court let me borrow her collection of Lovecraft's works, so I give him a go.

Ugh. This one was boring. :/ I skimmed a lot. However, I loved the ending...that was creepy and unexpected and awesome. Honestly, the author should have shortened it up, but thats just my opinion.

Not a great intro to Lovecraft, so onto the next short story.

Out of five stars, I stamp this with 2 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): The half animal-mummies? LOL
Not-so Favorite Character(s): No one really



Author: HP Lovecraft
Title: The Unnamble 
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, short stories, & Classic 
Pages: 4
First Published: 1923
Where I Got It: Borrowed from my friend, Court

"Carter, a weird fiction writer, meets with his close friend, Joel Manton, in a cemetery near an old, dilapidated house on Meadow Hill in the town of Arkham, Massachusetts. As the two sit upon a weathered tomb, Carter tells Manton the tale of an indescribable entity that allegedly haunts the house and surrounding area. He contends that because such an entity cannot be perceived by the five senses, it becomes impossible to quantify and accurately describe, thus earning itself the term unnamable."



The second story I have read by Mr. Lovecraft. SO much better then the first one. It was shorter, but I was on the edge of my seat. I read through it two or three times, because I was trying to make sense of what happened in the end. 

SO CREEPY! OH SNAP! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! 

LESSON ONE: DON'T QUESTION THINGS ESPECIALLY THE 'UNNAMBLE'! LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE! *shudders*

This was so much better then the first one, in my opinion. It was super creepy and you just KNEW something was around the corner. The tone of the story, you could just feel the heaviness. Amazing. I shall stamp this with 5 stars. 

Favorite Character(s): Carter and Manton (even tho they should have not questioned or talk about it)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): nada



3 comments:

Melliane said...

well at last one was really good right? They're new to me. But the second looks intriguing.

Blodeuedd said...

I still have not tried him

Carole Rae said...

Melliane, I plan on reading a few more of his short stories before returning the book to my friend.

B, give a go! I am sure there are free downloads (since they are short stories)