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

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.

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.

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!

One for fans of the Lovecraft Mythos

I received a free audio copy from the narrator in exchange for an honest review. This in no way imaginable alters my opinions.
I still remember enjoying the Necroscope series back in the dawn of my 20s. While I often wonder if my opinion of it today would be different to those of my salad days, despite it being nearly 30 years ago (gasp!) I still remember much of the series and I think that is a testament to Brian Lumley’s ability as a writer. So, when I got a chance to check out some of his audiobooks, I jumped at it.
This is my second trip into a short story anthology by Brian Lumley in the last few months, the first being No Sharks in the Med and Other Stories. That anthology, like most, wasn’t perfect, and it stands to reason that this one isn’t either. In addition, while most of Lumley’s work has (at least) a faint whiff of the Lovecraft Mythos to it, this anthology is firmly rooted in said Mythos, where the author cut his teeth before his Necroscope days. Don’t let the ‘not being perfect’ tag put you off though, I have read everything by Lovecraft, and I can assure you his collection suffers the same fate. So, without further ado, here are my vaunted thoughts on the short story collection:
This is the fourth anthology of massively popular authors (the others are by Kevin J Anderson) in the last six months, and I must be honest, my favourite part of all these anthologies was the little background pieces of the authors’ lives before each story. These tell a lot about the author, and also give some insight into the struggles they had at first, which can be a comfort to would-be authors today (like me)
Joshua Saxon is a terrific narrator. When he reads each story, it’s exactly how I read Lovecraft Mythos in my head. A big part of these stories is capturing the bewilderment of the protagonist as everything they believed is rocked to the core. Saxon does this as well as, if not better than, my own internal narrator. For that alone, he’d get five stars, but he also has the kind of voice you would listen to, even if he was reading a telephone book
As mentioned earlier, anthologies tend to be inconsistent. As this one stretches back to some of Lumley’s earliest works, one can imagine that the quality of his earliest works would (and should) not equal the quality of those more recent. In saything that, in no part of this anthology did I ever doubt I was in the world of the Mythos - almost all of the staples are there, with some new wrinkles thrown in for good measure. Also, just because Lumley wrote a story fifty years ago, it just means it’s not written as well, not that isn’t any good.

Verdict
One for Lovecraft fans. In saying that, even the most staunch of Lovecraft fans will find something to entertain them here.

Extremely well done narration. Feels very much like Lovecraft’s work.

Extremely well done narration. Feels very much like Lovecraft’s work. I definitely intend on checking out more work by this author.

Great collection

I love lumleys work. I discovered the worn paperbacks years ago on a dusty shelves. Pursued the releases as I found them and enjoy rediscovering them now in audio. What’s best is when my son says dad when we go fishing tomorrow can we listen to more of those short stories about the weird “thooloo” stuff while driving there? One of the other great things about this collection is how the author tells you the history of each tale and in many cases how much it originally “sold” for to the publishers. This is a must for any fans of horror and the Cthulhu Mythos. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

HPL Applauds Lumley

I think Lumley is the king of the Cthulhu Mythos circle. Nobody does the Mythos better than he. Lovecraft began it, his penpals and he cultivated it, and some lesser authors continue to plink along, but Lumley continues Lovecraft's tradition.

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.

Standard Lovecraft Mythos Fare Well Done

There are a lot of stories here, over 17 hours worth. All are pretty standard Lovecraftian mythos fare with Lumley's spin. He's added significantly to the whole mythos both with repeating human characters like Titus Crow and his own additions to the pantheon of slimy critters. The stories are all well done and span a wide time span of Lumley's output.
Joshua Saxon does an excellent job of narration across a wide range of characters.
I was given this free audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.