Reanimators

By: Pete Rawlik

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Two men, a bitter rivalry, and a quarter-century of unspeakable horrors. Herbert West’s crimes against nature are well-known to those familiar with the darkest secrets of science and resurrection. Obsessed with finding a cure for mankind’s oldest malady, death itself, he has experimented upon the living and dead, leaving behind a trail of monsters, mayhem, and madness. But the story of his greatest rival has never been told until now.

Dr. Stuart Hartwell, a colleague and contemporary of West, sets out to destroy him by uncovering the secrets of his terrible experiments, only to become what he initially despised: a reanimator of the dead. For more than twenty years, the two scientists race each other to master the mysteries of life...and unlife. From the grisly battlefields of the Great War to the haunted coasts of Dunwich and Innsmouth, from the halls of fabled Miskatonic University to the sinking of the Titanic, their unholy quests leave their mark upon the world and create monsters of them both.

©2013 Pete Rawlik (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Good, but not great

The voice acting is good, the book is well written, and this book quite adequately expounds on Lovecraft's stories. Its only problem is that it is a bit dry. Somewhat emotionless writing. But of all the fiction that tries to expand on the existing Cthulhu mythos, this is the better.

Amazing Story

What made the experience of listening to Reanimators the most enjoyable?

The subject matter, the research that went into it by the author, the voice acting. Everything about this version of the book was spellbinding. From start to finish I was hooked. I have listened to it over 30 times now and am sure to keep doing so. It is like comfort food for the mind. Never bland, always fun to return to. Everything about this book is spectacular.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

Dr. Hartwell

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There is a moment when all the threads of the story start to come together. A photo involving the Titanic, I grimly laughed out loud as it happened. Such a great moment. I do not wan to spoil it but it was damn fine storytelling.

Any additional comments?

Even if you are not a fan of the mythos, you will enjoy this book if you dig solid storytelling and things that are a little off the beaten path.

Heed Not The Naysayers

Fair warning: this is a truly lovely novel for Lovecraft enthusiasts; a perplexing novel for those who aren't.

Suffice it to say, Rawlik does a rollicking (get it?) good job of not only crafting a fascinating narrative replete with Lovecraftian characters and scenarios, but also manages to at once build on the Mythos canon and render his original creation, Dr. Hartwell, into an integral player in the events of several of Lovecraft's most beloved tales. Truly a wonderful exercise in creative mythography.

My major gripe is this: footnotes. Seriously, footnotes. Even for those intimately familiar with the canon could use a reference guide to keep track of the veritable plethora of characters and events utilized here.

Also, for those slapping this novel with the singularly derisive and puerile label of "Lovecraft Fanfiction," I have two things to say:

Firstly, Lovecraft opened his mythos up to other writers fairly early on in its development. Thus, carrying on in this tradition is not "fanfiction," it is simply another effort at expansion.

Secondly, this isn't Goodreads. Have some class.

A wonderful romp through Lovecraft country

A story that intertwines several of Lovecraft's more well known stories from the view point of a character in the background but with his own story to tell. Great for Lovecraft aficionados who don't mind seeing old stories told from a different angle.

The Dark Prince of Providence Would Be Proud

Dr. Stuart Hartwell, the primary protagonist is similar to the character Forest Gump, in that he establishes a connection to a wide range of familiar people and places (in this case the famous characters and locales of HPL's Mythos). What Pete Rawlik has done is pure genius. He not only connects the various stories we all know and love in a smart way, but he expands the Mythos with cleverness and imagination. He does not just USE the past stories to tell a new one, but adds too them without cheapening them.
I very much enjoyed this book and recommend it. The prose is perfect. The narrator's performance is one point. I look forward to listening to The Weird Company now.

The Secret History of the Lovecraft Universe

This is one of my favorites Lovecraft mythos tales. Rawlik's comprehensive knowledge of the Lovecraft universe enhances his storytelling ability. This is a "secret history" of the Lovecraft universe, where a seemingly minor character in one of the stories, Dr. Hartwell, plays a pivotal role. A familiarity with Lovecraft's tales is necessary, but if you have not read everything, I wouldn't let that stop you. While I first read this in book format to catch all the references, the audiobook is the version I revisit most often.

True to a Great Tradition

I read a review on Goodreads by some Philistine who obviously isn't quite the Lovecraft scholar he thinks he is. Otherwise, he would know that "pastiche" is hardly the term to apply to an episodic novel in the tradition of Lovecraft's particular "sandbox". And the fact that he seems to think that other authors "intruding" in Lovecraft's Mythos is a recent phenomenon pretty much says it all. (I imagine he's also furious that some people get paid good money to invent stories in the Star Trek, Star Wars and Dr. Who universes as well.)

As to his bleating complaints about the structure of the book, well, he might want to go back and re-read the original Reanimator, paying a little more attention to the way that story was presented.

Anyway, enough about that oaf. I happen to think, for what it's worth, that Mr. Rawlik did an outstanding job, one that I feel HPL would approve of, and which any Lovecraft fan would appreciate and enjoy. If you're one of those "purists" who turn your nose up at Mythos stories by Derleth, Bloch, Long, Campbell, et al, then you might want to steer clear.

If, on the other hand, you're a True Fan of the Master, then you already know that he shared his sandbox with many another like-minded writer. Would he have approved of the veritable stampede that's ensued over the past few decades? I don't know. Dig him up, prepare his "saltes," say the words and ask him!

But remember: Do not call up that which you cannot put down...

LOVEITLOVEITLOVEIT

If you could sum up Reanimators in three words, what would they be?

Creepy good times!

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

If you are an avid Monster Hunters International fan (as I am) you'll recognize Wyman's voice. I had to laugh whenever he vocalized some of the "mis-born" seven foot tall 15 year-olds since it was the same voice used for Agent Franks.

Don't get me wrong I am a HUGE Wyman fan and he is one of the best voice artists in the industry! This adaptation is no exception! Great job!

Any additional comments?

If you like Lovecraft, you'll love this! This book is crazy fun and I enjoyed Rawlik's re-telling / furtherment of the mythos universe. There was very few actual cuttle-fish-face sightings and just a tad of referencing of the elder ones but everything else is off the hook!

An adequate continuation of Lovecrafts original

Being well versed in Lovecrafts works I can say it seems a semiplausible continuation. For anyone who hasn't already read "Herbert West -Reanimator" by H.P. Lovecraft I suggest doing so before listening to this as it is the basis for this book. Presuming that one has already the aforementioned reading done, this is a lukewarm sequel in my opinion. It seems like a possible follow up but,simply more of the same and the original being one of my least favorite Lovecraft works I give it a 4 as there's nothing wrong per se just not mind blowing. it's definitely worth the credit/listen tho not to detract from it as to say it's bad.

Generally good and well performed

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I found this book to be a bit longer than needed, with the author going off on tangential rambling flashbacks that, for the most part, I could have done without.

Would you be willing to try another book from Pete Rawlik? Why or why not?

Yes, I would (and will since I have already purchased "The Weird Company" by the same author) try another book from Pete Rawlik.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favorite?

Overall, I enjoyed the performance of Dr. Stuart Hartwell as read by Oliver Wyman.

Could you see Reanimators being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No, this has been done already, and somewhat poorly, recently in the 1985 film "Reanimator", in my opinion this book would lend little to that terribly bad movie.

Any additional comments?

This is a good listen if you happen to be the type of person who often reads fan-fiction and enjoys looking at known stories from a different perspective. Normally, I don't read this type of material but I wanted to give it a fair listen, especially since I enjoy anything related to the Lovecraft universe. Firstly, I was impressed with the merging of the protagonists timeline with known stories, most notably The Dunwich Horror. It is obvious that the author is well read in the Lovecraft library as all of the factual details are well presented and accurate. I also found the added material to be consistent with my expectations of the areas in and around the Massachusetts that existed in Lovecraft's mind. The voice work by Oliver Wyman was very good overall with the exception of a few mispronounced words, oddly none of the mistakes were related to the sometimes odd and eccentric library of obscure words used by Lovecraft. Speaking of vocabulary, on the down side, the author attempts to make use of various words used often by Lovecraft, and although I understand the need to keep with the spirit of the original writing to an appropriate extent, I found that much of this seemed forced and instead of adding a nostalgic twist to the story, it made the performance in some areas appear ... lugubrious ... if you will. ;-) Overall, considering that I have been spoiled by confining my auditory experience with Lovecraft stories to narrators like the unmatched Wayne June, I found this to be a good listen, as long as you approach it with the idea that this is an extremely well written piece of fan-fiction by an author who not only has an excellent grasp of the English language of the target era, but also commands much knowledge of the genre and a gift for creating seamless timelines that tie his stories to that of the original. I look forward to listening to "The Weird Company" next, hoping that the author, and the narrator, continue advancing and improving their work.