I have always loved horror stories, and none more than cosmic horror, so what better author to dive into than H.P. Lovecraft? I chose to read three stories by Lovecraft: At the Mountains of Madness, The Call of Cthulhu, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth. After reading, I have grown even more fond of the cosmic horror genre and have gained great love for all three of these wonderfully chilling stories.

All three short stories offer a similar, yet wildly different experience. Lovecraft manages to create great existential horror on every page, with the stories all having a compelling and constantly entertaining plot. The characters are also competently developed even with the shorter length of the stories.

Not only is each story a spectacularly horrific and existential experience with
rich characters, but the fantastic use of imagery and physical descriptions allows the reader to picture the scenes and otherworldly monstrosities in vivid detail. All three stories have an intriguing sense of mystery, and you are always entertained by the discoveries the characters make along the way.

At the Mountains of Madness is the longest of the three and is also the one I liked best — becoming one of my favorite books of all time. Lovecraft takes you on a chilling journey, literally and figuratively, as the main character, William Dyer, describes his fateful expedition to Antarctica. He brings you along as he recounts his expedition’s encounters with all the horrors and discoveries that they were unfortunate enough to come across. The revelations and twists that are featured are wonderful. After finishing the novel, I was left in awe at the scale and complexity of the cosmically terrifying reality that Lovecraft managed to craft and unveil to me as I read. Lovecraft has a way of writing that may be challenging for some readers, as it is, at certain points, particularly dense and detailed, but it is more than worth the effort to experience this delightful story. The suspense and mystery surrounding the central story were perfect and always left me wanting to read more.

The two shorter stories, The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, were each wonderful in their own way. The stories provided a concise yet rich and captivating narrative. The Call of Cthulhu follows a young man as he looks through documents and accounts to discover the truth behind the shadowy cult following a monster called Cthulhu. The unique way that the story is told, that being from the point of view of documents being read and explained to the reader, makes it always interesting to read. Lovecraft manages to create a very chilling and intriguing story.

That leaves The Shadow Over Innsmouth, another short story about a seaside town where strange occurrences have been covered up, being revealed to the reader along the way. Like the other two stories, The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a mystery as you uncover the truth behind the events and their expected cosmic monstrosity. It is a delight to read and manages to be entertaining the entire time. Like At the Mountains of Madness, Lovecraft’s writing in both short stories may take a little longer to decipher as it is a bit heavy, but reading this story is well worth it.

In short, any three of these would fit perfectly if you are looking for a profoundly unsettling and captivating story. Whether you want something akin to a full-length novel like At the Mountains of Madness or something shorter, Lovecraft provides a fantastic horror reading experience.