This is sort of a B-sides and rarities compilation for Lovecraft and, as such, is hard to rate as the quality varies so wildly. Much of it traces the development that would leave to the outright masterpiece, The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath, and there are echoes of this in stories like The Other Gods. Poetry, prose poems, collaborations and ghost writing jobs are included to round out the collection, reminding us that HPL struggled for recognition during his time.

These more atypical works aren't to be underestimated - Imprisoned With the Pharoahs, which was apparently ghost-written for Weird Tales on behalf of Harry Houdini, comes across as inspired and is much more readable than half the collection.

This is very much the sound of HPL finding his voice. Better work was to come, but this collection shouldn't be overlooked.

Wahrscheinlich die schlechteste Lovecraft Geschichte, die ich bisher gelesen habe. Der Meister der Spannung hat eine Story ohne nennenswerte Spannung geschaffen. Ja, es wird auf etwas aufgebaut, aber der Großteil ist nur Beschreibung von fremden Orten. Habe mich beim Lesen leider sehr gelangweilt. Demnach ist mir auch egal, wie gut es vielleicht geschrieben ist, weil das keinen Unterschied macht.

(+)
- Beschreibungen sind schön geschrieben

(-)
- Nichts passiert, bis auf die letzte Seite
- Ich habe Lovecraft bekannte Perspektive vermisst

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This one was just okay. Nothing really wrong with it, only that it wasn't as creepy as some of his better works and doesn't stand out among the rest. Inventive nonetheless and still effective.

I generally don't go in for horror, but Lovecraft just does it for me.

The first Lovecraft I've read and what a pleasant discovery it's been. Lovecraft's detached, didactic tone coupled with his delight in the grim makes for surprisingly engaging reading.

This book is a loose collection of what I gather to be odds 'n ends. Stories and poems which do not belong to Lovecraft's famous Cthulhu mythos.

Several apparently belong to another, less known, of Lovecraft's universes: the "Dream World." I liked these very much, indeed, as the theme of reality not being what it appears is one of my favourites in fiction. "Beyond the Walls of Sleep" is a standout.

Several are "Dunsanian," more-or-less directly inspired by Lord Dunsany. These I also found to be very good. "The Quest of Iranon" is unexpectedly affecting and touching, with a melancholy, even cynical note.

And a few are collaborations—so-called, as the notes explain that Lovecraft's pen is more prominent in these stories than his collaborators'. A story ghostwritten for Harry Houdini, "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs," along with the similarly-themed "The Nameless City" are dark and imaginative.

I'm left wondering at the character of Lovecraft himself. He has a truly impressive depth of feeling in the face of the unknown. Looking forward to reading more of this Rhode Islander's work.

This story really drags in the middle with its descriptions of how awesome the town is, but the payoff is decent. These dudes sound like real assholes and got what was coming to them.

7/10

Howard: “And the priest wrote DOOM on the wall before he died and, unbeknownst to the civilians, DOOM would come to Sarnath!”
Howard: “They forgot about the priest but DOOM was soon to come!”
Howard: “The green mist engulfed the city, signifying DOOM-“
Me: “Hey are we actually gonna see said doom?:)”
Howard:”…Uh… SO ANYWAYS DOOM CAME TO THE PEOPLE OF SARNATH AND THEY DESERTED THE PLACE BECAUSE THE **DOOM** WAS UNBEARABLE AND.”

Uuughhgh this one was so boring. The worst thing a horror story can be is boring T_T.

Mistrz grozy pisze jak zawsze. Po wspaniałym zbiorze "Zew Cthulhu" i uzupełniającym "Zgroza w Dunwich i inne przerażające opowieści" przyszedł czas na bardzo przeciętny i nierówny zbiór "Przyszła na Sarnath Zagłada". Mimo, iż uważam się niejako za fana jego stylu i tego co pisze, nie mogłem przebrnąć przez opowiadanie "Ku nieznanemu Kadath śniąca się wędrówka". Mimo, iż rozłożyłem sobie te opowiadania w czasie bo jak wiadomo "za dużo HPL szkodzi dawkowane naraz" przysypiałem na co drugim z nich. Są tutaj naprawdę perełki takie jak "Zeznanie Randolpha Cartera", "Reanimator Herbert West", "Pod Piramidami" czy "Opuszczony Dom". Wszystkie opowiadania dziejące się niejako w świecie "krainy magyji" były dla mnie miałkie i nudne, może poza tytułowym. Jeśli klimat "Widma nad Innsmouth" jest Ci najbliższy zapewne te opowiadania wymienione przeze mnie będziesz czytał z rozrzewnieniem. Jeśli wolisz klimat fantastyczny i w ogóle wątki zgoła odmienne w jego stylu od horroru- to jest coś bardziej dla Ciebie.
Polecam ale tylko tym, którzy czytali jego wcześniejsze książki wydane w PL.

This collection has some really great stuff in it, especially "The Tree," "Polaris," "The Festival," and "The Nameless City."