At the Mountains of Madness

  When Prof. William Dyer, a geologist from Miskatonic University, investigates an abandoned, hieroglyphed city forged with weird non-human geometry in the ice-wastes of Antarctica, he uncovers evidence of an ancient and cataclysmic war waged between races of malignant aliens: long before the advent of the human race, the Elder Ones battled for supremacy with the Star-spawn of Cthulhu, leaving behind a lurking protoplasm of unimaginable cosmic evil.
  At The Mountains Of Madness is a crucial work in Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, the author's first interpretation of his occult paroxysms in science-fictional terms, dating dark entities back to the primordial eons of the Earth's existence.
  This new edition also includes Lovecraft's two other major "science fantasy” stories: The Whisperer In Darkness and The Shadow Out Of Time, plus the related poem-cycle Fungi From Yuggoth, and a new introduction by DM Mitchell (editor, The Starry Wisdom).

Quotes and thoughts while reading:

At the Mountains of Madness
   "Less that a fortnight later we left the last hint of polar land behind us, and thanks heaven that we were clear of a haunted, accursed realm where life and death, space and time, have made black and blasphemous alliances in the unknown epochs since matter first writhed and swam on the planet's scarce-cooled crust."(p 36)
   "Some of the sculptures suggested that they had passed through a a stage of mechanized life on other planets, but had receded upon finding its effects emotionally unsatisfying."(p 58)
   Ok, first things first, fuck that penguin scene. It truly speaks to Lovecrafts ability to intensify a scene, to have your breath quiver, for it to only be a penguin(admittedly a scary penguin). But the entire section, where they are traveling through the dark labyrinth of the caves, with their dimming flashlights, moving penguins, and strange smells, along with the debris covered floor was intense and terrifying. Multiple times I remember consciously noting my heart beat faster and faster. It is a horror masterpiece.

The Whisperer in Darkness
   "The text was darkly mysterious rather than openly horrible, though a knowledge of its origin and manner of gathering gave it all the associative horror which any words could well possess."(p 113) I feel almost as if this encapsulates all of Lovecrafts writing.
   I don't wish to ruin this too much, so the events that were of note, namely cylinders, and the ending, I will only say, were great. The ending was just ambiguous enough to not upset me, yet still bring a smile to my face. The goings on at Akely's house are truly spooky and hair raising. And as the story progresses, the stark change we see is delivered in the perfect manner, so as to fill the reader with suspicion. Good pacing, rather chilling. This story feels real, and that adds so much.

The Shadow Out of Time
   "Now in the cabin of the Empress, I am pondering long and frantically on the entire matter..."(p 187). This is my big problem with Lovecraft, he lets us know our narrator made it out ok. There is no sense that the actions that happen will kill them. Yes it is spooky, but I don't fear for their life. Again, traversing through the cave, his past dreams of other bodies and looking down, while grasping and interesting, don't lead me to believe he is in peril. Simply they are spooky, not life threatening.

   Of note and interest are the word "shewing" which is simply an old fashioned variant of the word show. And the Necronomicon which is referenced repeatedly by Lovecraft, but in actuality does not exist! It is simply a device of his to further draw the reader into his fictional world, and I will admit, it totally works. I was entrenched in the idea that his fictional characters were drawing on a real book, but I am even more ensconsed to find out that his fictional characters are drawing on a book that is wholly in their universe.

   The tales are imaginative, and world immersing, capable of making ones' palms sweat, and heart beat faster, and to make a pit grow in your stomach the next time you enter a dark room. The power that Lovecraft captures with words on paper makes these stories definitely worth the read.