The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Whisperer in Darkness

Written by Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Narrated by William Roberts

The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Whisperer in Darkness are counted amongst H.P. Lovecraft’s most popular stories. In the first we are transported to the decrepit coastal town of Innsmouth, whose amphibian-like citizens betray a dark and sinister secret. The second takes us to Vermont, where a university professor becomes embroiled in a mind- bending, celestial mystery after strange things are seen floating in the rivers. Dark, brooding and suspenseful, this is Lovecraft at his very best.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781843798781

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author of science fiction and horror stories. Born in Providence, Rhode Island to a wealthy family, he suffered the loss of his father at a young age. Raised with his mother’s family, he was doted upon throughout his youth and found a paternal figure in his grandfather Whipple, who encouraged his literary interests. He began writing stories and poems inspired by the classics and by Whipple’s spirited retellings of Gothic tales of terror. In 1902, he began publishing a periodical on astronomy, a source of intellectual fascination for the young Lovecraft. Over the next several years, he would suffer from a series of illnesses that made it nearly impossible to attend school. Exacerbated by the decline of his family’s financial stability, this decade would prove formative to Lovecraft’s worldview and writing style, both of which depict humanity as cosmologically insignificant. Supported by his mother Susie in his attempts to study organic chemistry, Lovecraft eventually devoted himself to writing poems and stories for such pulp and weird-fiction magazines as Argosy, where he gained a cult following of readers. Early stories of note include “The Alchemist” (1916), “The Tomb” (1917), and “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” (1919). “The Call of Cthulu,” originally published in pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928, is considered by many scholars and fellow writers to be his finest, most complex work of fiction. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and Lord Dunsany, Lovecraft became one of the century’s leading horror writers whose influence remains essential to the genre.

Reviews for The Shadow Over Innsmouth and The Whisperer in Darkness

[Dani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The narrator really does a wonderful job with all of these stories. I've listened to many by him so far, and he really puts effort into it. I'm a huge lover of all things Lovecraft, and the narration does such justice to the work. For anyone who's even remotely curious, definitely give this a listen. Innsmouth and The Dunwich Horror are probably my favorites, and this narrator does a fantastic job with both.

[nihquvians · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Surprisingly paper-thin storytelling from a writer considered legendary nowadays. The fish-frog aliens and such are not convincingly menacing at all. Audio production was OK, no complaints.