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    The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
    The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
    The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath
    Ebook140 pages2 hours

    The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

    By H. P. Lovecraft

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    Excerpt:  “Three times Randolph Carter dreamed of the marvellous city, and three times was he snatched away while still he paused on the high terrace above it. All golden and lovely it blazed in the sunset, with walls, temples, colonnades and arched bridges of veined marble, silver-basined fountains of prismatic spray in broad squares and perfumed gardens, and wide streets marching between delicate trees and blossom-laden urns and ivory statues in gleaming rows; while on steep northward slopes climbed tiers of red roofs and old peaked gables harbouring little lanes of grassy cobbles. It was a fever of the gods, a fanfare of supernal trumpets and a clash of immortal cymbals. Mystery hung about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Carter stood breathless and expectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to him the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things and the maddening need to place again what once had been an awesome and momentous place.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOtbebookpublishing
    Release dateNov 30, 2017
    ISBN9783962721619
    Author

    H. P. Lovecraft

    Renowned as one of the great horror-writers of all time, H.P. Lovecraft was born in 1890 and lived most of his life in Providence, Rhode Island. Among his many classic horror stories, many of which were published in book form only after his death in 1937, are ‘At the Mountains of Madness and Other Novels of Terror’ (1964), ‘Dagon and Other Macabre Tales’ (1965), and ‘The Horror in the Museum and Other Revisions’ (1970).

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    Reviews for The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

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    • 3/5
      This collection of six bizarre fantasy tales share a common theme of protagonists who dream of strange journeys to exotic places far more desirable than anything found in our reality—or so they think.In some cases, such dreams lead the hero back to the very home from which they departed, allowing them to regard the familiar in a new light. For others, however, the unbridled pursuit of fantasy leads to a grim fate.For Massachusetts native Randolph Carter, his dreams of a city bathed in the golden glow of eternal sunset lead him on a fantastic and perilous journey through a world of loathsome creatures and ancient evils to find the onyx kingdom of unknown Kadath where the gods from outer space reside. Despite obstacles and warnings, Carter intends to beseech the gods to show him the way to this fabled city in "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath."In "Celephais," a London native known only as Kurane experiences lucid dreams of an ancient and eternal city of eternal youth. So determined is he to return there each night—and ultimately forever—that he resorts to extreme measures.Disenchanted with the world around him, Randolph Carter finds true solace and beauty only dreams. After finding "The Silver Key" passed down through generations of his family, Carter travels to the woods of his boyhood and into adventures of his own past.Several years after the disappearance of Randolph Carter, four men meet in the home of a mystic to divide Carter's estate. One of the men, a lawyer, believes none of the fables and legends espoused by the other three, including a Swami named Chandraputra who imparts the fate of Carter in surprising detail and asserts that the man is still alive—in alien form—after passing "Through the Gates of the Silver Key."When third generation lighthouse keeper Basil Eaton finally accepts the invitation from the captain of a ghostly sailing ship, he is given a tour of many legendary and tempting lands such as Thalarion, the City of a Thousands Wonders, and Xura, the Land of Pleasures Unattained. However, Basil soon learns that each place holds sinister fates for those who enter. He remains steadfast until reaching the heavenly Sona-Nyl where time and death wield no power. Basil eventually become restless there and yearns to find the fabled land of Cathuria farther to the north—ignoring the repeated warnings of the captain of "The White Ship."Atop the lofty, unscalable cliffs of Kingsport, there lies "The Strange High House in the Mist" that for generations has become a source of rumor and myth among the coastal town's citizens. Shortly after moving to Kingsport with his family, Thomas Olney's curiosity impels him to undertake the arduous climb to uncover the truth about the strange cottage, with its front door flush with the edge of the cliff. Shortly after his return, both Olney and the cottage are noticeably changed...As always, Lovecraft's writing is lush in opulent detail, but can become repetitive and tiresome. This was especially true in the novellas "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" and "Through the Gates of the Silver Key," both of which became a laborious read in the middle and could easily have been trimmed in half.  My two favorites from this collection are "Celephais" and "The White Ship," the shortest of the six.
    • 4/5
      80% visual description, 20% action; ponderous, thoughtful, and detailed; deliberate misdirection of the reader; demons and ghouls and sentient cats; a range of vocabulary that will wear out the "dictionary" function on your Kindle.If you read the above bullet-point descriptions and think, "Wow, that sounds amazing! I totally want to read that!" then you should read this story. If you read it and think, "Oh dear lord it's one of THOSE....." then... well, trust your instincts: this story will not be for you.If you read this book waiting for "what happens next"... If you read this book expecting Tom Clancy... If you read this book because you think "quest" means "action-adventure"... Then you will be severely disappointed. However, if you savor each sentence because you are visualizing the scene that it describes in your head, and you appreciate the way that the cadence of the sentences and word-choices convey the weirdness and creepiness of the environment through which the main character moves, then you will love this story. If pure description and gothic imagery draw you in and let you really experience a scene, then you will not be able to put it down. If I were making a comparison to the visual arts, this story is a painting by Hieronymus Bosch: intricate, fascinating, full of details that stretch the imagination.... but if you are seeking a central message, action, purpose, or even a point, then you are likely to be left feeling that it is lacking.This story was written in 1927, almost 100 years ago. This was a time when authors did not write their stories with 15-minute inter-advertisement intervals for the television adaptation in mind.Personally, I loved it, even if it did seem to drag slightly at times. I enjoyed the fact that the dream-like quality grew very gradually, and very subtly: at first most elements seem real, with only a few fantasy elements; then over time there are more and more "what the...?" moments, as the setting and the characters become more and more strange, inhuman, and grotesque. It is an excellent flow and transition. The biggest lacking, when thought of from the standard notion of a "story", is the fact that we never get a sense of the main character's personality. He is more the transparent and invisible "eye" through which the surrounding world is experienced, so that when he finally is presented with his enlightened "revelation" and understanding, I don't really share in his pride of discovery. I never IDENTIFIED enough with him to do so.However, again, think a painting by Bosch rather than a photo by Margaret Bourke-White. I'm not certain we were ever MEANT to get deep characterization from this story, any more than we were meant to get thrilling moment-by-moment action.Taken for what (I believe) it was intended to be, I think this story was a complete success.
    • 3/5
      Huh. For a raving nutjob, Lovecraft is a skilled writer of short stories. Not Borges skilled, but still. However, I've always had trouble finishing "Dream Quest," because it simply isn't a short story. It's a book, and it's not that great a book. It has some self-cannabilizing plot issues, and the ending is really, really annoying. Especially from a guy like Lovecraft. If I wanted to read "Foucault's Pendulum," I'd read "Foucault's Pendulum." Fortunately for me, that problem almost never arises...
    • 5/5
      This story is rather uncharacteristic of Lovecraft. It reads more like a fairy tale, and is extremely optimistic. Far from proclaiming the futility of everything, it's main thesis is that our own very world and the memories we make of it is so beautiful that the gods themselves are jealous
    • 4/5
      This book is a collection of stories about the adventures of Randolph Carter in the dream world and parts of the waking world. The thing I particularly enjoyed about the stories is the way Lovecraft shapes his dream world, with elements of nightmares strongly mixed in. I just find the concept fascinating-for dreams to hold an actual reality. Some of the scenarios are a bit creepy but still interesting. I would recommend this book to others who also enjoy reading weird fiction, fantasy, or horror stories.

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    The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath - H. P. Lovecraft

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