Category Archives: retro book reviews

The Street: The Complete Lovecraft#12

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Mark Hayes

The first time I read this story I was left feeling a little uneasy, and not sure why. If I had read it in the past, it escapes my memory, so it was one I came to fresh for this … Continue reading →

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The White Ship: The Complete Lovecraft#11

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Mark Hayes

Mankind seeks utopia, or arguably it should, it often seeks its own destruction instead, and when it finds utopia, it fails to recognise it for what it is and seeks something else. This is the core idea behind H.P.Lovecrafts ‘The … Continue reading →

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War of The Worlds: H G Wells: Retro Book Review#2

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Mark Hayes

War of the Worlds is a science fiction classic by anyone’s standards. It has inspired comics, movies, more movies, other novels, TV shows like the classic 1970’s series The Tripods, yet more movies, most recently starring Tom Cruise. A mass … Continue reading →

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The Transition of Juan Romero: the complete Lovecraft #10

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Mark Hayes

‘The Transition of Juan Romero‘ is a strange fish as far as Lovecraft’s fiction goes. Like ‘Old Bugs‘ it was first published posthumously by Arkham House as Lovecraft himself disavowed the story, and refused to allow it to be published in his … Continue reading →

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20000 Leagues under the Sea: Jules Verne: Retro Book Review

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Mark Hayes

If you want to know about a classic, and any book that survives in print long enough generally gets considered a classic, there are plenty of dry Wikipedia entries you could read.  No one reviews them in the way they … Continue reading →

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Old Bugs: The Complete Lovecraft #9

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Mark Hayes

Lovecraft tells the tale of ancient star beings lurking under the oceans. Insect intelligence watching human from the outer planets. Strange monsters in the darkness waiting only to pray upon those who are foolish enough to call attention to their … Continue reading →

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Memory: The complete Lovecraft#8

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Mark Hayes

There are short stories, and there are shorter stories, and then there are micro stories. ‘Memory’ is the shortest of all H.P.Lovecraft tales, a flash fiction masterpiece before the term flash fiction had even been conceived. It is also among one of the most beautiful, insightful and chilling…. Continue reading →

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Beyond the Wall of Sleep : The Complete Lovecraft #7

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Mark Hayes

“I have an explanation of sleep come upon me.” – Shakespeare From the first of the dreamland mythos in ‘Polaris’, we move straight on to a second and much lauded ‘Beyond the walls of sleep‘, it has inspired heavy metal bands … Continue reading →

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Polaris : The Complete Lovecraft #6

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Mark Hayes

‘Polaris‘ takes it name from the north star, that single static point in the ballet of the night sky around which all else appears to revolve. The star so beloved of sailor and navigators in general due to its constancy. … Continue reading →

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A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson : The Complete Lovecraft #5

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Mark Hayes

This is not our usual Lovecraftian fare. Indeed it is no more, and no less exactly what the title claims it to be, all be it a fictional account written by a narrator who claims to be over two hundred … Continue reading →

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