?Have You Heard??Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure?At The Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft?Narrated by Edward Hermann?

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
Published by Blackstone Audio, Lulu.com on June 16th 2016
Genres: Science Fiction, Horror
Pages: 100
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 1365199541
ASIN: B00D36WWUO
Goodreads

Long acknowledged as a master of nightmarish vision, H.P. Lovecraft established the genuineness and dignity of his own pioneering fiction in 1931 with his quintessential work of supernatural horror, At the Mountains of Madness. The deliberately told and increasingly chilling recollection of an Antarctic expedition's uncanny discoveries --and their encounter with an untold menace in the ruins of a lost civilization--is a milestone of macabre literature.

Initially rejected by Lovecraft's publisher, 'At The Mountains of Madness' is now considered a classic of the horror genre.

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#OldOnes #MiskatonicUniversity #GiantPenguins #AntarcticExpedition #ClassicHorror #HPLovecraft #EdwardHermann @BlackstoneAudio

At the Mountains of Madness, H. P. Lovecraft’s novella about a fictional expedition to the Antarctic stands in stark contrast to the book I reviewed last week even though they are basically the same genre. Whereas Alien: Out of the Shadows is lively and animated and derives much of its impact on listeners from the action, At the Mountains of Madness is notable for the sheer horror of the author’s words as they are read in an almost matter-of-fact manner by the late Edward Hermann. Lovecraft, who was not well-thought-of during his lifetime, has come to be recognized as a masterful writer. I would like to think he would be better received in our time than he was in the thirties. He died more or less in poverty at a young age even though his small body of work is now accepted for its valuable contribution to the horror and supernatural genres.

The storyline centers around a group of scientists and students from the fictional Miskatonic University as they embark on an ill-fated expedition. Told from first person POV by the geologist in the group, William Dyer, listeners are informed up front that his purpose in writing his account is to discourage others from further exploration. At the beginning of their mission, the explorers divide into two groups. When the advance party begins reporting exciting discoveries of a prehistoric nature, everyone is anxious to determine the significance.  It is when radio contact is lost with the first party that the nightmare begins. Dyer and a graduate student named Danforth set out to try to determine what went wrong leading them to stumble on a lost civilization of ancient beings with terrible secrets best left undiscovered.

H. P. Lovecraft isn’t a writer who was familiar to me prior to listening to this very well-written novella. I kept asking myself what was holding my interest in a story that was being told with such unnerving calm. The truth is that the author’s descriptive language is perfect for this tale. The longer I listened, the colder I felt because Mr. Lovecraft’s words adeptly portrayed the bitter chill of the frozen terrain as well as evoking an icy foreboding of what might be discovered.  I was fearful that some new and more terrifying creature would pop out each time Dyer and Danforth rounded a corner as they made their way through ruins whose age and origin was mindboggling. Because At the Mountains of Madness is a classic, I didn’t include a rating but I highly recommend it to those who consider themselves horror aficionados . . . it will give you a different perspective.