Review: Tales Out Of Dunwich, Edited by Robert M. Price

A Hellnotes Book Review

By William P. Simmons

There is no arguing the vast literary Lovecraft exerted over the literature of the horrific, combining symbols of acrchetypal supernatural terror (embodiments of mythic and religious significance) with materialistic concerns, cyniocal intillect, and themes invested with philosophical speculation as well as with surface thrills. With a materialistically informed wit and careful attention to the writing craft, seeking escape and a better understanding of the natural world by refiuting its laws in fiction, his unique themes and approach, both of which favored an overt cosmicism over the traditional static horrors of the Gothic tradition, were brought to forceful convincing life by an nihilistic, uncompromisingly bleak vision of an unknowable cosmos. A universe void of empathy, unconcerned with humanity. Changing the face of fantastic fiction in the Twentieth century by replacing a tired emphasis on physical death and moralistic terror with the terror and awe possible only when confronting the sublime unkown, Lovecraft brought fantasy to an unsurpassed level of maturity, particularly by his insistance on employing the devices of modern scientific thought and mechanicalsm as means to help achieve his horrid effects - using them, in fact, as components of his dark aesthetic - rather than using the supernatural to refute materialistic culture and thought (such as his contemporary Machen). Whereas much dark and fantastic fiction of the time did little than shock with effect while reaffirming a pre-planned framework of conservative religious and moral values, Lovecraft avoided them alltogether, suggesting in his awesome alien powers, unknown vistas of space and time, and broken scientific myths the very ambiguity and cold reason of a bleak, black existence.

Imbuing the weird tale with stark visions of cosmic alienation, a bulk of his work focuses on 'the outsider' both metaphorically and literally. One such example of the outsider motiff saw expression in the forbidden, decadent sexual relationship between different species, a phonemena that may very well have served as an unconscious external mirror to reflect his suspicion of mixed marriages and carnal relationships. "The Dunwhich Horror," Lovecraft's primary expose of the foul results of a sexual union between a mortal woman and primal force 'from outside,' besides being fairly reminescent of Machen's "the Great God Pan," remains one of Lovecraft's more accomplished works, ranking if not alongside "The Color Out of Space" or "The Shadow Out of Time", than certainly every bit as effective as "The Call of Cthulhu" or "The Shadow Out of Innsmouth." Depending on his usual authoratative style to make eldrich wonders appear not only believable but sinisterly probable, this story, reprinted here, is a marvel of aesthetic construction and culmulative emotional effect, serving as both detective story and fable of mortal outrage. A precisely constructed scaffolding of increasingly sinister events lent believability to a series of odd events surrounding the birth, growth, and bitter end of a strange young man desperate to gain possession of the fabled Necronomicon. This overworn trope, now considered a triffle cliché, was quite original, once suspects, when used by Lovecraft, and all expectatiosn aside, it is Lovecraft's ideas - their scope and grandeur - as well as his convincing mode of telling his story that makes the narrative succeede. At his best, Lovecraft examined the insignificance of an insignificant human species defenseless against the amoral, unknowable powers of an existence which we had very little knowledge of. There is no God in Lovecraft's universe, nor is there purpose to our sufferings, struggles, and petty triumphs. These reflections are continued by his disciples in this fine collection edited by Robert M. Price, set in and around Lovecraft's decedent backwoods.

Including contributions from such pulp masters as Jack Williamson and Nancy A. Collins, several of the stories add to Lovecraft's premise and theme without replying on homage alone. Stories like "The Dunwhich Lodger," while slightly poking fun at (or better put, having fun with) Lovecraft's child, evoke the sense of wonder and terror maintained by the original author. A good thing, for when parady is allowed to replace re-working, silliness destroys any hope for the awe or far-reaching wonder - the cosmic threat - which made Lovecraft's vision so very pertinent to our age and deadly. "The Dunwhich Gate," by Don D' Ammassa and "Black Brat of Dunwhich," by Stanley C. Sargent contribute nicely managed twists to Dunwhich's Black Brat and the Whately family while retaining a note of individuality. In fact, many of the tales herein contributing to Lovecraft's mythos and universe without loosing their own identities, thereby staking out a plot of ground in his fertile imaginative landscape. Therein lies the primary terror and sense of artistry in plots of burrowed identities, Pan sexuality, decadent sex, and creeping forces from outside the flimst independable boundaries of time, space, and logic. Including an entire novel - The Thing in the Woods, by Harper Williams - this collection achieves its goal of providing readers with stories continuing the legacy of characters and surroundings envisioned first by Lovecraft, merging homage with unique expression. Like the Whately family itself, these writers, for the most part, use recognizable, missleading masks of normality in plotting and character to induce familiarity and comfort before revealing the monstrous entities housed beneath such exterior devices. The result is more successful than not, and for the rare appearance of The Thing in the Woods alone, clearly an inspiration for Lovecraft's own Dunwhich tale, the volume is worth the price.