From Publishers Weekly
No works by the eponymous legator himself are included in this tribute to the master of horror in his centennial year. His "legacy" is the theme around which these 14 stories are assembled, with an introduction by Robert Bloch, who acknowledges his personal debt to Lovecraft, and afterwords to each of the tales by such authors as Gene Wolfe, Hugh B. Cave and Ed Gorman. Gahan Wilson's "H.P.L." manages to sustain Lovecraft's antiquated and baroque style. F. Paul Wilson invokes the concept of "cosmic horror" in the afterword to final story, "The Barrens . " Indeed, the progression of the stories suggests that they were arranged to lead up to this "concept of another reality impinging on ours," giving rise to an all-encompassing fear that lies beyond humanity's comprehension. These tales feature, among other things, maggots eating the eyes of dead bodies, cancerous monsters consuming the world, aristocratic schemers in pursuit of immortality, out-of-body travel, demons resurrected, murderous lizards, voodoo, ghouls and soulsuckers. Of generally high caliber, this homage itals as per intro to the master is an imaginative collection.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Most modern horror practitioners acknowledge H.P. Lovecraft as one of the major forces sparking their own fascination with the genre. To celebrate the centennial of his birth, the editors have collected new stories paying tribute to his influence, each followed by a brief afterword explaining what Lovecraft means to the author. In paying homage, the writers for the most part have wisely followed the counsel of Robert Bloch's informative introduction: avoiding obvious imitation of Lovecraft's verbose and rather dated style, they instead emulate his spirit in dealing with concepts and beings so vast and alien that the fact of their very existence is nearly beyond human comprehension. Such well-known authors as Graham Masterton, Gene Wolfe, and Brian McNaughton contribute tales varying in tone from macabre to eerie, melancholy, even whimsical, providing something a little different for today's horror fan.
- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
