Tuesday, October 26, 2010

At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

Source: Uvula Audio (part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 )
Length: 4 hours, 53 minutes
Reader: Craig Nickleson

The story: Traditionally, horror has explored the unknown and unknowable: ghosts, demons, and similar superstitions. With the coming of the 20th century and the seemingly inexorable progress of science, it appeared that these superstitions would be overcome by triumphant rationalism. In H.P. Lovecraft's horror, progress brought with it new horrors, not of the unknown, but of knowing too much.

This novella is Lovecraft's most critically admired, though I prefer some of his shorter stories. This tale follows an Antarctic expedition that makes some startling discoveries about prehistoric times and wakes something that should have been left undisturbed. . . If it sounds like you've heard this story before, that's because this novel was hugely influential on later writers. I usually am a bit disappointed to read an influential work, since the familiarity of the copies make the original seem, perversely, unoriginal. At the Mountains of Madness is no exception, but if you can ignore what you've seen or read before, this story still has the power to chill and thrill.


Rating: 7/10


The reader: Craig Nickerson's baritone works well as the voice of the narrator, geologist William Dyer, who tells the story of his polar expedition. When Dyer begins his story, Nickerson's strong voice reflects the hardness of a man who has experienced terror and is reluctantly sharing it. As the story progresses, he adds a quiver to his voice, bringing the listener along with Dyer's horror at his recollection. The recording does have a bit of an echo and some background noise, which can distract from the storytelling, but once again, Uvula Audio does a good job at bringing a classic to free audio.

4 comments:

CthulhuWho1 said...

Many Thanks for the links to the Uvula Audio readings of H. P. Lovecraft's, "At the Mountains of Madness!" I collect all of the Lovecraftian readings I can; and have also begun recording some of them myself. Please give a listen to my readings of Lovecraft's, "Fungi from Yuggoth" at http://cthulhuwho1.com to determine whether you believe they are worth sharing; and as of today, you can also try out my version of Chapter One of "At the Mountains of Madness" too. Will Hart, aka CthulhuWho1

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to tell you that your blog is awesome, and to keep up the good work : )!

Sayeth said...

Thanks to both of you.

CthulhuWho: I'm excited to check out your readings. I've got a bit of a backlog of things to listen to right now, but I'm always on the lookout for new sources.

Anon: I appreciate the comment. It helps to know people are enjoying the blog.

CthulhuWho1 said...

A 2010 gift for all Lovecraftians!

H. P. Lovecraft's, "At the Mountains of Madness," in a completely new, unabridged reading of all twelve chapters by William Hart, is now available for downloading on the CthulhuWho1 blog at:

http://cthulhuwho1.com.

The rather long, but direct link to the latest post that includes all twelve files in one spot is:

http://cthulhuwho1.com/2010/12/20/h-p-lovecraft%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%93-at-the-mountains-of-madness-complete-%e2%80%93-read-by-william-hart-%e2%80%93-as-a-tribute-to-the-upcoming-guillermo-del-toro-james-cameron-universal-3d-movie/

And if you'd like to listen to these files, while seeing a slide show of images of the Antarctic region, check out the CthulhuWho1 YouTube page at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/CthulhuWho1

Merry Christmas/Cthulhumas to Everyone!


Will Hart
aka CthulhuWho1


Curator of:
The Lovecraft Flickr Collections at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cthulhuwho1/collections/
The CthulhuWho1 blog at: http://cthulhuwho1.com
And The CthulhuWho1 YouTube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/user/CthulhuWho1