379. At the Mountains of Madness

At the Mountains of Madness
H.P. Lovecraft
1936
Around 200 pages

We have some heavy hitters to deal with in the racism department. First Lovecraft, soon Margaret Mitchell. It's tough to swallow. The power of horror and fantasy in fiction is that it can translate real world fears into something more tangible. And we all know what Lovecraft's fears were, so that makes this pretty tough.

Geologist William Dyer is trying to prevent a new scientific expedition. He recounts his own expedition many years ago, where ancient ruins were discovered and many people were brutally killed. 

It might have escaped your notice, but I am somewhat of a nerd. But I have certain blind spots in my nerdvision: Dr. Who, anime, Star Trek, comic books and Lovecraft. I was just never into the lore, regardless of my personal feelings for white supremacists. I feel like all his monsters are just giant blobs.

If I have to come up with something positive, many other writers that I like were inspired by this work. If it wasn't this novel, we wouldn't have The Thing, and then where would we be?

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Director Guillermo del Toro and screenwriter Matthew Robbins wrote a screenplay for the novella, but it has yet to be made.

UP NEXT: Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner. Oh the dread.