**Vault Reviews were posted previously on the main MonsterLibrarian website and are transferred here in an effort to preserve our history. Efforts have been made to ensure the books are still available, but formats, covers, and other details may have changed.**
Eureka Productions, 2007
ISBN: 0974664898
Available: New
Graphic Classics: H.P. Lovecraft is an excellent introduction to Lovecraft’s writing. Seven tales are presented in a graphic novel format, with the intent of staying true to the original Lovecraft. The stories are text heavy and the vocabulary is complex for an initial foray for reluctant readers, but the book will be an effective bridge to Lovecraft’s work for readers who are more comfortable with a graphic format. The first story is “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” a tale of a young man who discovers dark secrets in an eerie seaside town. It is followed up by “Dreams in the Witch-House,” about a young man haunted and possessed by an ancient evil in a boardinghouse. The third story, “Sweet Ermengarde,” is a parody of romance stories and provides a brief change in tone. “Herbert West: Re-Animator,” tells of a man obsessed with discovering the secret to reanimating the dead. “The Cats of Ulthar” introduces a small town couple whose hatred of cats has deadly results. “The Terrible Old Man” is about three thugs who search for hidden fortune in an old house. The last story, “The Shadow Out of Time,” involves a professor’s dreams that lead to a search for ancient buildings where evil awaits. Each story has a different illustrator and different writer adapting the tale for the graphic format. While H.P. Lovecraft’s stories do contain horror most of the killing is done “off stage”. Recommended for high schools. Contains: violence.