US author H. P. Lovecraft is one of the giants of classic horror literature, best known as the creator of the Cthulhu mythos, but also a prolific writer of stories not always that closely attached to that universe. The Lurking Fear is among those stories with what may be described as a more of a loose connection to Lovecraft’s overarching mythos. This audio version of the novel was recorded by Andrew Leman (storyteller) and Theologian (music), and was released through US label Cadabra Records as a limited edition vinyl LP.
The Lurking Fear is a fairly long story, and one that comes with a few challenges besides that for a retelling and dramatization. That the story is told after the fact and at such length limits the choices of the storyteller and calls for a variety in how the voice is used throughout. Especially since the story is divided into separate chapters with defined start and end sections. Storyteller Leman does a fine job at that, alternating between a more relaxed voice and a more tension-filled, nervous and fear-filled one quite nicely and appropriately.
The story itself suffers from being one made with reading rather than dramatization in mind however, as a constant stream of adjectives, odd words and phrases does give a storyteller rendition of the tale an unreal, unrealistic quality. Words and phrases one might feel are best left to the inner mind and inner thoughts, that one normally would shy away from uttering out loud. For a production such as this one, this aspect does become a weakness and has a detrimental aspect on the listener experience. Another weakness of this story is that certain key elements reveal Lovecraft as a person with clear racist and prejudiced views of his world, aspects while perhaps not all that alien to the time and day he lived most certainly has an unnerving quality today, which detracts from the story being told quite a bit as well as leaving the central point of the conclusion somewhat moot.
Leman does his best to create a world and a universe here we can believe in however, and the often delicate but haunting sounds, effects and music provided by US composer and musician Theologian also does a fine job in attempting to create a chilling, horror-filled universe the listener can sink into. That it doesn’t always succeed isn’t due to their efforts, but due to certain key weak points in Lovecraft’s core story-line and his personal views of the world conveyed in those, alongside a use if language that at least at this length isn’t all that well suited to being read out loud.
It is an entertaining story, and one where the voice of Leman and the music of Theologian does as good a job as one can expect of recreating the degenerate horror Lovecraft described in such minute detail in this novel. The qualities of Lovecraft as a writer and as a person, as well as the passage of time, are the aspects of this production that comes across as the detrimental ones.
My rating: 70/100
