The Whisperer in Darkness

Something about this story reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and his detective work, or maybe Dracula for being told in epistolary format for large chunks instead of simply going there and finding out for yourself.

There’s a posh whodunit element, but anyone with half a brain can guess what’s coming, and half-brain-man would never fall for the cloak and dagger alien shenanigans!

I also regularly dozed off during this surprisingly long story for H.P. Lovecraft, covering eight whole chapters, nor does the title make any sense other than aliens always being hidden in the shadows and coming from far away Pluto.

But I liked this story with its weird science, outer space speculations and for going full circle with a properly thought out ending and attempted creepy twist, more like Edgar Allan Poe than HPL.

I’m not a big fan of ‘Shakespearean horror’, being too vague and indirect without enough immediate action, but it’s growing on me for its skillful prose and retrospective qualities.