Lovecraft’s first published short story, The Tomb, is a magnificent introduction to the eerie and verbose writing of the great H.P. Lovecraft. At only a few pages long, I won’t delve into the plot not wanting to spoil any of the short but intricate details of this story, but I will tell you that The Tomb delves beautifully into the strange mind of a daydreamer with a mysterious ambiguity. The story is filled with immensely quotable, gorgeously crafted sentences. It was tempting to stop and reread many of Lovecraft’s lines; he wrote with such a distinct writing style and often constructed phrases so lovely, you’ll want to stop and reread them, to taste them twice.
The Tomb was first published in 1922 in The Vagrant, a small press publication that had a focus on the supernatural. The Tomb is no exception to this focus. The Tomb is dark, dealing with themes of insanity, death, and obsession.
For fans of Edgar Allan Poe or any one who likes to be somewhat spooked by their readings, The Tomb will be right up your dark alley. Just maybe don’t read it before bed, or Lovecraft’s haunting lines may influence your dreams.
So if you are looking for a quick and uncanny read, you can find The Tomb here, although I reccommend reading it by flickering candle light in a tangible copy of one of the many compilations of his stories.