for what it is worth:
when the monsters arise
they will conquer the earth.
The famous H.P. Lovecraft story Dagon is gracefully retold in anapestic tetrameter and illustrated in a darkly whimsical style by genius poet-artist R.J. Ivankovic.
A sailor escapes in a lifeboat after his ship is attacked by a German raider during World War I. He soon finds himself in more bizarre peril, stranded in a dark, stinking mire on the edge of a mammoth pit. Venturing into the pit, he discovers a monolith covered in weird hieroglyphics and something stranger still that crawls from the slime a creature that may be the vanguard of a vast and monstrous invading army from the depths of the sea.
This glorious full-color adaptation is R.J. Ivankovic's follow-up to the popular H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers, also available from Chaosium.
Reviews (50)
Almost great
I enjoy reading this book to my young son, and he enjoys listening to it, but not as much as The Call of Cthulhu for beginning readers. While the art and story on this book are as good, the writing isn't as varied as in The Call of Cthulhu. In Dr. Seuss books (which this is clearly inspired by), the rhyming structures are generally pretty varied, but in this book there's a very repetitive cadence that is consistent throughout the whole book so it turns into a bit of a drone. When reading aloud, it always feels like there is a lack of resolution to the sentence structures. It's as though they start to build to something, and then instead of resolving and moving in a new direction, they simply return back to where they started. Anyway, that said I love the art, the actual story content is very good even if the writing lets it down here a bit, and it's still miles beyond a lot of kids books I've read to my son.
Very well done, but not age appropriate for beginning readers
I previously reviewed the Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers. That book is suitable for children. Perhaps not incredibly interesting for them, but not objectionable. It's not the case for this book; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12 or 13 because of the subject matter. Otherwise, this is a fun and excellent version of Lovecraft's first pulp fiction. I def recommend this--for peeps who are *NOT* small children!
Not as good as the "Cthulhu" book.
As with "The Call of Cthulhu" the author has nailed Dr. Suess's writing and drawing style, but this book seems very dull compared to "Cthulhu". It probably is not the author's fault so much as the source material from Lovecraft. "Dagon" is not as visually appealing as "Chtulhu".
My kids love it.
Keeps bed time interesting for me and the kids. I will buy every book in this series
Exceptional but a bit heavy
This release covers a story with darker themes than the Call of Cthulu release, and while I personally enjoyed it, I would recommend this for young readers who are a bit older(12+). The illustrations and use of colors is excellent and the tone and prose is consistent and effective.
Fun Seuss like version of 'Dagon" by Lovecraft. Presented as children's book.
Amusing fun for Lovecraft fans with great illustrations.
Genius
These are wonderful. I hope there are more to come!
Not bad.
A fun read. Not as well executed as the Call of Cthulhu one.
Genius, must have for fans of Lovecraft!
Genius! This is a work of art for any Lovecraft fan. However, while I wouldn’t have a problem reading it to kids, I believe it cannot be truly appreciated without having read the original. The works of Lovecraft generally probably shouldn’t be read by those under the age of 12. So while it could be read to the young I wouldn’t bother. This is a must have for someone already a fan of Lovecraft.
Great idea and great read
Perfectly pulled off!
Almost great
I enjoy reading this book to my young son, and he enjoys listening to it, but not as much as The Call of Cthulhu for beginning readers. While the art and story on this book are as good, the writing isn't as varied as in The Call of Cthulhu. In Dr. Seuss books (which this is clearly inspired by), the rhyming structures are generally pretty varied, but in this book there's a very repetitive cadence that is consistent throughout the whole book so it turns into a bit of a drone. When reading aloud, it always feels like there is a lack of resolution to the sentence structures. It's as though they start to build to something, and then instead of resolving and moving in a new direction, they simply return back to where they started. Anyway, that said I love the art, the actual story content is very good even if the writing lets it down here a bit, and it's still miles beyond a lot of kids books I've read to my son.
Very well done, but not age appropriate for beginning readers
I previously reviewed the Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers. That book is suitable for children. Perhaps not incredibly interesting for them, but not objectionable. It's not the case for this book; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12 or 13 because of the subject matter. Otherwise, this is a fun and excellent version of Lovecraft's first pulp fiction. I def recommend this--for peeps who are *NOT* small children!
Not as good as the "Cthulhu" book.
As with "The Call of Cthulhu" the author has nailed Dr. Suess's writing and drawing style, but this book seems very dull compared to "Cthulhu". It probably is not the author's fault so much as the source material from Lovecraft. "Dagon" is not as visually appealing as "Chtulhu".
My kids love it.
Keeps bed time interesting for me and the kids. I will buy every book in this series
Exceptional but a bit heavy
This release covers a story with darker themes than the Call of Cthulu release, and while I personally enjoyed it, I would recommend this for young readers who are a bit older(12+). The illustrations and use of colors is excellent and the tone and prose is consistent and effective.
Fun Seuss like version of 'Dagon" by Lovecraft. Presented as children's book.
Amusing fun for Lovecraft fans with great illustrations.
Genius
These are wonderful. I hope there are more to come!
Not bad.
A fun read. Not as well executed as the Call of Cthulhu one.
Genius, must have for fans of Lovecraft!
Genius! This is a work of art for any Lovecraft fan. However, while I wouldn’t have a problem reading it to kids, I believe it cannot be truly appreciated without having read the original. The works of Lovecraft generally probably shouldn’t be read by those under the age of 12. So while it could be read to the young I wouldn’t bother. This is a must have for someone already a fan of Lovecraft.
Great idea and great read
Perfectly pulled off!
Almost great
I enjoy reading this book to my young son, and he enjoys listening to it, but not as much as The Call of Cthulhu for beginning readers. While the art and story on this book are as good, the writing isn't as varied as in The Call of Cthulhu. In Dr. Seuss books (which this is clearly inspired by), the rhyming structures are generally pretty varied, but in this book there's a very repetitive cadence that is consistent throughout the whole book so it turns into a bit of a drone. When reading aloud, it always feels like there is a lack of resolution to the sentence structures. It's as though they start to build to something, and then instead of resolving and moving in a new direction, they simply return back to where they started. Anyway, that said I love the art, the actual story content is very good even if the writing lets it down here a bit, and it's still miles beyond a lot of kids books I've read to my son.
Very well done, but not age appropriate for beginning readers
I previously reviewed the Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers. That book is suitable for children. Perhaps not incredibly interesting for them, but not objectionable. It's not the case for this book; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12 or 13 because of the subject matter. Otherwise, this is a fun and excellent version of Lovecraft's first pulp fiction. I def recommend this--for peeps who are *NOT* small children!
Not as good as the "Cthulhu" book.
As with "The Call of Cthulhu" the author has nailed Dr. Suess's writing and drawing style, but this book seems very dull compared to "Cthulhu". It probably is not the author's fault so much as the source material from Lovecraft. "Dagon" is not as visually appealing as "Chtulhu".
My kids love it.
Keeps bed time interesting for me and the kids. I will buy every book in this series
Exceptional but a bit heavy
This release covers a story with darker themes than the Call of Cthulu release, and while I personally enjoyed it, I would recommend this for young readers who are a bit older(12+). The illustrations and use of colors is excellent and the tone and prose is consistent and effective.
Fun Seuss like version of 'Dagon" by Lovecraft. Presented as children's book.
Amusing fun for Lovecraft fans with great illustrations.
Genius
These are wonderful. I hope there are more to come!
Not bad.
A fun read. Not as well executed as the Call of Cthulhu one.
Genius, must have for fans of Lovecraft!
Genius! This is a work of art for any Lovecraft fan. However, while I wouldn’t have a problem reading it to kids, I believe it cannot be truly appreciated without having read the original. The works of Lovecraft generally probably shouldn’t be read by those under the age of 12. So while it could be read to the young I wouldn’t bother. This is a must have for someone already a fan of Lovecraft.
Great idea and great read
Perfectly pulled off!
Almost great
I enjoy reading this book to my young son, and he enjoys listening to it, but not as much as The Call of Cthulhu for beginning readers. While the art and story on this book are as good, the writing isn't as varied as in The Call of Cthulhu. In Dr. Seuss books (which this is clearly inspired by), the rhyming structures are generally pretty varied, but in this book there's a very repetitive cadence that is consistent throughout the whole book so it turns into a bit of a drone. When reading aloud, it always feels like there is a lack of resolution to the sentence structures. It's as though they start to build to something, and then instead of resolving and moving in a new direction, they simply return back to where they started. Anyway, that said I love the art, the actual story content is very good even if the writing lets it down here a bit, and it's still miles beyond a lot of kids books I've read to my son.
Very well done, but not age appropriate for beginning readers
I previously reviewed the Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers. That book is suitable for children. Perhaps not incredibly interesting for them, but not objectionable. It's not the case for this book; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12 or 13 because of the subject matter. Otherwise, this is a fun and excellent version of Lovecraft's first pulp fiction. I def recommend this--for peeps who are *NOT* small children!
Not as good as the "Cthulhu" book.
As with "The Call of Cthulhu" the author has nailed Dr. Suess's writing and drawing style, but this book seems very dull compared to "Cthulhu". It probably is not the author's fault so much as the source material from Lovecraft. "Dagon" is not as visually appealing as "Chtulhu".
My kids love it.
Keeps bed time interesting for me and the kids. I will buy every book in this series
Exceptional but a bit heavy
This release covers a story with darker themes than the Call of Cthulu release, and while I personally enjoyed it, I would recommend this for young readers who are a bit older(12+). The illustrations and use of colors is excellent and the tone and prose is consistent and effective.
Fun Seuss like version of 'Dagon" by Lovecraft. Presented as children's book.
Amusing fun for Lovecraft fans with great illustrations.
Genius
These are wonderful. I hope there are more to come!
Not bad.
A fun read. Not as well executed as the Call of Cthulhu one.
Genius, must have for fans of Lovecraft!
Genius! This is a work of art for any Lovecraft fan. However, while I wouldn’t have a problem reading it to kids, I believe it cannot be truly appreciated without having read the original. The works of Lovecraft generally probably shouldn’t be read by those under the age of 12. So while it could be read to the young I wouldn’t bother. This is a must have for someone already a fan of Lovecraft.
Great idea and great read
Perfectly pulled off!
Almost great
I enjoy reading this book to my young son, and he enjoys listening to it, but not as much as The Call of Cthulhu for beginning readers. While the art and story on this book are as good, the writing isn't as varied as in The Call of Cthulhu. In Dr. Seuss books (which this is clearly inspired by), the rhyming structures are generally pretty varied, but in this book there's a very repetitive cadence that is consistent throughout the whole book so it turns into a bit of a drone. When reading aloud, it always feels like there is a lack of resolution to the sentence structures. It's as though they start to build to something, and then instead of resolving and moving in a new direction, they simply return back to where they started. Anyway, that said I love the art, the actual story content is very good even if the writing lets it down here a bit, and it's still miles beyond a lot of kids books I've read to my son.
Very well done, but not age appropriate for beginning readers
I previously reviewed the Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers. That book is suitable for children. Perhaps not incredibly interesting for them, but not objectionable. It's not the case for this book; I wouldn't recommend it for children under 12 or 13 because of the subject matter. Otherwise, this is a fun and excellent version of Lovecraft's first pulp fiction. I def recommend this--for peeps who are *NOT* small children!
Not as good as the "Cthulhu" book.
As with "The Call of Cthulhu" the author has nailed Dr. Suess's writing and drawing style, but this book seems very dull compared to "Cthulhu". It probably is not the author's fault so much as the source material from Lovecraft. "Dagon" is not as visually appealing as "Chtulhu".
My kids love it.
Keeps bed time interesting for me and the kids. I will buy every book in this series
Exceptional but a bit heavy
This release covers a story with darker themes than the Call of Cthulu release, and while I personally enjoyed it, I would recommend this for young readers who are a bit older(12+). The illustrations and use of colors is excellent and the tone and prose is consistent and effective.
Fun Seuss like version of 'Dagon" by Lovecraft. Presented as children's book.
Amusing fun for Lovecraft fans with great illustrations.
Genius
These are wonderful. I hope there are more to come!
Not bad.
A fun read. Not as well executed as the Call of Cthulhu one.
Genius, must have for fans of Lovecraft!
Genius! This is a work of art for any Lovecraft fan. However, while I wouldn’t have a problem reading it to kids, I believe it cannot be truly appreciated without having read the original. The works of Lovecraft generally probably shouldn’t be read by those under the age of 12. So while it could be read to the young I wouldn’t bother. This is a must have for someone already a fan of Lovecraft.
Great idea and great read
Perfectly pulled off!
