N9: The Lurker at the Threshold by August Derleth

Book Review!

N9: The Lurker at the Threshold by August Derleth

Some of today’s scholars view August Derleth’s works with controversy because he “collaborated with” H. P. Lovecraft and “co-authored” works by using Lovecraft’s notes and writing his own books from them. Despite that, I assume Gary Gygax appreciated Derleth’s contributions and thus included him in our “Appendix N” list. While The Lurker at the Threshold lists H. P. Lovecraft as the primary author, we know Derleth wrote the book himself. My paperback copy of the book totaled 160 pages and included copyright years of 1945 and 1971.

The Good

*Derleth establishes a suspenseful sense of mystery and horror.

*The different points of view work to piece the story together.

The Bad

*Readers unfamiliar with the Cthulhu mythos might not know what to expect of the ending and thus suffer some disappointment. MILD SPOILERS: Characters involved in these tales usually end up insane and/or dead.

D&D Connections & Inspirations

*The Cthulhu mythos provides the Far Realms with the Great Old Ones who serve as monsters, demigods, and alien patrons for warlocks, etc.

Overall

For my tastes, I give the work a 6/10 rating.