CONTENT WARNING: H.P. Lovecraft’s works are literally about terrors so awful they would drive someone insane should they experience them, so buyer beware. Lovecraft’s works also often show racism from the era in which they were written, sometimes overt, sometimes not; the racism in this story in particular are at least thinly-veiled but it is there (IMHO), so our BIMPOC friends should be aware of that before purchasing (please note that Free League Publishing condemn & reject HP Lovecraft’s racism in the back of the book, too). We’re reviewing the book regardless of this largely on the strength of Francois Baranger’s artistic interpretations of “The Dunwich Horror” which are amazing and so THIS version of the book, released by Free League Publishing can (IMHO) still be enjoyed today. We hope the samples here help you decide. Clicking any of the art here will take you to The Free League Web Store page for more information & how to purchase this title. -Talia Heart, Drat & Cat Suggest, 1-10-24.

PS: SPOILERS lay ahead as well for those who’ve not previously read “The Dunwich Horror”

A late 1890's 2-story red house with large attic atpp it with a barn to the side. All is decayed and in disrepair like the bent and broken fence and scattered wagon parts by the barn. All is in tones of green and grey with a thin mist around all.

HP Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror”, Illustrated by Francois Baranger & Released By Free League Publishing

Review By Talia R. Heart, “Drat & Cat Suggest”, 1-10-2024.

“In the remote Massachusetts village of Dunwich, lost in the depths of the inhospitable countryside with its dark, bramble-covered valleys, ancient witch stories live on, and strange underground noises sometimes echo beneath the hills topped by mysterious stone circles.”

“On an isolated farm in the area, the simple-minded Lavinia Whateley gives birth to a child, Wilbur, whose father is unknown. Old Whateley, Lavinia's father, raises Wilbur with the distrust of the locals, who are frightened by the child's rapid growth and repulsive face. Rumors of witchcraft have always circulated about old Whateley, and after his death, Wilbur, as an adult, seems determined to increase the ungodly knowledge that was passed to him.”

-Above: Quotation excerpt from “The Dunwich Horror” outer sleeve, back cover, as released by Free League Publishing. Right: The pack shot of the book itself. Below: An amazing spread from the book.

This story is one of the early ones that H.P. Lovecraft wrote originally for “Weird Tales”, “The Unique Magazine” (their own motto) which was the first of many, with “The Dunwich Horror” being released in the April 1929 issue running some 27 pages. Later offered the job of Editor at “Weird Tales”, Lovecraft declined, as it would’ve required him to relocate from New York City to Chicago.

“The Dunwich Horror” is considered a classic by many possibly because it ticks so many boxes for the Lovecraft niche horror fan. The unknown, body horror, detailed descriptive language setting the mood, pleas to The Old Gods, plenty of spirits (alcohol that is, for the men at least) which is worthy of note as Prohibition was still in effect in the US until 1933, stenches galore, average people trying (and failing) to protect themselves from things they don’t understand (which were many, but believe it or not the rate of illiteracy in the US has increased since 1920 with 6% of Americans unable to read at all then, versus 13% today and that were the LOWEST numbers for contemporary illiteracy I found, many sites listed US illiteracy at 21% or higher in 2022; our Free League friends in Sweden can be proud of less than 1% adult illiteracy in their country). There’s an appearance by (the fictional but prolific) Miskatonic University, plenty of helpless villagers who board up doors and brandish simple pitchforks to defend themselves with that couldn’t save them from a determined gunman of even that time, to say nothing of today. “To speculate was futile” this story declares at one point, because even if you realized what was responsible what would you actually DO? What could you do? Perhaps that’s why many Lovecraft works remain so popular, at least in the US, because we all know there are MANY problems that shouldn’t BE in 2024 in The United States of America, but stories that encourage us to believe there’s nothing we can do about some problems (which may sometimes be true) can be horrific while comforting us simultaneously.

This interpretation of “The Dunwich Horror” comes in at 60+ oversized pages all of which display Francois Baranger’s incredible art while helping tell the story as much as the text does. Because this is a classic story with a great ending, so many of our (positive) expectations for a Lovecraft classic fulfilled, the amazing art, and the great value as the book is less than $35 (at the time of writing this review) Hillary proudly gives this title a thumbs (paws) up!

Sources Used: “The Dunwich Horror” promotional materials from Free League Publishing (used with permission); Wikipedia: “H.P. Lovecraft”, “The Dunwich Horror”, “Weird Tales”, “Literacy In The United States” & Google.com.

Above: Illustration by Francois Baranger from this title, courtesy Free League Publishing.

Hillary, the black & white tuxedo cat of this site giving a thumbs/paws up for the positive review of this title by us at Drat & Cat Suggest.

Above: Hillary’s enthusiastic “Thumb’s Up” (Hillary art by @GwenArts1, who we commission all of our original art from & we’d be happy to put anyone in touch with) for Free League’s release of HP Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror” illustrated by Francios Baranger. I quite enjoy this title, too! -Talia Heart, “Drat & Cat Suggest”, 1-11-24.

Below: More illustrations from Free League Publishing “The Dunwich Horror” by Francois Baranger for the story by H.P. Lovecraft. Click any of them to go to the FLP store!

A man in black Christian religious garb speaks before a crowd of onlookers outside a home of the era.
A large green region of hills with a partial stone circle around a man apparently aflame in large orange fire piercing the night sky while dozens of black birds flying in every direction.
In a blue-toned picture several men inspect the inside of a ransacked-looking house while one man holds up an electric torch and a single broken window provide limited illumination.