A review by ronweston
Fungi from Yuggoth - The Sonnet Cycle: Contextualized with a Selection of Other Lovecraft Poems - A Pulp-Lit Annotated Edition by Finn J.D. John, H.P. Lovecraft

5.0

This volume presents the 36 sonnets that make up Lovecraft's Fungi from Yuggoth sonnet cycle, along with eight other poems to broadly give a contextualized view of Lovecraft as poet. A much too small a representation to do that I'm afraid. These sonnets are Lovecraft's most well-known poems, though not necessarily his best poems. The other poems rounding out this collection are "Unda; or, The Bride of the Sea," an untitled drinking song from the short story "The Tomb," "Nemesis," "Psychopompos," "The Outpost," "The Ancient Track," "In a Sequester'd Providence Churchyard where Once Poe Walk'd" and "To Clark Ashton Smith, Esq., upon His Phantastick Tales, Verses, Pictures, and Sculptures." Contributions of editor and annotator Finn J.D. John consists of a brief overview of Lovecraft as poet, a description of the modified sonnet form Lovecraft used in his cycle, and minimal comments on the other poems included. I really saw no annotations. An appreciation of these poems certainly can be enhanced if they are read aloud. Recorded versions of most of the poems are available, some version much better than others.