Tyson has taken a unique angle in this biography of H.P. Lovecraft, famous weird tales writer of the early 20th century. In fact, on reading it, I was surprised at the realization that no one else has written extensively focusing on this aspect of Lovecraft's life.

It makes so much sense -- Lovecraft was haunted and ruled by his dreams. Many of his stories were drawn directly from vivid dreams he encountered during hours of nighttime slumber, tweaking his tales to great effect.

I would definitely recommend this to any Lovecraft fan and scholar who is looking for something new in an HPL bio. While Tyson has culled much material from sources those of us who follow the author's life are already familiar with, he consistently returns our gaze from that chronological biography to the current of the dreamworld that drove Lovecraft's writing into vivid contemplation of the cosmic planes.

More conservative Lovecraft scholars may scoff at Tyson's occasional forays into wild speculation, but I feel that there is room for such pondering. He declares no real convictions when it comes to these elements, and instead turns them in his hand for us to see and ponder as well, knowing that none of us will ever know completely what drove Lovecraft and what still draws us to him today. It is well to remember that there may yet be unexamined facets of Lovecraft -- HPL scholars have trod too-similar paths over many decades. This fresh night wind on the cheek of the interested reader is a fine gift from Tyson. ( )