This collection of six bizarre fantasy tales share a common theme of protagonists who dream of strange journeys to exotic places far more desirable than anything found in our reality—or so they think.

In some cases, such dreams lead the hero back to the very home from which they departed, allowing them to regard the familiar in a new light. For others, however, the unbridled pursuit of fantasy leads to a grim fate.

For Massachusetts native Randolph Carter, his dreams of a city bathed in the golden glow of eternal sunset lead him on a fantastic and perilous journey through a world of loathsome creatures and ancient evils to find the onyx kingdom of unknown Kadath where the gods from outer space reside. Despite obstacles and warnings, Carter intends to beseech the gods to show him the way to this fabled city in “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.”

In “Celephais,” a London native known only as Kurane experiences lucid dreams of an ancient and eternal city of eternal youth. So determined is he to return there each night—and ultimately forever—that he resorts to extreme measures.

Disenchanted with the world around him, Randolph Carter finds true solace and beauty only dreams. After finding “The Silver Key” passed down through generations of his family, Carter travels to the woods of his boyhood and into adventures of his own past.

Several years after the disappearance of Randolph Carter, four men meet in the home of a mystic to divide Carter’s estate. One of the men, a lawyer, believes none of the fables and legends espoused by the other three, including a Swami named Chandraputra who imparts the fate of Carter in surprising detail and asserts that the man is still alive—in alien form—after passing “Through the Gates of the Silver Key.”

When third generation lighthouse keeper Basil Eaton finally accepts the invitation from the captain of a ghostly sailing ship, he is given a tour of many legendary and tempting lands such as Thalarion, the City of a Thousands Wonders, and Xura, the Land of Pleasures Unattained. However, Basil soon learns that each place holds sinister fates for those who enter. He remains steadfast until reaching the heavenly Sona-Nyl where time and death wield no power. Basil eventually become restless there and yearns to find the fabled land of Cathuria farther to the north—ignoring the repeated warnings of the captain of “The White Ship.”

Atop the lofty, unscalable cliffs of Kingsport, there lies “The Strange High House in the Mist” that for generations has become a source of rumor and myth among the coastal town’s citizens. Shortly after moving to Kingsport with his family, Thomas Olney’s curiosity impels him to undertake the arduous climb to uncover the truth about the strange cottage, with its front door flush with the edge of the cliff. Shortly after his return, both Olney and the cottage are noticeably changed…

As always, Lovecraft’s writing is lush in opulent detail, but can become repetitive and tiresome. This was especially true in the novellas “The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” and “Through the Gates of the Silver Key,” both of which became a laborious read in the middle and could easily have been trimmed in half.  My two favorites from this collection are “Celephais” and “The White Ship,” the shortest of the six.