Book Description Contemporary visions of cosmic transformation, mutation and madness - many inspired directly by the thoughts and writings of H P Lovecraft, others reflecting his strangely presentient themes, perhaps unwittingly, in their own bizarre sub-text. The Starry Wisdom is a long-overdue retrospective, which reveals him to be a true prophet of the 20th century. / I'll start with the positive aspects of the volume. Couthart's illustrated version of "The Call of Cthulhu" is really fantastic, and it's honestly almost worth the price of the entire volume. Without it the book would not have been worth publishing. As far as the tributes to Lovecraft go, Lumley's contribution is an interesting take on the encounter at sea theme. Also, Burroughs' "Wind Die. You Die. We Die." is excellent. They both capture the spirit of Lovecraft - there's something that's incomprehensibly terrible close by but never fully exposed. Some readers may find some of the other more traditional Lovecraft adaptations to be worthwhile reading, but these three pieces stick out as the best of the volume. I didn't like the rest of the volume. Readers' opinions of this volume will vary with their attitudes toward the newer styles of Lovecraft adaptations. Those who like a more traditional and faithful approach will find the rest of the volume lacking. On the other hand, those who like modern, and even postmodern, interpretations of the Lovecraftian mythos will appreciate the rest of the book. Many of the stories in "The Starry Wisdom" have graphic depictions of the violence and corruption that always takes place slightly out of view in the more traditional Lovecraft adaptations. Other stories have nothing to do with the Lovecraft mythos, and a few are almost nonsensical. While this is fine, the traditional Lovecraft fan should be forewarned. I have always enjoyed Lovecraft and certain of his imitators not because of what they include in stories, but because of what they leave up to the imagination. People who agree with this last opinion will most likely be disappointed by much of the volume.