Randolph Carter wanders the dreamlands in search of Kadath, home of the gods, in order to find a path to the sunset city of his dreams.

First off, I'm going to say something that may get me eaten alive by a swarm of zoogs but I've never held the writing of H.P. Lovecraft in high regard despite loving a lot of his concepts. Untold aeons ago, I read the prose version of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. When I saw the graphic novel version, I decided it was time to revisit it.

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath works fairly well as a graphic novel. The adaptation has a somewhat disjointed feel, which I think fits the tale since it is a dream, after all. Unlike a lot of Lovecraft tales, it's a quest story rather than a race toward insanity. Randolph Carter encounters all manner of Lovecraftian beasties on his journey and I.N.J. Culbard depicts them rather well. Much like the pacing, the art contributes to the dreamlike feel of the story.

Even though I only have vague recollections of reading the prose version of this story, I felt like something was missing at times. The transitions from scene to scene were a little rough in places. Overall, though, I felt this was a worthwhile adaptation. Three out of five stars.

This is a graphic novel interpretation of the H.P. Lovecraft novella by the same name, "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath."  The story follows a man who became enchanted, or more like obsessed, with a city he glimpsed in a dream.  

Determined to find the city he 'prays to the gods of dream' that he may find what he seeks and thus embarks on a journey throughout the Dreamlands (a realm accessed through dreams and inhabited by many strange peoples and creatures).  He encounters many pitfalls and dangers on the path, even meeting a former friend from the waking world who now lives solely in the Dreamlands.

Since it closely follows the novella in the story it's more important to mention the art.  The use of shadows and empty dark panels alongside vibrant colors gave the work a dreamlike quality and went very well with the subject of the story.  

I enjoyed Culbard's depictions of the various denizens of the Dreamworld and the scenery was both beautiful and lush, but also menacing, just how I would picture it.

For fans of HPL this is worth a look, after all the story moves quickly, it's the art that will stop one flipping the pages.

Another good adaptation of Lovecraft by Culbard. Because he uses images he does not include all of the text, which has its advantages and disadvantages, so the reader should be familiar with the Lovecraft novella before looking at this. It would definitely have lost some understandability without prior knowledge. But this is the audience Culbard is aiming for anyway. If you want all the words, look to Jason Bradley Thompson's graphic novel The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories which has the disadvantage of not having color.

Culbard, like Thompson, has the positive of being a faithful adaptation without any additions or embellishments (or any "updating") to the Lovecraft story. Those graphic novelists that have tried to out-Lovecraft Lovecraft have usually failed. Better your own original or at least original Lovecraftian story.

It just goes to prove. That if you don't understand something you should never give up on it. And that’s what I did with H.P Lovecraft and now I’m totally obsessed with the man!

His mind and his tales are just mind blowing how a man in his time and age had all these wonderful tales in his head. Its the creatures and beasts and the Monsters That amaze me! And the landscapes and temples his Whole... The old gods! I could go on and on. At the moment I’m reading. “Dream quest of unknown kadath” I LOVE IT!!!! absolutely love it.

Its like a very weird mix of Fantasy and horror, it has cats and zebras instead of pack donkeys. and ghouls. Its about Randolph Carter who is the main char. Apart from the strange case of Dexter ward I think this is one of his biggest story’s and I can already tell there’s a lot of other connections to his other tales in this one.

I've been told there’s a DVD and a comic book somewhere of this story so I’m on the hunt to find them. As i'm completely and utterly obsessed now. :p

I first encountered the artwork of Jason Thompson through a poster he created for the Lamentations of the Flame Princess role-playing game. I was immediately struck by the simplicity of his central figure, the "mock man," set against the finely-honed detail work one sees in his settings, costume, and creatures. His work is truly unique, cartoonish, but compelling. So when I first saw the cover of his hardbound The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories, I knew it wouldn't be long before I procured a copy. I was filled with that sort of book-lust that only true book lovers know. I obsessed a bit.

And I am not disappointed.

This volume contains stories from what has come to be known as Lovecraft's "Dreamlands" cycle: "The White ship," "Celephais," "The Strange High House in the Mist," and the eponymous novella "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath," as well as a series of drawings from Thompson's sketch book. Thompson stays faithful to the original stories, but adds an easter egg or two in a touch of whimsy, such as a moment when Randolph Carter is telling Pickman's ghouls that he must take his leave of them to continue his search for Kadath: the ghoul to his left says "Oh, Carter, please don't go!" and the one to his right says "We'll eat you up, we love you so!"

If you don't get that reference, it's time for you to hit the children's books again.

Despite this and a couple of other dalliances, Thompson stays true to Lovecraft's plots, characters and, for the most part, rich descriptions. Unlike many illustrated versions of Lovecraft's work, Thompson's artwork actually does reflect the very words that Lovecraft used. The work is bound together aurally and visually; a rare thing, indeed. The lush illustrations are sometimes only evocative of the wonders and horrors Lovecraft created, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in details that are out of sight just beyond the frame of the picture itself. This leads to a sense of anticipation and sometimes dread that pulls the reader in. It is as much what is not seen, but hinted at, that provides enticement to the intellect. Or, as it is said, "It's not the kill, it's the thrill of the chase".

A thrilling chase, indeed. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Buy a copy here and support Thompson so he can continue to produce such wonderful art and books. He's just whetted my appetite with this volume. I want more, and more, and more.