The Nameless City

As I read this, I realised that this was one of Lovecraft's earlier works. The horror factor is inspired by Egyptian mythology and symbology.

The atmospheric build-up is ever-present in Lovecraft's short stories, but in this one, there's an an attempt to paint ancient architecture as scary-looking and horrible, but it doesn't mesh well with the protagonists actions. I do agree that curiosity and an urge to explore the unknown can be a powerful motivator, but when you're going down really steep stairs and claustrophobically low tunnels, it's really illogical to continue to push forward without going back for safer survival gear - especially when your only torch starts to go low and then die out.

I also found the ending to be a hit confusing and feels like a cop-out. Basically the protagonist doesn't really know what he's seen and doesn't really know how he got back out. I liked the setting up of the end, but not the end.