At The Mountains of Madness is a science fiction horror novella which follows a group of explorers to antarctica, which during lovecraft's time was still unexplored territory. The crew ends up discovering things it couldn't have possibly imagined and is confronted with the horror of the unknown. Unexplainable things happen which cement the book as a huge innovation in the genre of exploration fiction. The process of discovery leading to further confusion is played out perfectly to create simultaneous senses of fascination and hopelessness. As they dive deeper into their discoveries the book builds up a sense of cosmic insignificance, as if the explorers have stumbled upon something much bigger than they could understand.
Lovecraft's book is also a very interesting period piece which immerses the reader in an exaggerated attitude of the time concerning antarctic exploration, as well it forces you to read the nasty prose which was trendy during that time as well. It creatively speculates and plays into the early 20th century's fascination with exploration. Reminiscent of the real story of admiral Richard E. Byrd, who explored antarctica in the early 20th century and supposedly saw some strange things which compelled him to delete his footage. While the book doesn't have the best prose or a very deep meaningful theme, it's still very enjoyable. I recommend it simply because it brilliantly captures the contrasting experiences of fascination and fear that come with the exploration of the unknown. To see what has never been seen before is an experience of both beauty and horror, and lovecraft portrays that perfectly.