JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS, the famed tale from H. P. Lovecraft (1880-1937) is concluded in this episode, the longest and possibly the most difficult to dramatize of the stories we've been presenting on the show, a format that pleases everybody, we hear-- almost everybody, that is. The late Kingsley Amis praised "The Dunwich Horror" in his great critical book NEW MAPS OF HELL, listing it as one of Lovecraft's tales that "achieve a memorable nastiness..." Lovecraft biographer Lin Carter has called the story "excellent... A mood of tension and gathering horror permeates the story, which culminates in a shattering climax," while in his list of "The 13 Most Terrifying Horror Stories", T. E. D. Klein placed "The Dunwich Horror" at number four. Robert M. Price declares that "among the tales of H. P. Lovecraft, 'The Dunwich Horror' remains my favorite." It is curious that Lovecraft's most formidable (and generally favorable) contemporary critic S.T. Joshi, on the other hand, regards "Dunwich" as "simply an aesthetic mistake on Lovecraft's part", citing its "stock good-versus-evil scenario." However, he has also noted that it is "richly atmospheric." We agree, and in this Ask Dr. Hal! episode, Dr. H. Owll reads the final thirty pages of the novella, aided by only a few strains of accompanying music, taking up after the memorable death of Wilbur Whately (and description of his body) which ended our last episode. Immediately following this, we're treated to the long-wished-for return of Michael Peppe! Hour after hour passes in an intense conversation with the audience-pleasing performance artist/savant, aided by Puzzling Evidence. Over all, this show approaches six hours in length. NEXT WEEK: It is our intention to close this year with yet another (shorter) story and, ideally, equally entertaining content. Before that show, Dr. H. Owll will be a guest on the immediately preceding program on RadioValencia.FM, Witty Banter with Micah Potts. Owing to various difficulties, this did not take place as was planned before the episode now offered.