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A Biblioteca de Babel #5
The Shining Pyramid
The Shining Pyramid is a novel by Arthur Machen, first published in 1923. The story follows a young man named Edward Lessingham who inherits a large estate in Wales. While exploring the grounds, he discovers a mysterious pyramid that glows with an otherworldly light. As he delves deeper into the pyramid's secrets, he becomes entangled in a web of ancient magic and dark forces that threaten to consume him. Along the way, he encounters a cast of strange and sinister characters, including a mad scientist, a beautiful but deadly woman, and a powerful sorcerer. As the plot unfolds, Lessingham must use all of his wit and courage to unravel the mysteries of the pyramid and save himself from certain doom. The Shining Pyramid is a gripping tale of horror and suspense that showcases Machen's mastery of the genre. With its vivid descriptions, haunting imagery, and unforgettable characters, it remains a classic of early 20th-century horror fiction.They lay full length upon the turf; the rock between their faces and the Bowl, and now and again, Dyson, slouching his dark, soft hat over his forehead, put out the glint of an eye, and in a moment drew back, not daring to take a prolonged view. Again he laid an ear to the ground and listened, and the hours went by, and the darkness seemed to blacken, and the faint sigh of the wind was the only sound.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
48 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 1895
About the author
Arthur Machen
962 books940 followersArthur Machen was a leading Welsh author of the 1890s. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His long story The Great God Pan made him famous and controversial in his lifetime, but The Hill of Dreams is generally considered his masterpiece. He also is well known for his leading role in creating the legend of the Angels of Mons.
At the age of eleven, Machen boarded at Hereford Cathedral School, where he received an excellent classical education. Family poverty ruled out attendance at university, and Machen was sent to London, where he sat exams to attend medical school but failed to get in. Machen, however, showed literary promise, publishing in 1881 a long poem "Eleusinia" on the subject of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Returning to London, he lived in relative poverty, attempting to work as a journalist, as a publisher's clerk, and as a children's tutor while writing in the evening and going on long rambling walks across London.
In 1884 he published his second work, the pastiche The Anatomy of Tobacco, and secured work with the publisher and bookseller George Redway as a cataloguer and magazine editor. This led to further work as a translator from French, translating the Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre, Le Moyen de Parvenir (Fantastic Tales) of Béroalde de Verville, and the Memoirs of Casanova. Machen's translations in a spirited English style became standard ones for many years.
Around 1890 Machen began to publish in literary magazines, writing stories influenced by the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, some of which used gothic or fantastic themes. This led to his first major success, The Great God Pan. It was published in 1894 by John Lane in the noted Keynotes Series, which was part of the growing aesthetic movement of the time. Machen's story was widely denounced for its sexual and horrific content and subsequently sold well, going into a second edition.
Machen next produced The Three Impostors, a novel composed of a number of interwoven tales, in 1895. The novel and the stories within it were eventually to be regarded as among Machen's best works. However, following the scandal surrounding Oscar Wilde later that year, Machen's association with works of decadent horror made it difficult for him to find a publisher for new works. Thus, though he would write some of his greatest works over the next few years, some were published much later. These included The Hill of Dreams, Hieroglyphics, A Fragment of Life, the story The White People, and the stories which make up Ornaments in Jade.
At the age of eleven, Machen boarded at Hereford Cathedral School, where he received an excellent classical education. Family poverty ruled out attendance at university, and Machen was sent to London, where he sat exams to attend medical school but failed to get in. Machen, however, showed literary promise, publishing in 1881 a long poem "Eleusinia" on the subject of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Returning to London, he lived in relative poverty, attempting to work as a journalist, as a publisher's clerk, and as a children's tutor while writing in the evening and going on long rambling walks across London.
In 1884 he published his second work, the pastiche The Anatomy of Tobacco, and secured work with the publisher and bookseller George Redway as a cataloguer and magazine editor. This led to further work as a translator from French, translating the Heptameron of Marguerite de Navarre, Le Moyen de Parvenir (Fantastic Tales) of Béroalde de Verville, and the Memoirs of Casanova. Machen's translations in a spirited English style became standard ones for many years.
Around 1890 Machen began to publish in literary magazines, writing stories influenced by the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, some of which used gothic or fantastic themes. This led to his first major success, The Great God Pan. It was published in 1894 by John Lane in the noted Keynotes Series, which was part of the growing aesthetic movement of the time. Machen's story was widely denounced for its sexual and horrific content and subsequently sold well, going into a second edition.
Machen next produced The Three Impostors, a novel composed of a number of interwoven tales, in 1895. The novel and the stories within it were eventually to be regarded as among Machen's best works. However, following the scandal surrounding Oscar Wilde later that year, Machen's association with works of decadent horror made it difficult for him to find a publisher for new works. Thus, though he would write some of his greatest works over the next few years, some were published much later. These included The Hill of Dreams, Hieroglyphics, A Fragment of Life, the story The White People, and the stories which make up Ornaments in Jade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
August 11, 2019
Vaughan asks Dyson for help since he finds strange signs outsides his home (mysterious fling stones arranged in specific patterns, drawing of peculiar eyes). Besides a little girl is missing. She was on her way home taking a shortcut never to be seen again. Who is responsible for the disappearance of the girl? Dyson has a close eye to every detail and comes up with an astonishing solution. What about the shining pyramid pin and the 'Little People'? It's a fine detective story with some supernatural eerie elements. I really enjoyed reading this story by Arthur Machen after having read 'Whitechapel' where he was used as one of the main characters. Really recommended!
November 8, 2018
Machen's occult investigator, Dyson appears in this horror-mystery story, wherein a young girl disappears and strange markings are discovered in a nearby house. What he and his friend discover is that an ancient evil, Machen's beloved creation - "little-people", have made this remote, hilly countryside as one of their lairs in form of a Shining Pyramid.
My Rating - 3.5/5
My Rating - 3.5/5
March 2, 2014
Here is a story that is a prime example of how Machen builds atmosphere. For that alone I rate this story highly though it does leave many questions unanswered.
November 16, 2022
My library has a great collection of Machen's stories and this is one of them. It was by far my favorite and since Goodreads doesn't have a blurb I shall try my best.
A young girl is kidnapped, then a man finds on a trail behind his house strange markings. First, the flint "army", then the flint "pyramid", then the flint "bowl". The owner believes that this is a plot of some wayward band of pirates intent on stealing a priceless bowl within a pyramid shaped cabinet within his house. He has watched the trail from his window, careful not to alert the perpetrators but the strange occurrences continue. Fearing such a plot, he goes to an acquaintance of his to try and catch them in the act. The new observer doesn't end up being able to help in stopping the strange things from happening and the solution to the mystery is far stranger, and terrifying, than either of them could imagine.
This story is great, it is a folk horror that would make an absolute banger of a film. For the most part you can guess what's happening but the end hits you with a what in tarnation that I'm kind of upset I didn't catch. Well written read, Arthur Machen is on his way to being one of my favorite fantasy/horror authors. Highly recommend.
There it is and there you have it.
A young girl is kidnapped, then a man finds on a trail behind his house strange markings. First, the flint "army", then the flint "pyramid", then the flint "bowl". The owner believes that this is a plot of some wayward band of pirates intent on stealing a priceless bowl within a pyramid shaped cabinet within his house. He has watched the trail from his window, careful not to alert the perpetrators but the strange occurrences continue. Fearing such a plot, he goes to an acquaintance of his to try and catch them in the act. The new observer doesn't end up being able to help in stopping the strange things from happening and the solution to the mystery is far stranger, and terrifying, than either of them could imagine.
This story is great, it is a folk horror that would make an absolute banger of a film. For the most part you can guess what's happening but the end hits you with a what in tarnation that I'm kind of upset I didn't catch. Well written read, Arthur Machen is on his way to being one of my favorite fantasy/horror authors. Highly recommend.
There it is and there you have it.
October 29, 2018
En kötü ihtimalle 4 yıldız verirdim, ama son öyküdeki iki küçük Monte Cristo Kontu referansı bir yıldız daha ekledi.
March 11, 2018
Il Male esiste. Purtroppo, esiste anche la noia.
Di Machen conoscevo, per fama, The Great God Pan e nulla più. Non sapevo dunque cosa aspettarmi da questi tre racconti; non immaginavo di annoiarmi a tal punto.
I tre racconti hanno molti punti in comune, concettualmente e per struttura narrativa: un mistero, più o meno inquietante; si giunge all'apice della tragedia; segue tediosa spiegazione. C'è molto in comune con i peggiori gialli, in cui l'investigatore, sul finir della narrazione, ricostruisce il processo che lo ha portato a svelare l'arcano, passo per passo. Deludente.
Peccato: due dei tre racconti avrebbero potuto essere interessanti - Il romanzo della Polvere Bianca prefigura certi orrori lovecraftiani e riprende suggestioni del Dorian Gray di Wilde; La piramide di fuoco desta interesse per la presenza del "Piccolo Popolo" del folklore celtico. Il romanzo del Sigillo Nero, purtroppo, non rientra neppure nella categoria del "vorrei ma non posso": è semplicemente un brutto racconto.
Di Machen conoscevo, per fama, The Great God Pan e nulla più. Non sapevo dunque cosa aspettarmi da questi tre racconti; non immaginavo di annoiarmi a tal punto.
I tre racconti hanno molti punti in comune, concettualmente e per struttura narrativa: un mistero, più o meno inquietante; si giunge all'apice della tragedia; segue tediosa spiegazione. C'è molto in comune con i peggiori gialli, in cui l'investigatore, sul finir della narrazione, ricostruisce il processo che lo ha portato a svelare l'arcano, passo per passo. Deludente.
Peccato: due dei tre racconti avrebbero potuto essere interessanti - Il romanzo della Polvere Bianca prefigura certi orrori lovecraftiani e riprende suggestioni del Dorian Gray di Wilde; La piramide di fuoco desta interesse per la presenza del "Piccolo Popolo" del folklore celtico. Il romanzo del Sigillo Nero, purtroppo, non rientra neppure nella categoria del "vorrei ma non posso": è semplicemente un brutto racconto.
February 20, 2018
The Shining Pyramid takes us again to the remote hillsides of England, where a young girl has gone missing after taking a shortcut across the hills, and strange symbols are discovered around a nearby house. Vaughn who discovers arrowheads in queer arrangements around his house contacts his friend Dyson who is versed in the uncanny to help him sort out the mystery.
The apparent survival of an ancient, mystical evil in the remote hills of England shakes up the worldview of our two protagonists and lets them peer behind the mystical veil.
As with The Novel of the Black Seal, The White People and Out of the Earth, Machen once again uses the legend of the fairies or little people to great effect. This is another excellent horror tale from Machen, and like The Red Hand, it is a fine example of a mystery story as well, keeping the reader on edge while the clues slowly reveal the hideous truth.
This review is of the Three Impostors edition of The Great God Pan and The Shining Pyramid.
The apparent survival of an ancient, mystical evil in the remote hills of England shakes up the worldview of our two protagonists and lets them peer behind the mystical veil.
As with The Novel of the Black Seal, The White People and Out of the Earth, Machen once again uses the legend of the fairies or little people to great effect. This is another excellent horror tale from Machen, and like The Red Hand, it is a fine example of a mystery story as well, keeping the reader on edge while the clues slowly reveal the hideous truth.
This review is of the Three Impostors edition of The Great God Pan and The Shining Pyramid.
November 23, 2022
Quick and Creepy
“…a faint sound, almost indescribable, but as if one held the tongue against the roof of the mouth and expelled the breath.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this short story about a Shinning Pyramid. But, I will give the story props on being unique and unpredictable. If I was to place it within a genre… we’d be bordering on horror/sci-fi.
I was intrigued by the deduction of Dyson and his simple journey of discovering the connections between the disappearance of a farmer girl and the mysterious appearance of arrowheads and drawings that look like an “eye” on the side of his friend’s wall. It wasn’t until the very end where a full explanation was given and clicked the pieces in place to complete the picture.
I liked it. Quick read. Intriguing. But wasn’t completely absorbed by it. However, I will give credit to the way Machen develops atmosphere within his story.
“…a faint sound, almost indescribable, but as if one held the tongue against the roof of the mouth and expelled the breath.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this short story about a Shinning Pyramid. But, I will give the story props on being unique and unpredictable. If I was to place it within a genre… we’d be bordering on horror/sci-fi.
I was intrigued by the deduction of Dyson and his simple journey of discovering the connections between the disappearance of a farmer girl and the mysterious appearance of arrowheads and drawings that look like an “eye” on the side of his friend’s wall. It wasn’t until the very end where a full explanation was given and clicked the pieces in place to complete the picture.
I liked it. Quick read. Intriguing. But wasn’t completely absorbed by it. However, I will give credit to the way Machen develops atmosphere within his story.
Read
February 18, 2021Kara Mührün Öyküsü, Beyaz Tozun Öyküsü ve Ateş Piramidi şeklinde üç farklı öykünün yer aldığı ilginç bir kitap bu. Bu seneki Babil serisini tamamlama hedefim doğrultusunda okuduğum ilk kitap aynı zamanda.
Son derece fantastik unsurlarla bezeli, mitolojiden ve yerel anlatılardan beslenen öykülerden beni en çok etkileyen Beyaz Tozun Öyküsü oldu. Ancak kitaba ismini veren öykünün tasvirlerindeki ürperticilik, yarattığı atmosfer bambaşkaydı.
Öykülerin ortak özelliği, hepsinde olayların gizeminin ya bir mektup ya da bir uzun açıklama yoluyla mutlaka açıklanmaya çalışılması. Öykü bittiğinde hiçbir boşluk kalmaması hedeflenmiş.
M. B.
Ankara
Son derece fantastik unsurlarla bezeli, mitolojiden ve yerel anlatılardan beslenen öykülerden beni en çok etkileyen Beyaz Tozun Öyküsü oldu. Ancak kitaba ismini veren öykünün tasvirlerindeki ürperticilik, yarattığı atmosfer bambaşkaydı.
Öykülerin ortak özelliği, hepsinde olayların gizeminin ya bir mektup ya da bir uzun açıklama yoluyla mutlaka açıklanmaya çalışılması. Öykü bittiğinde hiçbir boşluk kalmaması hedeflenmiş.
M. B.
Ankara
January 5, 2019
Tre racconti per Machen in cui l’idea del male sembra essere la sua ossessione.
Forse il migliore dei tre a mio avviso è “ il romanzo della polvere bianca”, l’idea di questo male che ribolle vischioso e che infetta è vincente.
“Il romanzo del sigillo nero” a tratti mi ha evocato le atmosfere de Il giro di vite di James, ma molto debole sul genere. Per il resto mi sono sembrati poco incisivi.
Forse il migliore dei tre a mio avviso è “ il romanzo della polvere bianca”, l’idea di questo male che ribolle vischioso e che infetta è vincente.
“Il romanzo del sigillo nero” a tratti mi ha evocato le atmosfere de Il giro di vite di James, ma molto debole sul genere. Per il resto mi sono sembrati poco incisivi.
June 13, 2023
Average. Not really a very satisfactory outcome to this short story. Some strange guesswork from the two protagonists about ‘gypsies’, criminals and ‘dwarves’, but it was none of those things causing all the trouble in the end. And, what we did get as the solution oddly failed to have much impact on our protagonists, who took the supernatural in their stride - lets not worry too much about the missing girl’s fate, the important thing is the silver punch bowl is safe from thieves! I was really made to feel more threatened at the start of the story by the thought of burglars, than I was by the thought of the underworld at the end. Then everything is explained for the reader by one of the protagonists, so the whole thing felt more like a cosy crime being wrapped up, than a eerie horror tale. The whole story is just off-kilter, not just with the genre, but with human nature. Rewritten by another writer, this could be a good story, but it’s all wrong as it is.
May 12, 2021
Oggi vi presento La piramide di fuoco di Arthur Machen, breve antologia di tre novelle curata nientemeno che da Jorge Luis Borges. Ecco, già questa dovrebbe essere sufficiente come garanzia, ma se proprio non vi dovesse bastare, mi dilungherò in qualche ulteriore riga di commento.
Si tratta di racconti legati dal tema della corruzione, spirituale e fisica, ad opera di poteri sovrannaturali di chiaro stampo demoniaco. Di Machen ho letto solo il romanzo Il grande dio Pan, ma devo ammettere che il Machen ritrovato in quest’antologia mi ha colpito maggiormente. Come sapete non amo molto i racconti e spesso non riesco a entrare in sintonia con questa tipologia di opere, invece l’autore in questo caso è riuscito a catturarmi e a catapultarmi nelle atmosfere descritte in modo del tutto naturale ed efficace. Recensione completa: https://www.scrittorindipendenti.com/...
Si tratta di racconti legati dal tema della corruzione, spirituale e fisica, ad opera di poteri sovrannaturali di chiaro stampo demoniaco. Di Machen ho letto solo il romanzo Il grande dio Pan, ma devo ammettere che il Machen ritrovato in quest’antologia mi ha colpito maggiormente. Come sapete non amo molto i racconti e spesso non riesco a entrare in sintonia con questa tipologia di opere, invece l’autore in questo caso è riuscito a catturarmi e a catapultarmi nelle atmosfere descritte in modo del tutto naturale ed efficace. Recensione completa: https://www.scrittorindipendenti.com/...
September 27, 2024
An interesting and perfectly fine Victorian Sherlock Holmes meets H. P. Lovecraft tale from the great Arthur Machen. It has all the dignity that he brings to the supernatural tale, the stoicism Brits are so famous for--Keep Calm and Ignore the Little People on the Moors. Also the narrative here, almost all dialogue, is well done and gives the tale a distinct flavor--or should I say flavour? Even so, it's not as wispy or evocative as the best of Machen's work. I enjoyed it like I do any competent supernatural narrative, but it failed to get under my skin. At his best Machen is the very best, in my humble opinion, at getting under one's skin.
May 8, 2020
This one is something that you should think of. Occult investigator Dyson called out by his friend Mr. Vaughan as he couldn't find out the mystery of those indescribable symbols that appears outside of his home. Meanwhile a girl named Annie Trevor been disappeared and there's no clue about where might she gone. All this made a conclusion in the end as there's something going on with that Shining Pyramid. Fairly good horror to read...
February 21, 2022
[Relectura] Uno de los grandes maestros del terror. Recupero un par de citas de Guillermo del Toro: "Machen no dudaba de la existencia de mundos antiguos debajo del nuestro ni del poder que sus habitantes ejercen sobre nuestras almas y, en última instancia, sobre nuestra carne. Él sabía que hay bárbaros a nuestra puerta, ocultos en alguna parte de la oscuridad subyacente". "Machen sabía que aceptar nuestra insignificancia cósmica es alcanzar una perspectiva espiritual y finalmente darse cuenta de que sí, todo está permitido. Y de que por muy malvados o perversos que podamos ser, en algún lugar, en un reino caído en el olvido, un Dios enloquecido nos espera, burlándose... y listo para abrazarnos a todos".
April 18, 2018
It's unfortunate that some overzealous Goodreads librarian, unaware of the complicated publishing history of Machen's works, has combined editions of The Shining Pyramid that ought not to have been combined. In reality, the various "editions" are altogether different works. I've read two editions and rather than uncombine the mess and add the earliest edition to the GR database I've thrown caution to the winds and chosen the longest edition available here for my shelves. Lord knows what's in it. That's the lazy man's way of doing things but what I uncombine would only be recombined by another zealot.
February 13, 2013
A little tale of mystery and horror, it blends elements of detective stories and horror. The story starts innocently enough with two men discussing strange arrangements of stones left at their doorstep. This part reminded me of The Adventure of the Dancing Men by Conan Doyle. Someone finds a code near their house that may have horrific implications. The discussion between the two and their rational thinking echoes Poe's The Mysteries of the Rue Morgue. But where Doyle's and Poe's tale concluded with a rational and natural explanation, Machen's tale turns into horror, of things dwelling deep underground and best left untouched.
Machen's language effectively evokes the mystic nature of the English countryside with the more intellectual pursuits of its main protagonist. It leaves a lot of things unanswered but it is for the best. Trying to answer all of it would ruin the mystery and trivialize events. It leaves a lot to our imagination and that makes it an effective tale.
I also enjoyed the parallel between this story and Robert E. Howard's Children of the Night. I don't know if Howard was inspired by Machen but both feature a race of pre-human people living beneath the ground with vague reptilian features. Both are set in England. And both leave a lot to imagination.
Machen's language effectively evokes the mystic nature of the English countryside with the more intellectual pursuits of its main protagonist. It leaves a lot of things unanswered but it is for the best. Trying to answer all of it would ruin the mystery and trivialize events. It leaves a lot to our imagination and that makes it an effective tale.
I also enjoyed the parallel between this story and Robert E. Howard's Children of the Night. I don't know if Howard was inspired by Machen but both feature a race of pre-human people living beneath the ground with vague reptilian features. Both are set in England. And both leave a lot to imagination.
August 23, 2019
The protagonists discover weird symbols around their property, and proceed to investigate with a detachedness worthy of a robot. This makes them behave in a most ungentlemanly manner at the end of the story, and made me put it down with disgust.
December 27, 2022
Questo libro non mi è piaciuto: le storie erano horror gotico generico e l'estetica lasciava molto a desiderare.
Detto ciò da questo libro ho imparato una lezione molto importante, ovvero che i mostri esistono davvero, vivono tra noi, e si chiamano brianzoli.
Detto ciò da questo libro ho imparato una lezione molto importante, ovvero che i mostri esistono davvero, vivono tra noi, e si chiamano brianzoli.
December 23, 2020
Machen finally wrote a story that I could actually enjoy reading. None of the Holmesian piddle that he constantly been using to grab his audience's attention is present. Just a good horror story about a couple of pals who hear rumors of disappearances in the countryside and the foolish decision that they make to investigate bizarre patterns left in the forest around one of their homes. The title of this story also doesn't tie loosely into the plot like Machen's other works. It is an understated reference to some of the disturbing material that the reader will become acquainted with within this story.
The biggest issues that I'd had with Machen's stories are their poor pacing and bland mystery conventions. These are both torn out of this story, and I think Machen might have disliked this story because of it. A frightening mystery is presented to us at the beginning, the characters are inextricably tied to it, and they discover what is behind the horrors. Good stuff! Whether or not Machen appreciated what he had made is irrelevant. Aside from some uncomfortable racist insinuations that Machen makes about the malevolent force behind the disappearances, I found little to dislike with this story. Good prose, good pacing, good concept. Worth a read!
The biggest issues that I'd had with Machen's stories are their poor pacing and bland mystery conventions. These are both torn out of this story, and I think Machen might have disliked this story because of it. A frightening mystery is presented to us at the beginning, the characters are inextricably tied to it, and they discover what is behind the horrors. Good stuff! Whether or not Machen appreciated what he had made is irrelevant. Aside from some uncomfortable racist insinuations that Machen makes about the malevolent force behind the disappearances, I found little to dislike with this story. Good prose, good pacing, good concept. Worth a read!
October 11, 2017
Another excellent and strange tale from Machen. A man who is friends with Dyson asks him to visit as strange stone formations are appearing on the path next to his house, which is in the Welsh wilderness. Not only this, but they are formed from ancient stone flints, which have clearly been shaped by hands that are not human. Meanwhile a local girl has disappeared, and strange painted eyes appear on the garden wall, and the aura of menace increases. Culminates in a dramatic ending, this is another brilliant and evocative story of supernatural forces just beyond the boundaries of everyday existence.
April 22, 2011
I'm a little irritated by the ending of this story. There was a little bit too much of an explanation which ruins the whole atmospheric eerieness of the scene in Chapter 4.
It was okay. I even liked it as the mystery advanced, but the ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
It was okay. I even liked it as the mystery advanced, but the ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
November 14, 2017
En realidad, me gustó mucho la escritura de Machen, tiene ese arcanismo que me enamoró de Lovecraft pero que en él se siente mucho más mortífero, en el aspecto de que es casi histórico. Me pregunto si Borges eligió los mejores relatos o los menos «terroríficos».
August 13, 2023
Pocos escritores tienen el don de Machen de hacernos sentir la atmósfera. Este libro de la colección de La Biblioteca de Babel presenta tres relatos que están relacionados con una idea: que el pueblo de las hadas, al que era tan afecto Machen, era en realidad los vestigios de una antigua raza prehistórica que pervive oculta hasta nuestros tiempos. Sin embargo, no son humanos en todo el sentido de la palabra.
1. En La novela del Sello Negro, un hombre, poseedor de una piedra con glifos, sospecha que el pueblo de las hadas aún existe y anda tras su pista en una peligrosa búsqueda.
2. En La novela del Polvo Blanco (algunos la conocen como Vinum Sabatti), un joven comienza a consumir un extraño medicamento que levanta su ánimo y cambia su vida. Sin embargo poco a poco se va dando en sí una transformación extraña, mientras comienza a tener contacto con otra realidad. ¿Son esos polvos, polvos del mundo de las hadas?
3. En La pirámide de fuego, dos amigos encuentran flechas prehistóricas cerca de casa de uno de ellos, formando iconos en el suelo, tal vez señales de algo. Ese algo pervive en el bosque y adora a una extraña entidad que...
Indudablemente podemos ver que mucho del concepto del Horror Cósmico que expone Lovecraft en sus relatos proviene directamente de Machen.
Ni duda cabe
1. En La novela del Sello Negro, un hombre, poseedor de una piedra con glifos, sospecha que el pueblo de las hadas aún existe y anda tras su pista en una peligrosa búsqueda.
2. En La novela del Polvo Blanco (algunos la conocen como Vinum Sabatti), un joven comienza a consumir un extraño medicamento que levanta su ánimo y cambia su vida. Sin embargo poco a poco se va dando en sí una transformación extraña, mientras comienza a tener contacto con otra realidad. ¿Son esos polvos, polvos del mundo de las hadas?
3. En La pirámide de fuego, dos amigos encuentran flechas prehistóricas cerca de casa de uno de ellos, formando iconos en el suelo, tal vez señales de algo. Ese algo pervive en el bosque y adora a una extraña entidad que...
Indudablemente podemos ver que mucho del concepto del Horror Cósmico que expone Lovecraft en sus relatos proviene directamente de Machen.
Ni duda cabe
November 17, 2016
a pirâmide de fogo
****
xadrez literário muito bem conseguido.
deliciosa atmosfera, densa e mística.
grande final lasciviamente horrososo.
faltou alguma convicção, na linguagem de Machen, para definitivamente empurrar o leitor na direcção do abismo. a mesma convicção que Borges quase sempre consegue (com as suas referências por vezes duvidosas, quase sempre deliciosas, raras vezes gratuitas). escrever, antigamente, era um acto muito mais desamparado. os pormenores que povoariam as páginas teriam de ser extraídos à vida, à imaginação, ou a uma biblioteca extensa. Machen parece beber de uma quarta fonte que gera um horror tão acutilante quanto o de Poe ou Lovecraft, mas que também deixa uma incredulidade a pairar no ar.
o sinete negro
*
conto completamente displicente e previsível.
não compreendo como pôde este conto ser publicado.
o pó branco
****
como se edgar allan poe escrevesse "a metamorfose" de kafka.
conto maravilhosamente descascado para revelar um hediondo caroço.
único senão, uma vez mais, é a ausência de algo que nos faça cair completamente na terrível teia que nos é tecida.
o documento deixado pelo químico é pouco convincente.
****
xadrez literário muito bem conseguido.
deliciosa atmosfera, densa e mística.
grande final lasciviamente horrososo.
faltou alguma convicção, na linguagem de Machen, para definitivamente empurrar o leitor na direcção do abismo. a mesma convicção que Borges quase sempre consegue (com as suas referências por vezes duvidosas, quase sempre deliciosas, raras vezes gratuitas). escrever, antigamente, era um acto muito mais desamparado. os pormenores que povoariam as páginas teriam de ser extraídos à vida, à imaginação, ou a uma biblioteca extensa. Machen parece beber de uma quarta fonte que gera um horror tão acutilante quanto o de Poe ou Lovecraft, mas que também deixa uma incredulidade a pairar no ar.
o sinete negro
*
conto completamente displicente e previsível.
não compreendo como pôde este conto ser publicado.
o pó branco
****
como se edgar allan poe escrevesse "a metamorfose" de kafka.
conto maravilhosamente descascado para revelar um hediondo caroço.
único senão, uma vez mais, é a ausência de algo que nos faça cair completamente na terrível teia que nos é tecida.
o documento deixado pelo químico é pouco convincente.
October 26, 2017
Another truly classic short story by Arthur Machen featuring some of my favourite recurring characters in literature, Vaughan and Dyson. This tale can be read probably in under and hour, and it is an hour of your time thoroughly well spent.
As per the Welsh romanticism evangelised by Machen, the meat of the story take place in his childhood home of South Wales (which is also my home), with real world locations such as Caerleons Roman amphitheatre taking centre stage.
This story feels like almost a perfect marriage between mild horror and an old fashioned detective story. The prose has also not aged a day, and is very readable for an audience in 2017.
This story is one of Machen's finest shorter works (although still nothing on the 'Three Imposters') and a must read for people interested in Machens work, particularly for those less interested in his works of horror.
As per the Welsh romanticism evangelised by Machen, the meat of the story take place in his childhood home of South Wales (which is also my home), with real world locations such as Caerleons Roman amphitheatre taking centre stage.
This story feels like almost a perfect marriage between mild horror and an old fashioned detective story. The prose has also not aged a day, and is very readable for an audience in 2017.
This story is one of Machen's finest shorter works (although still nothing on the 'Three Imposters') and a must read for people interested in Machens work, particularly for those less interested in his works of horror.
July 16, 2020
After a few misses on the book front we are back on solid ground with some 'Folk Horror'
As that is apparently what Mr Machen's work is called, Folk Horror. Nice I like that, sounds a bit like a country goth band.
Still, I digress.
This was a perfect little read and indeed very horrible. I admire any story teller that can fit so much feeling and well, story, into 30 pages. This one had everything, from the slow build up of tension, weird symbols and a learned professor type from the city come to sort out the backwoods mystery.
Pretty sure after reading this you won't be wandering along any woodland paths on your own.
And the line 'you saw the appearance of those things that gathered thick and writhed in the bowl; you may be sure that what lay bound in the midst of them was no longer fit for earth.' will stay with me for a very long time.
As that is apparently what Mr Machen's work is called, Folk Horror. Nice I like that, sounds a bit like a country goth band.
Still, I digress.
This was a perfect little read and indeed very horrible. I admire any story teller that can fit so much feeling and well, story, into 30 pages. This one had everything, from the slow build up of tension, weird symbols and a learned professor type from the city come to sort out the backwoods mystery.
Pretty sure after reading this you won't be wandering along any woodland paths on your own.
And the line 'you saw the appearance of those things that gathered thick and writhed in the bowl; you may be sure that what lay bound in the midst of them was no longer fit for earth.' will stay with me for a very long time.
February 12, 2021
A young girl goes missing and some inter-dimensionals are somehow connected in this weird tale by Arthur Machen. Landscape occultism is how I would describe this book. Machen's writing was inspired by his natural surroundings which contained Roman and Celtic history. His earthy mysticism crept into the pages of most of his works which grounds the creepiness of his stories.
Geography, geology, flint, eyes, a half-moon, and a shining pyramid are the pagan elements of this eerie story about the things that may be hiding in plain sight beyond the trees and beneath the forest floor.
Geography, geology, flint, eyes, a half-moon, and a shining pyramid are the pagan elements of this eerie story about the things that may be hiding in plain sight beyond the trees and beneath the forest floor.
March 23, 2022
Arthur Machen okurken lovecraft okuyormus gibi hissettim. Zaten lovecraft ondan esinlenmiş. Anlatımında ki yalınlık kolay bir okunus sağlarken giderek artan gizem ve gerilim sürükleyici bir hale getiriyor. Gizem ve gerilim edebiyatında neden oncu olduğu öykülerin güzelliğinden ve hayalgucunden belli oluyor.sonlari ise twilight zone gibi bazen belirsiz bazende beklenenin altında bir cevapla bitse de. Okuma sirasinda verdiği sürükleyici gizem öyküleri sevdiriyor.korku/gizem/gerilim tarzi kitap sevenler seve seve okuyacaktır.
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