Fantastic and Horrific Stories

Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a collection of short fiction by Arthur Machen. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen's writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft.
Throughout the years, Machen's work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. The Great God Pan, perhaps Machen's most celebrated work, is the story of an occult experiment gone horribly wrong. Clarke has always taken an interest in occult matters, so when a friend offers him a chance to witness an experimental procedure intended to access the spirit realm, he cannot refuse. When the young patient Mary awakens, she shows signs of terror and soon falls into a catatonic state. Convinced of their success in discovering the world of "the great god Pan," Clarke and Raymond agree to keep their discovery a secret. Years later, a nearby town begins reporting the mysterious disappearances of young children, all of whom have been seen in the forest with a young woman named Helen Vaughn.
In ?The White People,? originally published in Horlick's Magazine in 1904, a Welshman receives the diary of a young girl introduced to witchcraft. Surprisingly well-kept for its age, the green book accompanies Cotgrave on a journey through the lush countryside. Its pages contain the diary of a young girl who, encouraged by her nurse, immerses herself in the world of magic. As she grows adept in the ways of witchcraft, the girl begins referring to strange beings and unknown places, all while doing her best to conceal her secret life from friends and family.
The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man who begins having strange visions after visiting an ancient Roman fort near his rural Welsh home. Published alongside ?The Inmost Light,? ?The Shining Pyramid,? The Terror, ?Out of the Earth,? and Ornaments in Jade, these tales by Arthur Machen showcase his gift for illuminating the presence of the supernatural in everyday life.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen's Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

List of contents

The Great God Pan

I. The Experiments

II. Mr. Clarke’s Memoirs

III. The City of Resurrections

IV. The Discovery in Paul Street

V. The Letter of Advice

VI. The Suicides

VII. The Encounter in Soho

VIII. The Fragments

The Inmost Light

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

The Shining Pyramid

I. The Arrow-head Cheater

II. The Eyes on the Wall

III. The Search for the Bowl

IV. The Search for the Pyramid

V. The Little People

The Hill of Dreams

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

The White People

Prologue

The Green Book

Epilogue

The Terror

I. The Coming of the Terror

II. Death in the Village

III. The Doctor’s Theory

IV. The Spread of the Terror

V. The Incident of the Unknown Tree

VI. Mr. Remnant’s Z Ray

VII. The Case of the Hidden Germans

VIII. What Mr. Merritt Found

IX. The Light on the Water

X. The Child and the Moth

XI. At Treff Loyne Farm

XII. The Letter of Wrath

XIII. The Last Words of Mr. Secretan

XIV. The End of the Terror

Out of Earth

Ornaments of Jade

The Rose Garden

The Turanians

The Idealist

Witchcraft

The Ceremony

Psychology

Torture

Midsummer

Nature

The Holy Things

About the author

Arthur Llewellyn Jones was a Welsh author and mystic who lived from March 3, 1863, to December 15, 1947. Arthur Machen was his pen name. He is best known for writing important horror, fantasy, and magical stories. Stephen King said that his short story "The Great God Pan" (1890 or 1894) was "Maybe the best in the English language." It is considered a classic in the horror genre. Many people read his short story "The Bowmen" as if it were true, which is how the story of the Angels of Mons came to be. Charles Llewelyn Jones was born in Caerleon, Monmouthshire, and became Richard Machen. There is a blue plaque on the house where he was born, which is across the street from the Olde Bull Inn in The Square at Caerleon and next to the Priory Hotel. He often called Monmouthshire by the name of the medieval Welsh kingdom, Gwent. The area's beautiful scenery and Celtic, Roman, and medieval history left a big impact on him, and his love of it is at the heart of many of his works. The Machen family came from Carmarthenshire and had a long history of being priests.

Summary

Fantastic and Horrific Stories (2021) is a collection of short fiction by Arthur Machen. Condemned as decadent and obscene upon publication, Machen’s writing earned praise from Oscar Wilde and H. P. Lovecraft. Throughout the years, Machen’s work has been referenced and adapted by such figures as Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, and Josh Malerman for its masterfully unsettling blend of science, myth, and magic. The Great God Pan, perhaps Machen’s most celebrated work, is the story of an occult experiment gone horribly wrong. Clarke has always taken an interest in occult matters, so when a friend offers him a chance to witness an experimental procedure intended to access the spirit realm, he cannot refuse. When the young patient Mary awakens, she shows signs of terror and soon falls into a catatonic state. Convinced of their success in discovering the world of “the great god Pan,” Clarke and Raymond agree to keep their discovery a secret. Years later, a nearby town begins reporting the mysterious disappearances of young children, all of whom have been seen in the forest with a young woman named Helen Vaughn. In “The White People,” originally published in Horlick’s Magazine in 1904, a Welshman receives the diary of a young girl introduced to witchcraft. Surprisingly well-kept for its age, the green book accompanies Cotgrave on a journey through the lush countryside. Its pages contain the diary of a young girl who, encouraged by her nurse, immerses herself in the world of magic. As she grows adept in the ways of witchcraft, the girl begins referring to strange beings and unknown places, all while doing her best to conceal her secret life from friends and family. The Hill of Dreams is a semi-autobiographical novel about a young man who begins having strange visions after visiting an ancient Roman fort near his rural Welsh home. Published alongside “The Inmost Light,” “The Shining Pyramid,” The Terror, “Out of the Earth,” and Ornaments in Jade, these tales by Arthur Machen showcase his gift for illuminating the presence of the supernatural in everyday life. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Arthur Machen’s Fantastic and Horrific Stories is a classic of British horror fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Product details

• Authors: Arthur Machen
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 28.09.2021
• EAN: 9781513218311
• ISBN: 978-1-5132-1831-1
• No. of pages: 440
• Dimensions: 127 mm x 203 mm x 28 mm
• Weight: 510 g
• Illustrations: Illustrationen, nicht spezifiziert
• Series: Mint Editions; Mint Editions—Originals; Mint Editions—Horrific, Paranormal, Supernatural and Gothic Tales; Mint Editions (Horrific, Paranormal, Supernatural and Gothic Tales); Mint Editions (Originals)
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Dark Fantasy, FICTION / Short Stories (single author), Short Stories, FICTION / Occult & Supernatural, FICTION / Horror, Classic horror and ghost stories