Book: Arthur Machen: The Great God Pan & Other Classic Horror Stories
- Published: 1894 - 1904
A Dover collection of four Arthur Machen stories: The Great God Pan, The White People, The Inmost Light, and The Shining Pyramid. They were all written in the late 19th century, though The White People wasn't published until 1904.
Each deals with occult supernatural forces that defy humanity's attempts to control (let alone comprehend) them. I found the stories intriguing, though a bit difficult to follow at times: Machen tends to report events in an indirect way, and some paragraphs go on for multiple pages without a break. The writing is solid, though, and I've been thinking about The Great God Pan and The White People since finishing them.
The first thing I read by Arthur Machen was The Terror, a supernatural novella from 1917 set during World War I. At the time, I felt the solution to the mystery was the most ridiculous thing I had ever read, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I'm glad I dug deeper into his catalogue.