Considering the glut of new books on the market, it is often rewarding to step back and read the classics. Arthur Machen wrote in the late 1800s, blazing new trails in the field of macabre fantasy by drawing on ancient myths and placing such themes in a (then) modern setting.
Machen was a master of crafting an entrancing atmosphere where what is suggested is often more chilling and awe-inspiring that what is mere told or shown. In his works, modern life is drab and artificial, but the natural world is a thin veil beneath which is a fey realm in equal parts majestic, sensual, seductive, terrifying and deadly. To glimpse it is to take your life in your hands, but the wonder draws the characters (and the reader) on despite the peril.
He, along with Lord Dunsay, was one of the primary influences of the legendary H.P. Lovecraft.
“Three Imposters” is an excellent introduction to the work of Machen. The titular work is an episodic novel with numerous narratives connected by a single theme and plot. As such, it showcases Machen’s variety of strange tales beautifully.
Also included is the novella “The Great God Pan,” debatably Machen’s best work and the inspiration of Lovecraft’s masterpiece, “The Dunwich Horror.” Though reckoned rather tame by today’s standards, the subject matter scandalized mid-Victorian society.

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Created Jul 02, 2007 at 11:13pm • Submit your own review...