Quickie Book Review: The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

With Halloween just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to read an older tale of horror, The Great God Pan. Arthur Machen wrote and published the novella in 1894 and though it was denounced by critics when it first appeared due to the sexual and degenerate nature of the story, future horror masters such as H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King have come to consider it a classic in the horror genre.

A young woman named Mary -- a foundling picked up off the streets by one Dr. Raymond -- becomes the unwitting subject in an experiment to allow a human to see what many consider to be the "real world", a wondrous place in which nature and all manner of creatures live just beyond the veil of what humans normally see. Witnessed by Dr. Raymond and his colleague Mr. Clarke, Mary wakens from the experiment, her eyes appearing to focus on something beautiful and far away. But soon her expression changes to horror, and she collapses to the floor in a fit of madness.

Time passes and Mr. Clarke runs into a beggar who turns out to be an old chum. They walk together, and Clark learns of how his friend wound up in such dire circumstances. His friend tells him of his wife, a strange woman named Helen, who many claim to be beautiful and yet no one enjoys being in her presence. A sinister air hangs about her person and their home. She ruined him, he claims, and then disappeared. Clarke investigates further, and tales of madness and unexplained deaths surrounding a similar woman begin cropping up. Curious if she is somehow connected to the events with Mary, he questions Dr. Raymond about that night. The Doctor warns him to leave things be before something happens to him. Clarke, however, is determined to uncover the truth.

Perhaps not as horror-filled by today's standards, The Great God Pan still manages to evoke chills not by blood and gore, but by providing moods and glimpses of evil. It's as if you notice something's not quite right, something that you can't see or explain, but you can't pinpoint it. The story works on your mind, wreaking havoc with your fears and imagination until you can't escape. That unknown element is probably more terrifying than knowing that a vampire or a zombie or some familiar creature is lurking about.

The Great God Pan is quite an unnerving tale and has earned its place as a classic horror tale. If you've not read it, I recommend checking it out.

The Great God Pan
by Arthur Machen
Project Gutenberg
eBook, 57 pages


downloaded eBook from Project Gutenberg.

Image from Tower Books.