brusboks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An interesting look into the cosmic fear subgenre of old weird fiction.
Also, experimental: the novel is introduced as a printed and edited version of journal found in the rubble of what is left of a house in the wilderness. The editor notes adds a second layer to the story.
Also, experimental: the novel is introduced as a printed and edited version of journal found in the rubble of what is left of a house in the wilderness. The editor notes adds a second layer to the story.
nickjonesreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit that I'm a sucker for weird, creepy fiction. I had high hopes for this book. It started off giving me everything I was looking for: ancient manuscripts, mysterious old ruins, a vast evil old house, a sub-terrain adventure, but then it lost me. About 25% of the book involved the unnamed narrator slowly observing untold aeons speeding forward towards the end of the universe.
The real problem for me was that it left too many loose ends and ultimately I have no idea what Hodgson was trying to say. What in the heck does this story mean? Still...I think this short tale will stick with me, if for no other reason than I will constantly be wondering what it all means. I would love to hear from someone who could shed some light on the subject.
The real problem for me was that it left too many loose ends and ultimately I have no idea what Hodgson was trying to say. What in the heck does this story mean? Still...I think this short tale will stick with me, if for no other reason than I will constantly be wondering what it all means. I would love to hear from someone who could shed some light on the subject.
elinmclaughlin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
neko_cam's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up 'The House on the Borderland' (henceforth 'The House') after learning that H.P. Lovecraft considered this piece particularly inspirational and so, considering how much I enjoy Lovecraft's work, I thought it would be worth further examination.
I enjoyed the first portion of the story which primarily concerns a siege that is laid against the house of the reclusive protagonist by a horde of strange swine-men, and which culminates with the discovery of a massive, seemingly bottomless pit directly beneath the house. I couldn't help but chuckle at the way the protagonist sees fit to simply lock his sister in her bedroom during this portion and, at one point, describes her as seeming to be "in a fainting condition".
The second portion failed to really maintain my interest and enthusiasm. The protagonist passes through time at a constantly increasing rate, eventually finding himself aeons into the future - beyond even the destruction of the Earth and the solar system - and in the presence of what he thinks may be the "Central Suns" of the galaxy. While some of the imagery was quite interesting, the pacing was agonizingly slow. I was hoping that this portion would at least reveal something substantial about the swine-men or their origins, but it just left me with more questions than it answered.
The third and final portion of the story was refreshingly (comparatively) succinct. A swinebeast-godthing seems to have followed the protagonist back through time/space to the house, where it infects his pet dog with a strange, luminous, fungal disease. The protagonist is forced to put down the animal, but not before he becomes unwittingly infected himself. The manuscript closes with the protagonist's panicked prose as the swinebeast-godthing is breaking down the door to his study.
It was easy to see several elements present in 'The House' which I recognized from Lovecraft's work. Thankfully Lovecraft's writing style is not terribly similar to that of Hodgeson, as the story was absolutely littered with superfluous commas. Don't get me wrong; I don't mind prose written in a dated style, but I found the aforementioned (ab)use of commas to be quite jarring.
I wouldn't really suggest 'The House' to anyone who wasn't already a big fan of cosmic horror for fear of turning them off the genre, but I think that existing fans of the genre - and particularly Lovecraft's works - may still be able to find some interesting and enjoyable elements in this story.
I enjoyed the first portion of the story which primarily concerns a siege that is laid against the house of the reclusive protagonist by a horde of strange swine-men, and which culminates with the discovery of a massive, seemingly bottomless pit directly beneath the house. I couldn't help but chuckle at the way the protagonist sees fit to simply lock his sister in her bedroom during this portion and, at one point, describes her as seeming to be "in a fainting condition".
The second portion failed to really maintain my interest and enthusiasm. The protagonist passes through time at a constantly increasing rate, eventually finding himself aeons into the future - beyond even the destruction of the Earth and the solar system - and in the presence of what he thinks may be the "Central Suns" of the galaxy. While some of the imagery was quite interesting, the pacing was agonizingly slow. I was hoping that this portion would at least reveal something substantial about the swine-men or their origins, but it just left me with more questions than it answered.
The third and final portion of the story was refreshingly (comparatively) succinct. A swinebeast-godthing seems to have followed the protagonist back through time/space to the house, where it infects his pet dog with a strange, luminous, fungal disease. The protagonist is forced to put down the animal, but not before he becomes unwittingly infected himself. The manuscript closes with the protagonist's panicked prose as the swinebeast-godthing is breaking down the door to his study.
It was easy to see several elements present in 'The House' which I recognized from Lovecraft's work. Thankfully Lovecraft's writing style is not terribly similar to that of Hodgeson, as the story was absolutely littered with superfluous commas. Don't get me wrong; I don't mind prose written in a dated style, but I found the aforementioned (ab)use of commas to be quite jarring.
I wouldn't really suggest 'The House' to anyone who wasn't already a big fan of cosmic horror for fear of turning them off the genre, but I think that existing fans of the genre - and particularly Lovecraft's works - may still be able to find some interesting and enjoyable elements in this story.
manuelinx's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
michael_taylor's review against another edition
5.0
Oh heck yeah. This one is all killer no filler.
The monsters are well described and easy to imagine. It takes strange, unexpected turns. I loved the use of apocalyptic language. I felt bad for poor Pepper. :(
When I'm looking to read a horror novel this is what I'm looking for. I don't know that it is "scary" moment to moment so much as it is mysterious and strange.
The monsters are well described and easy to imagine. It takes strange, unexpected turns. I loved the use of apocalyptic language. I felt bad for poor Pepper. :(
When I'm looking to read a horror novel this is what I'm looking for. I don't know that it is "scary" moment to moment so much as it is mysterious and strange.
spestock's review against another edition
4.0
A book that's been on my want-to-read shelf for a long time. Once I started mentally skipping most of the commas, I was able to dig in. The visions and space exploration parts reminded me of slogging through the Silmarillion, but everything to do with the house and the Swine-things was often genuinely unsettling and creepy. A worthwhile read for anyone interested in the origins of weird lit and cosmic horror.
ishouldreadthat's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't particularly enjoy this novel until the very end. I'm glad I read it, however I don't think I would recommend it to most people
doruga's review against another edition
4.0
NEW
This acid trip of a story still slaps!
OLD
This one is not for everyone but I really liked it. I heard about it from a youtube video talking about the influences to cosmic horror and lovecraftian style novels. I love cosmic horror but cant really read lovecraft anymore because the racism is too intense, so I decided to check this one out.
The first half of this book is your classic horror creepiness and it was pretty engaging to be honest! I didnt immediately know what was going on which is a plus these days with horror stories. The second half is when all the cosmic aspects of cosmic horror comes in, and it is very weird. I can feel that this section of the book is not really going to be for everyone and can easily be taken as just boring acid trips. I personally really dug it for some reason! Also the explanation as to what is going on is implied but i had to google it to make sure I got it right.
Would recommend not reading the story pitch for this book before reading it as it kinds of spoils why the weird things are happening and its fun to figure it out as you go.
This acid trip of a story still slaps!
OLD
This one is not for everyone but I really liked it. I heard about it from a youtube video talking about the influences to cosmic horror and lovecraftian style novels. I love cosmic horror but cant really read lovecraft anymore because the racism is too intense, so I decided to check this one out.
The first half of this book is your classic horror creepiness and it was pretty engaging to be honest! I didnt immediately know what was going on which is a plus these days with horror stories. The second half is when all the cosmic aspects of cosmic horror comes in, and it is very weird. I can feel that this section of the book is not really going to be for everyone and can easily be taken as just boring acid trips. I personally really dug it for some reason! Also the explanation as to what is going on is implied but i had to google it to make sure I got it right.
Would recommend not reading the story pitch for this book before reading it as it kinds of spoils why the weird things are happening and its fun to figure it out as you go.