shea_proulx's review against another edition
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
laurarosessupposes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? It's complicated
3.0
Some better than others. Not a massive fan of the writing style overall.
loz1327's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
caldwba0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
joscelynhe's review against another edition
Not as scary as I thought it would be.
jimmypat's review against another edition
2.0
The stories I read were generally okay, but I finally gave up after finishing "The Three Imposters." Machen is a better writer than Lovecraft, but doesn't structure his stories very well and they often end in a dissatisfactory manner. There is much better writing from this time period and Machen can easily be forgotten - he seems to be only important in the development of horror as a genre, but not much else.
vince_m's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
The Great God Pan was a fascinating story. The rest in the collection not so much. Boring plots, tedious descriptions and card board cut-out characters. I'd recommend reading the title story and ignore the rest.
lrichar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I picked up this book because I read Great God Pan and wanted to explore more of Machine's work. I think it's interesting as a historical/contextual book for understanding the evolution of modern weird fiction/horror. However, Machen can be very one note, such that by the time you get through the hits (Pan, Three Imposters) the rest of the stories get boring and predictable fast.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
dark
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? No
3.0
sunn_bleach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
An extremely influential series of stories that is at the curious spot of history where perhaps their influence is better than their content. The main stories are great gothic horror, though “The White People” was utterly interminable. Still, cool to see where began cosmic horror in Western literature, even from a more horrifying modernity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism and Racism
Minor: Violence