A review by lambchop12
The Great God Pan & Other Classic Horror Stories by Arthur Machen
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? It's complicated
2.75
The titular story is interesting enough, and if you’ve read any Lovecraft, you can see the influence Machen had on him (especially in their penchant for going “it was so horrible I can’t describe it to you!).
“The Great God Pan” is an interesting enough story, but it’s not very scary when our current horror goes so much further. “The White People” stunned me in a way as I loved the flow of consciousness style of writing, but hated how much Machen’s writing is just “pagan religions are scary and wrong”. “The Inmost Light” and “The Shining Pyramid” are just boring with a little racism throw into the latter story, to be honest.
Machen writes long paragraphs that go on for pages, which frustrated me so much, and the dialogue was all very weird, but I understand that these stories come from a different time, and I respect them for what they are. 5.5/10
“The Great God Pan” is an interesting enough story, but it’s not very scary when our current horror goes so much further. “The White People” stunned me in a way as I loved the flow of consciousness style of writing, but hated how much Machen’s writing is just “pagan religions are scary and wrong”. “The Inmost Light” and “The Shining Pyramid” are just boring with a little racism throw into the latter story, to be honest.
Machen writes long paragraphs that go on for pages, which frustrated me so much, and the dialogue was all very weird, but I understand that these stories come from a different time, and I respect them for what they are. 5.5/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism