Scan barcode
arachan's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Arthur Machen was one of the founding fathers of eldritch horror so I thought I'd try one of his longer stories. Honestly, it didn't really work for me. He's very prone to the genre's fallacies; the protagonists are self-important and prone to talking about their Very Exotic interests and how arduous it is to be a creative person. The horror is never made explicit or explained and the plot is both clearly flagged and not explained at all.
There are enough allusions that Machen clearly expects his reader to understand but failing to be a white, cis male of the early 20th century with an interest in the occult, most of them don't land. It's very dense and rambling.
There are enough allusions that Machen clearly expects his reader to understand but failing to be a white, cis male of the early 20th century with an interest in the occult, most of them don't land. It's very dense and rambling.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
5.0
Absolute masterpiece of folk horror. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/machen-fairies-grim-again/
jake_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
I enjoyed reading this mosaic novel, although it is hard to argue that everything came together - the impression I got was that the individual stories were written first, and the frame story manufactured to create a 'novel'. The content is typical Arthur Machen; there are some highlight moments of decadence, pensive landscape description and psychogeography, and there are also some less enigmatic moments of proto-Lovecraftian slime horror. As I said, I did enjoy reading it, but it was barely cohesive, and I would maintain that the focused and non-Lovecraftian The Hill of Dreams is the superior Machen work.
elmeco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
First started reading Arthur Machen two years ago, and while I enjoyed his works I definitely remember struggling a bit and didn't know whether to blame myself or Machen. After two years of other weird fiction works, and most recently, William Sloane I can whole heartedly say Arthur Machen... not really for me. Don't get me wrong, the way he incorporates fairy/pagan folklore into horror is brilliant, but everything else surrounding it? Meh.
The Three Imposters is especially fascinating considering it's essentially a episodic mystery thriller that basically serves as an anthology of some of Machen's best works. So many brilliant concepts are presented and explored throughout the novel, with an interesting premise and structure to back it up but is unfortunately bogged down by Machen's flowery prose, slow pacing, and dense dialogue. Still, despite my issues with his prose and pacing I definitely intend on reading some of his other works cause damn it, his ideas and plots are that damn good.
The Three Imposters is especially fascinating considering it's essentially a episodic mystery thriller that basically serves as an anthology of some of Machen's best works. So many brilliant concepts are presented and explored throughout the novel, with an interesting premise and structure to back it up but is unfortunately bogged down by Machen's flowery prose, slow pacing, and dense dialogue. Still, despite my issues with his prose and pacing I definitely intend on reading some of his other works cause damn it, his ideas and plots are that damn good.
charlottemelusine's review against another edition
4.0
It was bit boring and slow-paced, but it is excellent novel, full of imagination and creativity.
omaciel's review against another edition
5.0
My first time reading Arthur Machen and I was impressed with how many different stories were spun in the course of this book! By the time I finished it I had to go back to the prologue just to remember who was who :) Great story with a little bit of different genres intermingled! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
jayrothermel's review against another edition
5.0
Arthur Machen's 1895 novel The Three Imposters is a stunning accomplishment for a thirty-two year old writer. It is subtitled "The Transformations," and the serpentine and effortlessly folded plot certainly demands transformations in the reader's attention.
Characters encountered by Mr. Dyson and Mr. Phillipps move through a variety to disguises and masks to conceal their goal: reclaiming a valuable Roman coin. They tell our protagonists strange and often terrifying stories, one of the richest subterfuges in any work of modern fiction I can recall.
Full review here:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-matter-is-of-little-consequence.html?m=1
Characters encountered by Mr. Dyson and Mr. Phillipps move through a variety to disguises and masks to conceal their goal: reclaiming a valuable Roman coin. They tell our protagonists strange and often terrifying stories, one of the richest subterfuges in any work of modern fiction I can recall.
Full review here:
http://jayrothermel.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-matter-is-of-little-consequence.html?m=1
More...