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nickmarshall's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
chelseatm's review
1.0
I feel only a string of expletives could fully capture my feelings about this book. It was confusing and unenjoyable. The author could never seem to decide what he wanted the story to be as it swung violently from fantasy, sci-fi, to mysterious realism.
The descriptions of the pit and other world's were hard to place geographically in my mind and I found myself often rereading or readjusting as I discovered I had made grave miscalculations based on the author's descriptions.
As well, I will add that I dislike the tactic of the journal narrative. I found it removed some of the suspense as I knew the author of the inner novel would continue to survive as his story made up the bulk of my story.
Overall, as a horror novel or whatever this is supposed to be, it was incredibly disappointing. None of the pieces came together to make sense and it really just seemed to be the author's attempt at collecting a series of vignettes into a collective work. Could not recommend at all.
The descriptions of the pit and other world's were hard to place geographically in my mind and I found myself often rereading or readjusting as I discovered I had made grave miscalculations based on the author's descriptions.
As well, I will add that I dislike the tactic of the journal narrative. I found it removed some of the suspense as I knew the author of the inner novel would continue to survive as his story made up the bulk of my story.
Overall, as a horror novel or whatever this is supposed to be, it was incredibly disappointing. None of the pieces came together to make sense and it really just seemed to be the author's attempt at collecting a series of vignettes into a collective work. Could not recommend at all.
jessamy626's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
I wanna preface this by saying I’m probably being a bit unfair because I generally just don’t vibe with super old writing.
BUT the writing isn’t what I take the most issue with in this book 🤷🏻♀️ I think it started off in a decent spot and I thought I was in for a good bit of creep and horror… WRONG. It went from being something horror-esque and mildly thrilling to BORING almost instantly. It kinda picked up (not really) toward the end but still didn’t come back to make the story worthwhile. This was unfortunately a waste of time for me 😮💨 good thing it’s very short. The whole cosmic thing just didn’t speak to me in any way and I was bored to death by that whole ordeal.
BUT the writing isn’t what I take the most issue with in this book 🤷🏻♀️ I think it started off in a decent spot and I thought I was in for a good bit of creep and horror… WRONG. It went from being something horror-esque and mildly thrilling to BORING almost instantly. It kinda picked up (not really) toward the end but still didn’t come back to make the story worthwhile. This was unfortunately a waste of time for me 😮💨 good thing it’s very short. The whole cosmic thing just didn’t speak to me in any way and I was bored to death by that whole ordeal.
delaguila19's review against another edition
3.0
Si bien es cierto que esta es una obra fundamental de la literatura de horror cosmico, tambien es cierto que por ser una de las primeras que trata el tema de manera recargada y de eventos confusos o extravagantes por decirlo menos es una novela de lectura lenta se divide en varios capitulos de corta duracion detallando eventos, que a mi entender, suceden en otras dimenciones. tiene momentos donde es mas dinamica porque existe interaccion entre personajes, pero cuando el hombre se encuentra solo el relato se convierte en una narracion de la angustia del viejo y sus experiencias absolutamente solo ya sea desde lo alto de donde puede ver la ciudad amurallada o la zozobra de ver a los hombres cerdo. No creo que sea una novela para comenzar a leer horror cosmico pero tiene importancia al ser una de las pioneras en el genero.
katermannx's review
3.0
Lost in the Borderland: A Confused Reader's Journey…
"The House on the Borderland" by William Hope Hodgson is undoubtedly a classic in early horror literature. I stumbled upon this book while reading reviews of another book and was intrigued by the plot. However, after reading it, I have mixed feelings about the book.
The story revolves around a man who discovers an old manuscript detailing the experiences of a man who lived in a strange house on the edge of a mysterious abyss. The events that unfold are both eerie and mind-boggling, and the author does an excellent job of building suspense and horror throughout the book.
However, I must admit that the plot is quite challenging to follow. This confusion detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.
Furthermore, the writing style is also quite archaic, which can make it difficult to read for extended periods. I found myself needing to take frequent breaks while reading to avoid becoming too fatigued with the language.
Overall, "The House on the Borderland" is a fascinating book that provides a glimpse into early horror literature. However, due to the confusing plot and challenging writing style, I can only give it a well-meaning three out of four stars. If you're a fan of horror literature or enjoy reading classic literature, this book is worth a try.
"The House on the Borderland" by William Hope Hodgson is undoubtedly a classic in early horror literature. I stumbled upon this book while reading reviews of another book and was intrigued by the plot. However, after reading it, I have mixed feelings about the book.
The story revolves around a man who discovers an old manuscript detailing the experiences of a man who lived in a strange house on the edge of a mysterious abyss. The events that unfold are both eerie and mind-boggling, and the author does an excellent job of building suspense and horror throughout the book.
However, I must admit that the plot is quite challenging to follow. This confusion detracts from the overall enjoyment of the book.
Furthermore, the writing style is also quite archaic, which can make it difficult to read for extended periods. I found myself needing to take frequent breaks while reading to avoid becoming too fatigued with the language.
Overall, "The House on the Borderland" is a fascinating book that provides a glimpse into early horror literature. However, due to the confusing plot and challenging writing style, I can only give it a well-meaning three out of four stars. If you're a fan of horror literature or enjoy reading classic literature, this book is worth a try.
jupen's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
4.0
lakserk's review
4.0
The House on the Borderland can be seen with or without a historic lens (changing the perspective to include era of creation, any repercussions it had on the later literary production, etc), as is the case with all of literature.
Seen on its own, de-historicised, this is a novel that has one main weakness, as far as I am concerned: the tediousness of the pure descriptive narrative that recounts the protagonist's cosmic experience through time (on the later half of the book – the same thing happens two times apart from this one, but on a lesser scale). Page after page, paragraph after paragraph, of plazas and vistas, which if taken on their own they have quite a majestic strength. But as they are presented in the novel, forming a long-winded narrative with no respite, their inherent awe and fascination tend to be watered down; a constant barrage does wonders to chip away intensity, especially when this barrage consists of phantasmagorical alien landscapes and apocalyptic mirages. Even the language itself works here against the reader, becoming quite tiring in all its ornamental character. In this concern the book reminded me somewhat of John Uri Lloyd's Etidorhpa, whose main part tends is also a lonely journey in an almost alien world, with strange spectacles and alien landscapes.
As far as the story itself is concerned, it is satisfyingly vague, leaving a number of threads unexplained, twisting a bit through the corridors of Time in unorthodox ways, and evoking a sense of the Weird. The framed format (the main story is a manuscript found by two characters) is a nice touch, sprinkled throughout with notes by the character(s) that read it, so as to keep reminding and reinforcing the sense of encapsulation.
From a historical point of view the book is groundbreaking. Its crossover nature, a hybrid of gothic horror and science fiction, is quite remarkable for its year of release. The use of hard science in conjunction with the spiritual somewhat mirrors the spiritualist movement of the Victorian era (whose spawn this book is), a movement trying to reintroduce the paranormal under a scientific guise (see the protagonist's scientific comments concerning the life and death of stars, as well as the notes on the manuscript), so as to make it more acceptable by a world rationalized. H.P. Lovecraft has praised the HotB, and with good reason if one thinks of his most exotic descriptions of alien worlds. The same holds for Clark Ashton Smith. As far as I am concerned, this style is not my cup of tea, neither when done by Hodgson, nor when done by the aforementioned two horror giants. But, this is one of the earliest specimen of cosmic horror. And for that its influence and importance cannot be overstated.
So, for those who love Ashton Smith's and Lovecraft's space/alien stories, and are not tired by them, nor do they see some of their paragraphs getting hazy in front of their eyes due to the monotony of the descriptions, the House on the Borderland is an absolute must. For all others, it is a rather tedious read, alas, with a pretty huge historical importance. On its own, de-historicised, I'd rate it 3/5, but in historical context it is easily a 4 out of 5 stars.
Seen on its own, de-historicised, this is a novel that has one main weakness, as far as I am concerned: the tediousness of the pure descriptive narrative that recounts the protagonist's cosmic experience through time (on the later half of the book – the same thing happens two times apart from this one, but on a lesser scale). Page after page, paragraph after paragraph, of plazas and vistas, which if taken on their own they have quite a majestic strength. But as they are presented in the novel, forming a long-winded narrative with no respite, their inherent awe and fascination tend to be watered down; a constant barrage does wonders to chip away intensity, especially when this barrage consists of phantasmagorical alien landscapes and apocalyptic mirages. Even the language itself works here against the reader, becoming quite tiring in all its ornamental character. In this concern the book reminded me somewhat of John Uri Lloyd's Etidorhpa, whose main part tends is also a lonely journey in an almost alien world, with strange spectacles and alien landscapes.
As far as the story itself is concerned, it is satisfyingly vague, leaving a number of threads unexplained, twisting a bit through the corridors of Time in unorthodox ways, and evoking a sense of the Weird. The framed format (the main story is a manuscript found by two characters) is a nice touch, sprinkled throughout with notes by the character(s) that read it, so as to keep reminding and reinforcing the sense of encapsulation.
From a historical point of view the book is groundbreaking. Its crossover nature, a hybrid of gothic horror and science fiction, is quite remarkable for its year of release. The use of hard science in conjunction with the spiritual somewhat mirrors the spiritualist movement of the Victorian era (whose spawn this book is), a movement trying to reintroduce the paranormal under a scientific guise (see the protagonist's scientific comments concerning the life and death of stars, as well as the notes on the manuscript), so as to make it more acceptable by a world rationalized. H.P. Lovecraft has praised the HotB, and with good reason if one thinks of his most exotic descriptions of alien worlds. The same holds for Clark Ashton Smith. As far as I am concerned, this style is not my cup of tea, neither when done by Hodgson, nor when done by the aforementioned two horror giants. But, this is one of the earliest specimen of cosmic horror. And for that its influence and importance cannot be overstated.
So, for those who love Ashton Smith's and Lovecraft's space/alien stories, and are not tired by them, nor do they see some of their paragraphs getting hazy in front of their eyes due to the monotony of the descriptions, the House on the Borderland is an absolute must. For all others, it is a rather tedious read, alas, with a pretty huge historical importance. On its own, de-historicised, I'd rate it 3/5, but in historical context it is easily a 4 out of 5 stars.
beccalynnfrank's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.0
spav's review against another edition
4.0
Canto me gustou este libro que me prestaches.
Canto mola ese 'medo lovecraftiano'.
Canto mola ese 'medo lovecraftiano'.