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lakserk's review
4.0
The idea of liminality permeates and dominates this book - the border between nature and civilization and the conflict between them are of central focus. This is very understandable as Pan is an archetype of the world that once was, a symbol of the wild. There are great stories in here, but the fact that they bear a lot of thematic similarities makes the book better suited to a slow, relaxed reading (I read it rather quickly and some stories seem to have blended with other in my mind). The two that really stood out for me were John Howard's A Song out of Reach (by far my favourite) and Stephen J. Clark's Lithe Tenant, while R.B. Russell's Panic and D.P. Watt's Honey Moon follow closely. I will comment for each of the fiction pieces, as well as for some of the non-fiction ones.
The Rebirthing of Pan (Adrian Eckersley): The book opens with a non-fiction text that traces Pan's death and rebirth - from late antiquity to the Middle Ages and then Renaissance and modern times. It showcases how Pan (as most of the ancient gods) passed from the realm of religion to the province of art, and notes the two sides of Pan: the tranquil pastoral aspect of nature, and the irrational instinctual enemy of civilization. A fine piece that sets the scene and atmosphere.
Panic (R.B. Russell): The book's first story is set in rural England and centers on a woman that has distanced herself from urban life by seeking refuge in an isolated farmhouse. Through the eyes of the protagonist (a male acquaintance of her) we are introduced to the bleak natural landscape around her desolate habitation, and see how she has slowly been discarding the trappings of civilization. Reeking with rainy sylvan atmosphere and masterful landscape presentation, and peaking with a grand description of wild panicky revelry at the finale, this rather short fiction masterfully conveys the presence of Pan.
The Maze at Huntsmere (Reggie Oliver): A TV show is shot in and around an old mansion, the grounds of which also include a maze. The show's writer, an old friend of the mansion's owner (who also happens to be dabbling in alchemy), is obsessed with the maze and what lies at its center. As the story progresses we see the interplay between the two friends, as well as old family lore and seemingly forgotten passions. Classic Oliver with a slight hint of a lot going on beneath the narrative surface. A very enjoyable read.
The Secret Woods (Lynda E. Rucker): A young woman haunted by the past returns to her family house and rediscovers memories of sylvan childhood companions. A study in guilt, memories and the shaping of reality, with an unexpectedly numinous ending. Solid.
Faun and Flora: A Garden for the Goat-God Pan (Sheryl Humphrey): A non-fiction piece about plants sacred or related to Pan, as the basis of a potential Pan garden. A bit too analytical and exhaustive in its apposition of flora, with some of the parallels drawn being a bit too far-fetched, it is nevertheless a good starting point for the aspiring devotional gardener.
A song out of Reach (John Howard): A tune takes the modern world by storm and heralds an apocalypse of sorts. A protagonist that watches from the edges, re-discovering the ways of worship. Extremely well-written in Howard's effective non-cumbersome style, this is an outstanding story which resonated deeply within me, in part because it is a wonderful vision of the fall of industrial civilization. Pagan science fiction and theology, a panegyric of nature.
Lithe Tenant (Stephen J. Clark): Another outstanding story, this also happened to be my first contact with Stephen J. Clark. Being the largest of the book, It revolves around a suicide and its after-effects, occult lore and ancient artifacts, a numinous location. Strongly gothic in its essence, this had a strong air of Lovecraft (especially such stories as Charles Dexter Ward and Dunwich Horror). Stellar.
A New Pheidippioes (Henry Woodd Nevinson): An almost philosophical story from the early 20th century (though the language doesn't show its age) set in Greece, where two foreigners have an encounter and discussion with Pan, concerning matters of history, consciousness, and the nature of divinities and worshippers. Unexpectedly fresh, it is a change of direction in comparison to the previous stories.
Goskin Woods (Charles Schneider): A dark and small story about two children and the materialization of their fears. The writing is plain but effective, centered on dialogue.
The House of Pan (John Gale): I was more impressed with the prose of John Gale (whom I hadn't read before) than the story itself which concerns an elderly's return to a recently inherited hall and his subsequent glimpses of nature's intrusion and intertwining in the mansion. Gale's language brings in to mind Clark Ashton Smith with its wildly expanded vocabulary and baroque air.
The Company of the Lake (Jonathan Wood): This was the only fiction piece that I couldn't finish. Its dreamy, hazy style was too vague and tedious for me.
The Rose-White Water (Colin Insole): A classic Insole story set in the liminal place between the urban and the rural and dealing with the conflict between the two. An entrepreneurial lady which is the epitome of (post-?)modernity tries to tame the land she recently bought, a place that is a sort of sanctuary for older forces. Excellent.
Meadow Saffron (Martin Jones): Quite similar setting-wise to Insole's story, this one is also set in a liminal place at the border of nature and civilization. An erotic triangle that turns square, and the wrath of nature. Solid.
The Lady in the Yard (Rosanne Rabinowitz): An outcast schoolgirl and her quest for an archetypal idol through books and abandoned backyards. Steeped in the modern world, it was strangely captivating in the way it conjured nature. D.P. Watt's "Clematis, White and Purple" popped into mind.
A Puzzling Affair (Ivar Campbell): An unfinished story from 1914, this is an abruptly-ending narration about a man that becomes obsessed with the forest outside his home. It somehow feels like an inverted images of Blackwood's "The Man Whom the Trees Loved."
South-West 13 (Nina Antonia): A very small story (actually more like a gazetteer entry) about a small park. As in Gale's piece, I was mostly impressed with the language and not the plot.
In Cypress Shades (Mark Valentine): A story of Mark Valentine that could almost have been written by Reggie Oliver (and not only due to the theatrical theme). It concerns the rehearsal of a Milton play where actors and setting blend. Maybe a bit too abrupt and short, still enjoyable.
Honey Moon (D.P. Watt): A strangely captivating story of a honeymoon in rural Scotland, where the couple is (re-?)wilded. Loved the descriptions of rural life, which closed the book's circle returning to the atmosphere of R.B. Russell's story.
The Rebirthing of Pan (Adrian Eckersley): The book opens with a non-fiction text that traces Pan's death and rebirth - from late antiquity to the Middle Ages and then Renaissance and modern times. It showcases how Pan (as most of the ancient gods) passed from the realm of religion to the province of art, and notes the two sides of Pan: the tranquil pastoral aspect of nature, and the irrational instinctual enemy of civilization. A fine piece that sets the scene and atmosphere.
Panic (R.B. Russell): The book's first story is set in rural England and centers on a woman that has distanced herself from urban life by seeking refuge in an isolated farmhouse. Through the eyes of the protagonist (a male acquaintance of her) we are introduced to the bleak natural landscape around her desolate habitation, and see how she has slowly been discarding the trappings of civilization. Reeking with rainy sylvan atmosphere and masterful landscape presentation, and peaking with a grand description of wild panicky revelry at the finale, this rather short fiction masterfully conveys the presence of Pan.
The Maze at Huntsmere (Reggie Oliver): A TV show is shot in and around an old mansion, the grounds of which also include a maze. The show's writer, an old friend of the mansion's owner (who also happens to be dabbling in alchemy), is obsessed with the maze and what lies at its center. As the story progresses we see the interplay between the two friends, as well as old family lore and seemingly forgotten passions. Classic Oliver with a slight hint of a lot going on beneath the narrative surface. A very enjoyable read.
The Secret Woods (Lynda E. Rucker): A young woman haunted by the past returns to her family house and rediscovers memories of sylvan childhood companions. A study in guilt, memories and the shaping of reality, with an unexpectedly numinous ending. Solid.
Faun and Flora: A Garden for the Goat-God Pan (Sheryl Humphrey): A non-fiction piece about plants sacred or related to Pan, as the basis of a potential Pan garden. A bit too analytical and exhaustive in its apposition of flora, with some of the parallels drawn being a bit too far-fetched, it is nevertheless a good starting point for the aspiring devotional gardener.
A song out of Reach (John Howard): A tune takes the modern world by storm and heralds an apocalypse of sorts. A protagonist that watches from the edges, re-discovering the ways of worship. Extremely well-written in Howard's effective non-cumbersome style, this is an outstanding story which resonated deeply within me, in part because it is a wonderful vision of the fall of industrial civilization. Pagan science fiction and theology, a panegyric of nature.
Lithe Tenant (Stephen J. Clark): Another outstanding story, this also happened to be my first contact with Stephen J. Clark. Being the largest of the book, It revolves around a suicide and its after-effects, occult lore and ancient artifacts, a numinous location. Strongly gothic in its essence, this had a strong air of Lovecraft (especially such stories as Charles Dexter Ward and Dunwich Horror). Stellar.
A New Pheidippioes (Henry Woodd Nevinson): An almost philosophical story from the early 20th century (though the language doesn't show its age) set in Greece, where two foreigners have an encounter and discussion with Pan, concerning matters of history, consciousness, and the nature of divinities and worshippers. Unexpectedly fresh, it is a change of direction in comparison to the previous stories.
Goskin Woods (Charles Schneider): A dark and small story about two children and the materialization of their fears. The writing is plain but effective, centered on dialogue.
The House of Pan (John Gale): I was more impressed with the prose of John Gale (whom I hadn't read before) than the story itself which concerns an elderly's return to a recently inherited hall and his subsequent glimpses of nature's intrusion and intertwining in the mansion. Gale's language brings in to mind Clark Ashton Smith with its wildly expanded vocabulary and baroque air.
The Company of the Lake (Jonathan Wood): This was the only fiction piece that I couldn't finish. Its dreamy, hazy style was too vague and tedious for me.
The Rose-White Water (Colin Insole): A classic Insole story set in the liminal place between the urban and the rural and dealing with the conflict between the two. An entrepreneurial lady which is the epitome of (post-?)modernity tries to tame the land she recently bought, a place that is a sort of sanctuary for older forces. Excellent.
Meadow Saffron (Martin Jones): Quite similar setting-wise to Insole's story, this one is also set in a liminal place at the border of nature and civilization. An erotic triangle that turns square, and the wrath of nature. Solid.
The Lady in the Yard (Rosanne Rabinowitz): An outcast schoolgirl and her quest for an archetypal idol through books and abandoned backyards. Steeped in the modern world, it was strangely captivating in the way it conjured nature. D.P. Watt's "Clematis, White and Purple" popped into mind.
A Puzzling Affair (Ivar Campbell): An unfinished story from 1914, this is an abruptly-ending narration about a man that becomes obsessed with the forest outside his home. It somehow feels like an inverted images of Blackwood's "The Man Whom the Trees Loved."
South-West 13 (Nina Antonia): A very small story (actually more like a gazetteer entry) about a small park. As in Gale's piece, I was mostly impressed with the language and not the plot.
In Cypress Shades (Mark Valentine): A story of Mark Valentine that could almost have been written by Reggie Oliver (and not only due to the theatrical theme). It concerns the rehearsal of a Milton play where actors and setting blend. Maybe a bit too abrupt and short, still enjoyable.
Honey Moon (D.P. Watt): A strangely captivating story of a honeymoon in rural Scotland, where the couple is (re-?)wilded. Loved the descriptions of rural life, which closed the book's circle returning to the atmosphere of R.B. Russell's story.
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