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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
Durante a leitura, foi impossível eu não comparar com o livro O Rei de Amarelo (que foi um dos meus livros favoritos de 2023), apesar de O Grande Deus Pã ter sido lançado um ano antes, pela forma como o livro vai criando um suspense em cima da figura do Deus Pã e do que faz as pessoas a literalmente morrerem de medo ou ficarem com o psicológico comprometido. Também vi uma certa relação com Frankenstein no começo do livro por conta do experimento que o Dr. Raymond faz na Mary com a intenção dela conseguir enxergar o mundo real que nós, humanos, não conseguimos ver.
A escrita é bem fluida e a forma como foram escritos os capítulos, onde o entrelaçamento da história é feito aos poucos, ajudaram a me prender. Apesar disso, a história não é surpreendente e é possível ir fazendo muitas conexões ao longo da leitura, que foi o motivo de eu não ter dado 5 estrelas. No entanto, eu gostei muito do clima e das situações que o livro vai apresentando. Ele consegue criar uma atmosfera de terror e, no final, de horror, além de trazer uma nova roupagem a esse Deus que ao longo dos anos e por diversas influências passou por muitas transformações em seu significado.
Essa edição, além do texto de Arthur Machen, traz algumas informações complementares que contribuíram muito para o enriquecimento da experiência. Ele tem uma introdução à obra e ao autor, um posfácio sobre a origem do Deus Pã, assim como sua queda e seu “renascimento” e, por fim, tem uma parte em que mostra diversas obras desde V a.C. em que esse Deus é retratado com uma explicação e seu contexto.
Enfim, com certeza recomendo essa história! Se você gostou de O Rei de Amarelo, vale muito a pena a leitura. E se você já leu e gostou de O Grande Deus Pã, leia O Rei de Amarelo!!!
A escrita é bem fluida e a forma como foram escritos os capítulos, onde o entrelaçamento da história é feito aos poucos, ajudaram a me prender. Apesar disso, a história não é surpreendente e é possível ir fazendo muitas conexões ao longo da leitura, que foi o motivo de eu não ter dado 5 estrelas. No entanto, eu gostei muito do clima e das situações que o livro vai apresentando. Ele consegue criar uma atmosfera de terror e, no final, de horror, além de trazer uma nova roupagem a esse Deus que ao longo dos anos e por diversas influências passou por muitas transformações em seu significado.
Essa edição, além do texto de Arthur Machen, traz algumas informações complementares que contribuíram muito para o enriquecimento da experiência. Ele tem uma introdução à obra e ao autor, um posfácio sobre a origem do Deus Pã, assim como sua queda e seu “renascimento” e, por fim, tem uma parte em que mostra diversas obras desde V a.C. em que esse Deus é retratado com uma explicação e seu contexto.
Enfim, com certeza recomendo essa história! Se você gostou de O Rei de Amarelo, vale muito a pena a leitura. E se você já leu e gostou de O Grande Deus Pã, leia O Rei de Amarelo!!!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Some of the scenes are so gripping…Machen really had a sense of letting the readers know just enough while still keeping the horrifying details in check. I do think the author makes some interesting moves, with some that pay off (the ending) versus not so much (some of the dialogue is extremely expository). I think the cast also could have been trimmed down. Overall, a pretty solid read with striking imagery sprinkled throughout.
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
Thematically, I was very into what this book was doing and the sense of tension was visceral (although sometimes frustrating in its faux-cliffhanger cut offs where a character just decides we just CAN'T reveal something right now, oh, it's just too taxing and obscene). The execution was great in some areas and less than great in others.
The shuffling and bloated cast served a purpose but ultimately had me backtracking to find out which doctor or lord was being referenced, often for it to not really matter at all. Every character blurred into the other, with the stately but vaguely debauched men and the victimized but vaguely debauched girls. In many ways, I know it doesn't matter that they all became faceless blobs as they all did their jobs representing the fraught relationship between nature and civilization, the mystical and the Christian tradition, the lustful and the damned but it left things feeling one note. I couldn't tap in to the characters terror.
It didn't help that it seemed like so much was happening just off stage. Seeing the curtains flutter but not seeing what was behind them until the final reveal could work but just didn't do it for me here.
As a modern reader, who has perhaps seen unintentional iterations of this story over and over again, I felt enamored with the concept but underwhelmed with how it was presented, even when I actually loved the writing style and how vivid the description was. As short was this was, I felt like this either should have been shorter or much longer. With more of a pay off at the end. In fact, the end was the weakest part. It felt like the terror tumbled past the curtain, revealing itself, just to be quickly wrangled and explained away. The End.
Still, I'm glad to read what feels like a bit of a foundational text. It was worth experiencing.
The shuffling and bloated cast served a purpose but ultimately had me backtracking to find out which doctor or lord was being referenced, often for it to not really matter at all. Every character blurred into the other, with the stately but vaguely debauched men and the victimized but vaguely debauched girls. In many ways, I know it doesn't matter that they all became faceless blobs as they all did their jobs representing the fraught relationship between nature and civilization, the mystical and the Christian tradition, the lustful and the damned but it left things feeling one note. I couldn't tap in to the characters terror.
It didn't help that it seemed like so much was happening just off stage. Seeing the curtains flutter but not seeing what was behind them until the final reveal could work but just didn't do it for me here.
As a modern reader, who has perhaps seen unintentional iterations of this story over and over again, I felt enamored with the concept but underwhelmed with how it was presented, even when I actually loved the writing style and how vivid the description was. As short was this was, I felt like this either should have been shorter or much longer. With more of a pay off at the end. In fact, the end was the weakest part. It felt like the terror tumbled past the curtain, revealing itself, just to be quickly wrangled and explained away. The End.
Still, I'm glad to read what feels like a bit of a foundational text. It was worth experiencing.
8 interlinked stories tell the tale of a mysterious woman and her involvement in a rash of suicides in Victorian London.
This is my first read by Machen and I really enjoyed the structure he used to tell this story of pagan horror. Each chapter reveals a small portion of the story, the different strands are brought together at the end to a satisfying conclusion, very clever.
Whilst I didn't find this very shocking, I can imagine it would have caused quite a stir in its day.
Thought provoking, quiet horror and a great incentive to pick up more of his work.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Interesting piece of old horror, it does have a strong flaw in being old and British and thus swerving away from actually describing too much horror. There is also a strong fear of sex and pagan religions in this which can make it a little meh. However at the same time I really liked the ideas in the beginning, especially with a lobotomy being equated to rape. I want to armchair psychoanalyze this author bc there is a lot going on, how much it holds up as horror will depend on your sensibilities
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
