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inkfinger's review against another edition
3.0
Mandatory reading for any student of the horror genre. I recommend it for both its historical value as a horror piece and its glimpse into Victorian society from a point of view quite different than the usual 'proper' literature.
Unfortunately for me, I found "The Great God Pan," to be so inhibited in its approach and so formal in its language as to be nearly inaccessible to me. Granted, it was written in Victorian England and, at the time, the sensuality and un-Christianness of the book scandalized London, so I forgive much and made a concerted effort to read between the lines. In the end, I found the visions of horror Machen imagined interesting, but his depiction of those visions, and his characters, too cold and sterile for my 20th Century taste.
Unfortunately for me, I found "The Great God Pan," to be so inhibited in its approach and so formal in its language as to be nearly inaccessible to me. Granted, it was written in Victorian England and, at the time, the sensuality and un-Christianness of the book scandalized London, so I forgive much and made a concerted effort to read between the lines. In the end, I found the visions of horror Machen imagined interesting, but his depiction of those visions, and his characters, too cold and sterile for my 20th Century taste.
puchikboom's review against another edition
5.0
"El gran dios Pan" de Arthur Machen es una obra maestra del horror cósmico que sigue la historia de un experimento científico que despierta fuerzas oscuras y antiguas.
El relato comienza con un médico llamado Raymond que lleva a cabo un experimento para alterar la percepción de una joven llamada Mary. Durante el experimento, Mary tiene una experiencia sobrenatural que la deja en estado catatónico. A medida que pasa el tiempo, Mary se recupera pero comienza a mostrar un comportamiento extraño y una mirada vacía en sus ojos.
Paralelamente, otros personajes, como el narrador de la historia, comienzan a presenciar sucesos inexplicables y encuentran conexiones con una misteriosa mujer llamada Helen Vaughan. A medida que profundizan en la historia de Helen, descubren que está relacionada con una entidad maligna conocida como el Gran Dios Pan.
Conforme avanza la trama, los personajes se ven envueltos en una serie de eventos perturbadores y aterradores que los llevan al borde de la locura. Descubren que Helen es el resultado de un experimento realizado por un científico loco que buscaba abrir las puertas a un mundo sobrenatural.
Finalmente, los personajes se enfrentan a la verdad sobre el Gran Dios Pan y sus terribles consecuencias para la humanidad. La historia culmina en un clímax aterrador que deja al lector con una sensación de inquietud y horror ante lo desconocido.
El relato comienza con un médico llamado Raymond que lleva a cabo un experimento para alterar la percepción de una joven llamada Mary. Durante el experimento, Mary tiene una experiencia sobrenatural que la deja en estado catatónico. A medida que pasa el tiempo, Mary se recupera pero comienza a mostrar un comportamiento extraño y una mirada vacía en sus ojos.
Paralelamente, otros personajes, como el narrador de la historia, comienzan a presenciar sucesos inexplicables y encuentran conexiones con una misteriosa mujer llamada Helen Vaughan. A medida que profundizan en la historia de Helen, descubren que está relacionada con una entidad maligna conocida como el Gran Dios Pan.
Conforme avanza la trama, los personajes se ven envueltos en una serie de eventos perturbadores y aterradores que los llevan al borde de la locura. Descubren que Helen es el resultado de un experimento realizado por un científico loco que buscaba abrir las puertas a un mundo sobrenatural.
Finalmente, los personajes se enfrentan a la verdad sobre el Gran Dios Pan y sus terribles consecuencias para la humanidad. La historia culmina en un clímax aterrador que deja al lector con una sensación de inquietud y horror ante lo desconocido.
blesstherainss's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
creepy affff
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Suicide
gothicdolphins's review against another edition
3.0
This scratches a certain ol' fashioned macabre type itch, eager to check out more from Machen
vinylvanilla's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
3.5
saareman's review against another edition
3.0
Horror in the Mind of the Beholder
Review of the Public Domain Kindle eBook edition (May 16, 2012) excerpted from the John Lane hardcover original (1894*).
While doing research for my review of Stephen King's [b:Holly|65916344|Holly|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674418461l/65916344._SY75_.jpg|106237905] (2023), I chanced upon the above statement in between the constant stream of King's anti-Trump tweets. Having read neither of the books mentioned, I immediately grabbed a free public domain copy of The Great God Pan. Klein's The Ceremonies (1984) with a rare used paperback listed at $102.55 Cdn.
Review of the Public Domain Kindle eBook edition (May 16, 2012) excerpted from the John Lane hardcover original (1894*).
The greatest horror tales I ever read is a tie between “The Great God Pan,” by Arthur Machen (novella) and [b:The Ceremonies|757479|The Ceremonies|T.E.D. Klein|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1394205084l/757479._SY75_.jpg|743592], by T.E.D. Klein. - tweeted by [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] on February 9, 2024.
While doing research for my review of Stephen King's [b:Holly|65916344|Holly|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1674418461l/65916344._SY75_.jpg|106237905] (2023), I chanced upon the above statement in between the constant stream of King's anti-Trump tweets. Having read neither of the books mentioned, I immediately grabbed a free public domain copy of The Great God Pan. Klein's The Ceremonies (1984) with a rare used paperback listed at $102.55 Cdn.
readr_joe's review against another edition
2.0
Although this book is very highly regarded as inspiration for horror writers, I was not fully convinced - where was the horror? It was more hinted at, implied rather than explicitly stated - the opposite of [author:Clive Barker|10366]'s practice of going into excruciating detail. However, as a story, it bore many similarities to the work of [author:Peter Straub|6941].