Interesting look behind the curtain at one of Lovecraft's influences. Better written than most of Lovecraft's oeuvre, but with some of the same flaws. It was enjoyable enough for a doing-chores listen, but not one I'm likely to revisit (though I would like someone to rewrite the story from Helen's POV and excoriate the men).

Basic premise: an experiment into "piercing the veil" goes badly,

Spoiler

produces child

, Helen

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(the child)

grows up weirdly with a sinister not-imaginary friend in the "Great God Pan", becomes a disturbing adult who serially ruins husbands and other people, and is found out for what she is/has done, then

Spoiler

will apparently be offered a choice of suicide or arrest, but we never see that part or what she chooses, or if she just finds a way to ruin the offerer

.

Elements of this made it into the Dunwich Horror and From Beyond, and possibly, now that I think about it, The Thing on the Doorstep. Helen is given a much more active, if still unsympathetic, role than Lovecraft generally manages with his female characters, but there's still a strong element of misogyny (particularly in the opening, where the experimenter considers it okay to experiment on his charge because, apparently, he rescued her from the streets, so she belonged to him now). No obvious racism on display (unless the constant 'olive skin' reference are such?), so there's that.

Interesting, but only recommended to hardcore weird fiction fans who are interested in the origins of some common tropes.

I listened to this on audio, as read by Shea Taylor, who was very good when he forgot he was performing (but came across as a bit over-conscious of giving a performance in places). Still, a good reading, and Taylor has a decent repertoire of voices.