Ex Oblivione

Title: Ex Oblivione

Author: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrator: Jonathan Dunne

Original Publication: 1921

Public Domain: Yes

Series Placement: Timeless Terrors No. 65

Description:

Ex Oblivione is one of H. P. Lovecraft’s most haunting and philosophical works — a dreamlike meditation on death, oblivion, and the seductive promise of release from suffering. The story follows a dreamer who drifts through strange visions and half-remembered realms, where the boundary between life and death dissolves and oblivion itself beckons with quiet allure. Through surreal imagery and reflective prose, Lovecraft explores themes of mortality, memory, and humanity’s fragile grasp on existence.

The horror in Ex Oblivione does not arise from monstrous revelation or violent action, but from the gentle, unsettling suggestion that nonexistence may be preferable to life. The atmosphere is hushed and melancholic, suffused with cosmic unease and a sense of inevitable fading. Shadows of forgotten worlds and unreachable realms linger at the edge of perception, reminding the listener that reality itself may be only a temporary illusion.

Narrated by Amazon-bestselling horror author Jonathan Dunne, this performance captures the somber beauty, dreamlike dread, and existential weight of Lovecraft’s prose. While the text itself is fully in the public domain, this narration and production are copyright © 2025 Jonathan Dunne.

Part of Timeless Terrors, a series devoted to reviving the classics of horror, Ex Oblivione stands as a chilling reminder that the most profound terrors are not those that threaten the body — but those that quietly invite the soul to vanish into the void.