The Terror

Arthur Machen is, of course, one of the preminent weird fiction writers of the early 20th century. Working at the same time as the Decadents, but most decidedly not one of them, his works would influence such writers as Lovecraft and his circle, as well as modern masters like Peter Straub.

Machen's influence is still felt today. He influenced an entire generation of horror, mystery and fiction writers and had profound influence on the great American writers of the pulp era. His use of first person narrative is masterful, and - as many writers after him - his absolute refusal to leave things tidy and resolved leaves the reader's brain spinning in circles at the end of so many tales.

His work still seems as fresh today as when i first read it in the mid 1990's... along with some of Howard and Lovecraft's work it has a tone and flavor that runs it through the mind and allows it to slip away, not forgotten, but pushed aside and ready for reading again.. as if you are solving some detective tale and can pick up yet one more clue if you empty your mind and go over the crime scene again.

This tale is creepy, but not creepy enough unless you put your mind to work thinking about how the character inside them would be thinking, the small bits of rising panic, the voices we use to tell ourselves to keep calm, and rationally explain everything away when we dont understand something... you have to hear those voices yourself to get a true sense of the subtle, underlying tension in this story.