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Travis

Another Machen masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013

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Starting out all the seemingly unrelated stories can be a bit confusing, if not a tad overwhelming, to keep track of. I daresay one could make a comparison between the Tarantino movie 'Pulp Fiction' and this tale, in that the multitude of seemingly unrelated characters and story lines can be, as I indicated earlier, confusing if not overwhelming. Do not be discouraged, in the end all ties up nicely and falls into place. Well, maybe not everything. In my experience, it is classic Machen to leave some unanswered questions left up to conjecture and your imagination. Part of the Machen charm, in my opinion.

If you are the type who enjoys neat endings, replete with no loose ends by finish, this is not the book for you. If you are the type who enjoys gratuitous violence and monsters, this is not the book for you. If you are the type who thinks less is more, the type that enjoys more left to imagination, this is the book for you.

After reading 'The Great God Pan' I thought I had experienced the very best of what Machen had to offer, the pinnacle of his literary achievements. After finishing this tale, all I can say now is: thank-you Machen for proving me wrong! Arthur Machen has quickly ascended to the top of my favorite authors list. This is an outstanding read that I highly recommend!

icdbeez

A Classic Horror Novel

Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2012

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This book is my first Machen. It is clear to me why he was an influence on Lovecraft - they are both masters of suspense and all things that slither. The three impostors are working for their master - looking for a man who has betrayed him. Thesr are the stories of the three impostors, used to locate their quarry in the city of London. The transmutations refer to these stories. The suspense builds as they hunt down their prey. I would recommend this to people who like Lovecraft and old fashioned horror. I enjoyed it immensely.

Rachel in Michigan

"The Great God Pan" and "The Three Imposters" are my favorite ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016

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"The Great God Pan" and "The Three Imposters" are my favorite pieces by Machen. his stories are creepy but not bloody, and take some patience. these aren't books you buy in an airport bookstore.

Kevin Moquin

Excellent read.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2017

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Interesting combination of old-fashioned detective story and occult happenings. Excellent read.

Duaine E. Stewart

Great

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2013

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Fantastic book. Made for those who like classic horror stories. Read more of Mr. Machen if you can and are into older horror.

ScrawnyPunk

Has its moments, but uneven

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2012

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This book works much better as a collection of short stories than a single narrative. The various adventures and "novels" are very entertaining and are clearly influential pieces of crime and horror fiction. The single narrative tying them together feels unnecessary and a little distracting. However, any fan of horror fiction would enjoy the individual stories and should definitely read them, especially the "Novel of the Black Seal" and the "Novel of the White Powder."
1) Adventure of the Gold Tiberius. Criminals search for a rare and expensive coin. This story serves only to forward the linking narrative and is a tad boring.
2) Novel of the Dark Valley. A "wild west" tale where Britons become leaders of a band of outlaws in Colorado and narrowly avoid lynching. Probably the weakest of the "novels," and least-related to horror and occult themes.
3) Novel of the Black Seal. A search for fairies (of the evil and horrifying kind). My personal favorite of the "novels." An obvious influence on H.P. Lovecraft, especially with respect to "the ancients" and tentacled monsters.
4) Incident of the Private Bar. A classic con-man story. Clever and interesting.
5) Novel of the Iron Maid. The shortest of the "novels." A vignette about the perils of collecting antique torture devices.
6) Novel of the White Powder. An exploration of paganistic hedonism, transumutation, and putrefaction. Another great horror story, and another obvious influence on H.P. Lovecraft.
7) History of the Young Man With Spectacles. A story of a hedonistic criminal society which explains the origins of The Adventure of the Gold Tiberius and sets up the book's grotesque denouement.
8) Adventure of the Deserted Residence. A concluding story with hints of the haunted house genre. Seems like an afterthought.

Lance Mitchell

Supernatural mystery

Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2013

I did enjoy this story, the way that it was told, and the way that all of the threads were brought together in an horrific climax.

The style of writing reminded me of that of Arthur Conan Doyle, which should not surprise me, as he and Arthur Machen were contemporaries. The language is very descriptive and somewhat flowery. Occasionally, that gets a bit boring, but mostly it is, for me, beautiful prose.

There appear to be three main characters, but they converge on a fourth. There is much mystery and supernatural overtone.

Machen's anti-materialism shines through his characterizations. This provokes deep thought in the reader. At least, it did with me.

There are some quite scary parts to this book. A good producer could make a very good film of it. Perhaps they already have. I haven't looked into it.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, and swayed between three and four stars for it, but eventually settled on three because I found part of it to be a bit of a trudge through treacle. Sorry Arthur!

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