Showing results for "Arthur Machen" in Dark Fantasy

Dubbed the greatest horror story in English by Stephen King, The Great God Pan is an eerie and otherworldly mystery about a diabolical operation and its terrifying repercussions. After rescuing a young woman from the streets of London, Dr. Raymond uses her as a test subject for brain surgery aimed at "lifting the veil" of reality, to see the supernatural and the "great god Pan". The operation is a disaster and leaves the subject lobotomized. Years later, London becomes afflicted with a strange series of male suicides connected to a beautiful but sinister woman.

Inspired by a trip to a graveyard in Wales, the novella was originally not well received. The Great God Pan is now considered an excellent example of Gothic fiction, and has influenced such writers as Bram Stoker, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and Ray Bradbury.

When Ms Lally walked out into the cold night devoid of hope, hungry and penniless, she expected to find a quiet place to lie down and die. What she found was a benefactor, an academic with a mysterious passion and secret knowledge of a hidden world beyond the realms of known science. The Novel of the Black Seal is cited as one of the primary influences on H. P. Lovecraft and his tales.