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The House on the Borderland and Other Novels

William Hope Hodgson,

China Miéville (Goodreads Author) (Introduction)

3.93 · Rating details · 216 ratings · 13 reviews

From the chilling adventure tale of the sea, 'The Boats of the Glen Carrig', and the power and horror of 'The Ghost Pirates', to the strange and haunting vision of 'The House on the Borderland' and the bizarre and wonderfully imaginative 'The Night Land', the four great novels of William Hope Hodgson are universally recognised as one of the landmarks in the literature of t ...more

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Paperback, Fantasy Masterworks #33, Omnibus, 656 pages

Published October 10th 2002 by Gollancz

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Mar 06, 2017 Nick Borrelli rated it it was amazing

House on the Borderland by William Hope Hogson was actually recommended to me by the author Brian Keene. Forgive me for name-dropping but we got into a conversation on his blog not too long ago and Brian told me that this was the book that ultimately got him interested in wanting to be a horror writer. With a recommendation like that, how could I not read it right? The thing about this book that you also need to know going in is that it was written over 100 years ago (1908 to be specific). So th House on the Borderland by William Hope Hogson was actually recommended to me by the author Brian Keene. Forgive me for name-dropping but we got into a conversation on his blog not too long ago and Brian told me that this was the book that ultimately got him interested in wanting to be a horror writer. With a recommendation like that, how could I not read it right? The thing about this book that you also need to know going in is that it was written over 100 years ago (1908 to be specific). So the writing is very archaic and "old-english" if you will. This takes a bit of getting used to when you first immerse yourself in the story, but I found that like with the middle-earth books, once you familiarize yourself with the writing style and language, you do get acclimated to it fairly quickly. And now to the plot of the story. House on the Borderland takes place on a fishing holiday in rural Ireland. Two friends named Tonnison and Berreggnog (yes, that's really his name) embark on what they believe will be a relaxing stay in the Irish countryside spent fishing and enjoying the outdoors. However, this brief vacation is soon turned on its head as the friends stumble across the ruins of an old house in the middle of the dense woods. One of the friends is extremely reluctant to explore the house further; however, the other friend becomes obsessed with finding out who lived there and what secrets it might possibly contain. Upon further investigation of the strange dilapidated house, a diary is discovered written by what appears to be the original inhabitant, a person who identifies himself as "The Recluse". This is where the story really begins to become a Lovecraftian and twisted horror tale as the contents of the diary begin to get read. The diary written by The Recluse begins innocently enough, with the daily recording of his life, how he acquired the strange house, and musings about his sister and dog, who also reside there with him. Gradually though, The Recluse starts to record strange visions, possibly hallucinations, where he travels into what can only be described as another dimension. In this other dimension, strange beasts with pig-like faces act as though they can see him, but cannot communicate in any way. This goes on for pages and pages and with each diary entry, the visions become weirder and more aggressive in nature. Couple this with the fact that in this vision is a house that looks identical to the one that The Recluse has just moved into and you have a truly Gothic horror tale that you want to keep reading until the end to find out what the heck is going on. All I can say about this book is that it really surprised me in a good way. I thought that the fact that it was written such a long time ago would render it high on the cheese factor. That couldn't be further from the truth. I can see now why Brian Keene cited this as his inspiration because it truly is a masterwork of horror. Its brilliance also lies in the fact that it doesn't rely on gore to deliver the scares, but rather uses highly supernatural and some might even say science-fiction themes. I really loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who loves horror, Lovecraft, and supernatural tales of all types. The book isn't very long either - weighing in at just under 200 pages, so it is a quick read. Pick it up and read it, you won't be disappointed. ...more

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Oct 21, 2007 Nicholas Whyte added it

http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/houseontheborderland.htm[return][return]This volume gathers together all four of William Hope Hodgson's novels of the fantastic published in his lifetime (1877-1918): The Boats of the Glen Carrig, originally published in 1907; The House on the Borderland (1908); The Ghost Pirates (1909) and The Night Land (1912). It's in the usual attractive Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks package, with a very enthusiastic introduction from China Mi ...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Isabel (kittiwake) rated it really liked it

The Boats of the "Glen Carrig"

Only 100 pages long, this is a tale of mystery and danger on the high seas. After the sinking of the ship Glen Carrig, two boats carrying her surviving crew and passengers find themselves in dire straits. Attacked by monstrous devil-fish and unseen dangers lurking in the darkness, as well as the expected dangers of storms and running out of food and drinking water, they have only their own ingenuity and the experience of the cool-headed bo'sun to bring them to safet ...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Kate rated it really liked it

Книга включает в себя три произведения, объединённые в так называемую "условную трилогию". Одно из произведений мало похоже на два других, но во всех трёх происходят странные явления, которые иначе как мистикой объяснить трудно. Впрочем, два произведения легко причисляются к жанру морских баек, а третье - к бреду сумасшедшего, таким образом они легко объединяются в жанр "повесть ненадёжного рассказчика".
Путешествие шлюпок с "Гленн-Карриг"
Автор этих заметок начинает повесть с того, как матросы н Книга включает в себя три произведения, объединённые в так называемую "условную трилогию". Одно из произведений мало похоже на два других, но во всех трёх происходят странные явления, которые иначе как мистикой объяснить трудно. Впрочем, два произведения легко причисляются к жанру морских баек, а третье - к бреду сумасшедшего, таким образом они легко объединяются в жанр "повесть ненадёжного рассказчика".
Путешествие шлюпок с "Гленн-Карриг"
Автор этих заметок начинает повесть с того, как матросы на спасательных шлюпках через пять дней плавания достигают некоего острова. Что случилось с кораблём - автор не говорит. Также очень бросается в глаза, что практически ни у кого из матросов нет имён - кроме тех, кто уже почил и рассказать (опровергнуть?) ничего не может. Это очень удивительно, учитывая, что на двух шлюпках не может быть слишком много народу, а уж общая беда должна объединить товарищей. Произведение как бы включает три истории - классические морские байки. Одна - остров, на котором целая команда загадочно погибла. Вторая - "плавучий континент" Саргассов и его загадочные обитатели. Третья - загадочный остров, на котором живут загадочные существа. Хотя две последние смешаны в одну историю. В отличие от более поздних фантастических произведений подобного плана, автор просто рассказывает историю, не пытаясь что-либо объяснить. Поток брамселей и бизаней сшибает с ног.
Дом на краю
Совершенно другая история. Где-то глубоко в Ирландии на краю некоего утёса в руинах чего-то похожего на дом обнаруживается удивительно не тронутая временем рукопись. Автор рассказывает о том, как он попадает в другое измерение, где стоит дом, похожий на его. Это другое измерение смахивает на какой-то филиал ада. Оттуда к нему просачиваются свинорылые существа. Подсказкой о том, что никаких существ нет, является поведение сестры рассказчика. Очевидно, можно прочесть это и как полную несостоятельность женщины как человека, но мы-то понимаем. Затем рассказчик отправляется в путешествие по мирам и временам, которое очень смахивает на путешествие машины времени Уэллса.
Пираты-призраки
И вторая матросская байка, на этот раз о проклятом корабле. Сам по себе корабль ничего, но его преследуют какие-то несчастья. Рассказчик постепенно почему-то приходит к мысли, что корабль притягивает к себе обитателей параллельного мира - именно на этот корабль они могут попадать, или даже корабль периодически попадает в порубежье с этим потусторонним миром. С пиратских кораблей приходят призрачные пираты, которые непонятно чего хотят, кроме того чтобы нагадить.
Несмотря на то, что каждый следующий поворот сюжета предсказуем за два предыдущих поворота, несмотря на в целом несложную фабулу, без хитросплетений, в целом произведения добротные. Старый-добрый хоррор, да. ...more

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Oct 28, 2017 Lars Dradrach rated it did not like it

Shelves: e-book, review-only, started-given-up

Gave it up, the last hour I have absolutely no idea what I’m reading and where it was going if anywhere.

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Aug 05, 2021 Eamonn Murphy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

And so I fell to reading the books of William Hope Hodgson, the which I had not hitherto encountered, and in this wise passed many a long hour; for there are four novels in this mighty tome, all written in the prose of yesteryear.

The first, “The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” concerns brave sailors lost in a sea of thick weed populated with strange and terrible monsters. They make their way to an island and find that another ship has been trapped in the weed for months. There are girls on board! It And so I fell to reading the books of William Hope Hodgson, the which I had not hitherto encountered, and in this wise passed many a long hour; for there are four novels in this mighty tome, all written in the prose of yesteryear.

The first, “The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” concerns brave sailors lost in a sea of thick weed populated with strange and terrible monsters. They make their way to an island and find that another ship has been trapped in the weed for months. There are girls on board! It’s a good story of the same ilk and era as Arthur Conan Doyle's “The Lost World.” Fun.

Presently, having made an end of the first novel I started the second. 'The House on the Borderland' is set in the west of Ireland. In the ruins of an old mansion, shunned by the locals, two friends discover the journal of an old man. It tells of his soul journeys to the far future where he sees many strange and wondrous things. Cosmic, man! And pretty cosmic it is too, for 1908. Lovecraft is generally known as the originator of this kind of thing, yet he was an admirer of Hodgson. Bob Heinlein once pointed out that Doc Smith’s stuff all seemed hackneyed now because everyone has spent thirty years copying it. Hodgson must be read with this in mind. That’s not an excuse. It doesn’t need an excuse. It’s good.

Of the three short novels, I most liked ‘The Ghost Pirates.’ Jessop, the narrator, joins the good ship Mortzestus in ‘Frisco, despite some strange rumours about it. At first, there are small incidents, odd events. No one will talk openly about them; no one wants to be thought a fool. Things get worse. Hodgson builds the tension slowly, with King-ly skill, in a genuinely suspenseful and sometimes scary tale.

And so to 'The Night Land', which is as long as the other three put together. In his introduction, China Mieville says: “If a committee had been set up to design an unreadable book they’d probably have come up with The Night Land.” I couldn’t agree more. Had I not been contractually obligated to finish the damn thing I would have given it up a hundred times. The world created is brilliant. The story is interesting. The writing is a cod-biblical nightmare.

Here is a sample sentence: “And there also to come presently a change and a seeming of thinness into the air; and the Maid to remark upon this, and likewise that the water powder now to be that it not to fizz so plentiful.”

There are about 180,000 words arranged in this fashion. There are also original and wonderful ideas. The first part of the book where the narrator and his True Love meet in our time, or rather Hodgson’s time, is a bit blah. Then we move to the far future where he dreams of this past life and lives in the Great Redoubt, a mighty fortress and sanctuary where millions exist on a dying Earth, surrounded by terrible forces. The history, culture and organization of this society are well defined. It’s real science fiction.

The narrator is a kind of telepath and becomes aware of another group of humans out somewhere in the Night Land. He sets off to find them. His outward journey is fairly gripping despite the awful prose. His return journey with the Maid, who is the reincarnation of his former Love just as he is the reincarnation of hers, is tedious beyond measure. I would like to recommend it to feminists, just to hear the sound of a million teeth grinding throughout the western world.

The book costs 699 pennies. The three short novels are worth 233 each and if you are ever on a very long journey with nothing to read – Earth to Alpha Centauri in a steamboat, say – you can tackle 'The Night Land'. Failing that wait for the film. Someone’s bound to make it one day.

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Aug 19, 2021 Kevin Ray rated it really liked it

Got it and I felt like I was there the atmosphere is great. Classic (reading from journal) horror.

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Oct 25, 2020 bepassersby rated it did not like it

Shelves: h-i, horror

This author influenced Lovecraft, and this book is the one most recommended, but it’s just not good.

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Dec 20, 2019 Kai Greenwood rated it it was amazing

I re-read the House on the Borderland this week after about fifteen years and I'd forgotten how... cosmic... it was. It reads like a cross between H.G.Wells' the Time Machine and Lovecraft's the Rats in the Walls, which is a good thing to my mind.

I hadn't realised it was written so long ago, and it holds up well with some eerie imagery. Definitely a classic of the weird fiction genre. ...more

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Feb 15, 2019 Peter rated it really liked it

A precursor to HP Lovecraft, all the stories are great fun and have an element of mystery and suspense. However, without a doubt, the novella The House on the Borderland is the best of the lot in my view. That is a particularly strange and brilliant story.

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Oct 11, 2014 Bill FromPA marked it as partially-read

Shelves: horror, fantasy

The Boats of the Glen Carrig read on July 30, 2004

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May 29, 2018 John rated it it was amazing

Still immensely awesome the fifth time round - although his over-use of commas and adverbs gets annoying. Lots to say. Just have to fine the right place to say it.

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Oct 24, 2013 Kevin rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, novel, 20th-century

Full review here:
http://apolloreborn.blogspot.com/2013... ...more

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About William Hope Hodgson

William Hope Hodgson

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William Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his poems were published during his lifetime. He also attracted some notice as a photographer and achiev ...more