Books with author William Hope Hodgson

The House on the Borderland is a supernatural horror novel by British fantasist William Hope Hodgson. The book is a milestone that signals a radical departure from the typical gothic supernatural fiction of the late 19th century. Hodgson creates a newer more realistic/scientific cosmic horror that left a marked impression on the people who would become the great writers of the weird tales of the middle of the 20th century, most notably Clark Ashton Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft.

The sun has died, as have the stars. Not a solitary light shines in the heavens. The days of light are nothing by a legend -- they are a story told to soothe children. The last millions of humans still live in their Last Redoubt -- but the end of their days is at hand.First published in 1912, as a work of fantasy it belongs to the Dying Earth subgenre.The importance of The Night Land was recognized by its later revival in paperback by Ballantine Books, which republished the work in two parts as the 49th and 50th volumes of its celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in July 1972.Of The Night Land Clark Ashton Smith wrote "In all literature, there are few works so sheerly remarkable, so purely creative, as The Night Land. Whatever faults this book may possess, however inordinate its length may seem, it impresses the reader as being the ultimate saga of a perishing cosmos, the last epic of a world beleaguered by eternal night and by the unvisageable spawn of darkness. Only a great poet could have conceived and written this story; and it is perhaps not illegitimate to wonder how much of actual prophecy may have been mingled with the poesy." Lovecraft and Smith weren't wrong: this is, perhaps, the greatest single work of fantastic fiction in the English language.(Jacketless Library Hardcover.)

The Night Land, is a fantasy horror and science fiction novel written by English author and poet William Hope Hodgson, and was originally published in 1912. The work is one of the strangest visions ever published in science fiction or fantasy. The Sun has gone out: the Earth is lit only by the glow of residual vulcanism. The last few millions of the human race are gathered together in a gigantic metal pyramid, the Last Redoubt, probably the first arcology in literature, under siege from unknown forces and Powers outside in the dark. These are held back by a Circle of energy, known as the "air clog," powered from the Earth's internal energy. For millennia, vast living shapes - the Watchers - have waited in the darkness near the pyramid: it is thought they are waiting for the inevitable time when the Circle's power finally weakens and dies. Other living things have been seen in the darkness beyond, some of unknown origins, and others that may once have been human.

Jessop is the only survivor of the final voyage of the Mortzestus, rescued from drowning by the crew of the passing Sangier. He begins to recount how he came to be aboard the ill-fated Mortzestus, the rumors surrounding the vessel and the unusual events that rapidly increase in both frequency and severity. He describes his confusion and uncertainty about what he believes he has seen, at times fearing for his own sanity.

It was the Joy of the Sunset that brought us to speech. I was gone a long way from my house, walking lonely-wise, and stopping often that I view the piling upward of the Battlements of Evening, and to feel the dear and strange gathering of the Dusk come over all the world about me. The last time that I paused, I was truly lost in a solemn joy of the Glory of the Coming Night; and maybe I laughed a little in my throat, standing there alone in the midst of the Dusk upon the World. And, lo! my content was answered out of the trees that bounded the country road upon my right; and it was so as that some one had said: "And thou also!" in glad understanding, that I laughed again a little in my throat; as though I had only a half-believing that any true human did answer my laugh; but rather some sweet Delusion or Spirit that was tuned to my mood. But she spoke and called me by my name; and when I had gone to the side of the road, that I should see her somewhat, and discover whether I knew her, I saw that she was surely that lady, who for her beauty was known through all of that sweet County of Kent as Lady Mirdath the Beautiful; and a near neighbour to me; for the Estates of her Guardian abounded upon mine.

This meticulously edited collection is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents:"The Boats of the Glen Carrig" – The ship "Glen Carrig" gets lost at sea when it strikes "a hidden rock" and several survivors escape the wreck in two lifeboats. But that is when their agony actually begins, as they become exposed to the Sargasso Sea, also known as "cemetery of the oceans". "The Ghost Pirates" – Jessop is the only survivor of the final voyage of the Mortzestus, rescued from drowning by the crew of the passing Sangier. He begins to recount how he came to be aboard the ill-fated Mortzestus, the rumors surrounding the vessel and the unusual events that rapidly increase in both frequency and severity. He describes his confusion and uncertainty about what he believes he has seen, at times fearing for his own sanity."Sargasso Sea Stories" is the group of short stories which are set around the Sargasso Sea:From the Tideless Sea Part OneFrom the Tideless Sea Part TwoThe Mystery of the DerelictThe Thing in the WeedsThe Finding of the Graiken"Men of the Deep Waters" is a collection of short stories about the deep waters of mysterious seas, and the great deep of life:On the BridgeThe Sea HorsesThe DerilictMy House Shall Be Called the House of PrayerThe Captain of the Onion BoatThe Voice in the NightThrough the Vortex of a CycloneThe Shamraken Homeward-Bounder"Captain Gault, Being the Exceedingly Private Log of a Sea-Captain" is a collection of short stories about the law breaking captain with many tricks in the bag:The Case of the Curio DealerThe Red HerringThe Drum of SaccharineOther Sea Stories:Jack Grey, Second MateDemons of the SeaOut of the StormA Tropical HorrorThe Stone Ship The Real Thing

William H. Hodgson considered his three novels, "The House on the Borderland", "The Boats of the Glen-Carrig," and “The Ghost Pirates” a trilogy. They are not sequels and not related, except for their emphasis on the supernatural beings, who came, perhaps, from another dimension.“The Ghost Pirates”, the third book of this trilogy, was one of H.P. Lovecraft’s favorite works.

Musaicum Books presents to you this unique collection, designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. A 17th-century gentleman, mourning the death of his beloved, Lady Mirdath, is given a vision of a far-distant future where their souls will be re-united, and sees the world of that time through the eyes of a future incarnation. The Sun has gone out and the Earth is lit only by the glow of residual vulcanism. The last few millions of the human race are gathered together in a gigantic metal pyramid, nearly eight miles high – the Last Redoubt, under siege from unknown forces and Powers outside in the dark. These are held back by a shield known as the "air clog", powered from a subterranean energy source called the "Earth Current". For millennia, vast living shapes—the Watchers—have waited in the darkness near the pyramid. It is thought they are waiting for the inevitable time when the Circle's power finally weakens and dies. Other living things have been seen in the darkness beyond, some of unknown origins, and others that may once have been human. The narrator sets off alone into the darkness to find the girl he has made contact with, hoping that she is the reincarnation of his past love.

The Mortzestus is reputed to be haunted but the crew dismisses the rumors as preposterous — at first. Two weeks out of port the rigging suddenly goes slack, a ghostly form arises from the sea, and shadows thicken around the vessel. The frightened sailors, convinced that supernatural powers are afoot, plot mutiny and demand to be set ashore. But a dense mist descends around the ship, threatening to swallow the craft and its men without a trace. The desperate crew's chilling fate is recounted in this compulsive page-turner by William Hope Hodgson, a master of seafaring yarns. Rich in nautical language and lore, it combines an intriguing view of shipboard life with a suspenseful ghost story. Horror author Robert Weinberg noted the occult classic's compact prose style, hailing it as "one of the finest examples of the tightly written novel ever published." And no less an authority than H. P. Lovecraft observed, "With its command of maritime knowledge, and its clever selection of hints and incidents suggestive of latent horrors in nature, this book at times reaches enviable peaks of power."