Arthur Machen’s stories… are inspired by a genuine emotion. He hardly ever wrote merely to frighten others; he did so because he knew he lived in an alien world. Jorge Luis Borges

One of the greatest horror stories ever written.Stephen King

Synopsis:
Arthur Machen's most famous story was condemned on its first publication in 1894 as decadent and nightmarish. But its mixture of chilling horror and pagan sexuality with contemporary Victorian London, plus his distinctive and haunting writing style, soon brought him cult status.

About the author:
Born and brought up in Monmouthshire, Machen's tales of bohemian fin-de-siécle London were coloured by the dark and mysterious landscapes of his childhood.

Short extract:

Read the entire extract of The Great God Pan HERE...

A contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde and William Butler Yeats, all of whom admired his work tremendously, Machen's legacy is central to gothic fiction in the twentieth century. His great literary significance was recognized by H. P. Lovecraft who named Machen as one of the four "modern masters" of supernatural horror. His immediate influence in the US is recognisable in the development of the pulp horror found in magazines like "Weird Tales" and on such notable fantasy writers as Robert E. Howard. "The Shining Pyramid" was filmed for television in 1980 and films with Machen influences or references include John Carpenter's 1980 film "The Fog" (which features a character named "Mr. Machen").