“It is of a dream,” he said;
“no more than
that; and yet dreams, too,
are under the hand
of the good God, so I hold.
Some, I know, are
just folly, and tell us
nothing but the con-
fusion of our own nature
when the controlling
will is withdrawn; but some,
I hold, are the
whispers of God, and tell us
of what we are
too dull to hear in our
waking life. You do
not believe me ? Very well ;
then listen."
- From Father Stein’s Tale, by Robert Hugh Benson
“In one of the first such [dystopian]
novels of the twentieth century, Robert Hugh Benson imagines a world where
belief in God has been replaced by secular humanism. Lord of the World describes
a world where Catholics are falling away, and priests and bishops are
defecting. Only a small remnant of the faithful remains. Julian Felsenburgh, a
mysterious and compelling figure arises, promising peace in exchange for blind
obedience. Those who resist are subjected to torture and execution. Soon the
masses are in Felsenburgh's thrall, and he becomes leader of the world. Into
this melee steps the novel's protagonist, Fr. Percy Franklin. Dauntless and
clear-sighted, Franklin is a bastion of stability as the Catholic Church in England
disintegrates around him. Benson's harrowing plot soon brings these two
charismatic men into a final apocalyptic conflict.” – Amazon.
This rather bald summation by Amazon does not do justice to
Lord of the World, but then it would be very hard indeed to do so. It
makes it sound like a simple work of propaganda of Christianity against
secularism; it is instead an almost prophetic analysis of much that happened in
the development of attitudes between 1907 (the date of publication) and 2007
(the approximate year the story takes place).
Besides of the ideological conflict between Franklin and
Felsenburgh (who appear to be somehow contrary doppelgangers of each other),
the ramifications of the new secular state are played out within the dynamics
of a single family. The husband, whose government job leads him gradually into
ever more bloody acts of persecution; the wife, whose natural humane instincts rebel
against the riots and conceptual demands of the state; and the husband’s mother,
a weak and vacillating woman who wavers between her old faith and the herd
instinct that is driving her to the secularly sanctioned suicide centers. There
is also a family friend, a priest who eventually apostatizes in the face of growing
governmental power. Through their eyes we see a glimpse of Felsenburgh’s
all-too feasible rise to dominance and the implications of his new world order.
The modern reader might find much to struggle with here. It starts rather slowly with a preface summarizing what happened during the century since 1907. The future science described has an almost steampunk aesthetic that might seem merely quaint. But as one progresses and catches the trick of Benson’s prose (over a hundred years old, and British at that – but that should be no problem for anyone who reads, say, H. G. Wells), one is drawn ever deeper into the almost breathless drama of a world swelling towards apocalypse.
The Annotated Supernatural Horror in
Literature: Revised and Enlarged by H. P.
Lovecraft, S. T. Joshi
H. P. Lovecraft's "Supernatural Horror in
Literature," first published in 1927, is widely recognized as the finest
historical survey of horror literature ever written. The product of both a keen
critical analyst and a working practitioner in the field, the essay affords
unique insights into the nature, development, and history of the weird tale.
Beginning with instances of weirdness in ancient literature, Lovecraft proceeds
to discuss horror writing in the Renaissance, the first Gothic novels of the
late 18th century, the revolutionary importance of Edgar Allan Poe, the work of
such leading figures as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ambrose Bierce, and William Hope
Hodgson, and the four "modern masters"-Arthur Machen, Lord Dunsany,
Algernon Blackwood and M. R. James. In this annotated edition of Lovecraft's
seminal work, acclaimed Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi has supplied detailed
commentary on many points. In addition, Joshi has supplied a comprehensive
bibliography of all the authors and works discussed in the essay, with
references to modern editions and critical studies. For this new edition, Joshi
has exhaustively revised and updated the bibliography and also revamped the
notes to bring the book in line with the most up-to-date scholarship on
Lovecraft and weird fiction. The entire volume has also been redesigned for
ease of reading and reference. This latest edition will be invaluable both to
devotees of Lovecraft and to enthusiasts of the weird tale. – Amazon.
The Xothic Legend Cycle: The Complete
Mythos Fiction of Lin Carter
by Lin Carter, R. M. Price
The late Lin Carter was a prolific writer and anthologist of
horror and fantasy with over eighty titles to his credit. His tales of Mythos
horror are loving tributes to H. P. Lovecraft's 'revision' tales and to August
Derleth's stories of Hastur and the R'lyeh Text. This is the first collection
of Carter's Mythos tales; it includes his intended novel, The Terror Out of
Time. Most of the stories in this collection have been unavailable for some
time. Selected and introduced by Robert M. Price. – Amazon.
The Horror on the Links: The Complete
Tales of Jules de Grandin, Volume One
by Seabury Quinn
The Devil's Rosary: The Complete
Tales of Jules de Grandin, Volume Two
by Seabury Quinn
The Dark Angel: The Complete Tales of
Jules de Grandin, Volume Three
by Seabury Quinn
A Rival from the Grave: The Complete
Tales of Jules de Grandin, Volume Four
by Seabury Quinn
Black Moon: The Complete Tales of Jules de Grandin, Volume Five
by Seabury Quinn
From The Dust Returned - A Family
Remembrance by
Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury, America's most beloved storyteller, has spent a
lifetime carrying readers to exhilarating and dangerous places, from dark
street comers in unfamiliar cities and towns to the edge of the universe. Now,
in an extraordinary flight of the imagination a half-century in the making, he
takes us to a most wondrous destination: into the heart of an Eternal Family. -
Amazon
The
Supernatural Stories of Monsignor Robert H. Benson: The Light Invisible, a
Mirror of Shalott
by Robert Hugh Benson
This collections brings together the supernatural stories in
Robert H. Benson's The Light Invisible and A Mirror of Shalott. Benson brings
light fantasy and supernatural horror together, from the perspective of a
Catholic priest. It is a fascinating twist on a popular genre by a very
talented author. Fans of the ghost stories by M. R. James and E. G. Swain will find
this a welcome addition to their library. – Amazon.
by Robert Hugh Benson
Briefly, he said, there are three forces—Catholicism,
Humanitarianism, and the Eastern religions. About the third I cannot prophesy,
though I think the Sufis will be victorious. Anything may happen; Esotericism
is making enormous strides—and that means Pantheism; and the blending of the
Chinese and Japanese dynasties throws out all our calculations. But in Europe
and America, there is no doubt that the struggle lies between the other two. We
can neglect everything else. And, I think, if you wish me to say what I think,
that, humanly speaking, Catholicism will decrease rapidly now. It is perfectly
true that Protestantism is dead. Men do recognise at last that a supernatural
Religion involves an absolute authority, and that Private Judgment in matters
of faith is nothing else than the beginning of disintegration. And it is also
true that since the Catholic Church is the only institution that even claims supernatural
authority, with all its merciless logic, she has again the allegiance of
practically all Christians who have any supernatural belief left. There are a
few faddists left, especially in America and here; but they are negligible.
That is all very well; but, on the other hand, you must remember that
Humanitarianism, contrary to all persons' expectations, is becoming an actual
religion itself, though anti-supernatural. It is Pantheism; it is developing a
ritual under Freemasonry; it has a creed, 'God is Man,' and the rest. It has
therefore a real food of a sort to offer to religious cravings; it idealises,
and yet it makes no demand upon the spiritual faculties. Then, they have the
use of all the churches except ours, and all the Cathedrals; and they are
beginning at last to encourage sentiment. Then, they may display their symbols
and we may not: I think that they will be established legally in another ten
years at the latest.
- Taken from "Lord Of The World" written by Robert Hugh Benson (1907). The most plausible story of an Antichrist arising ever written.
