The Great God Pan and Other Weird Tales

Written by Arthur Machen

Narrated by Peter Wickham

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 named Helen. Just who is she, and what is her connection to Dr. Raymond’s failed experiment?

First published in 1890, The Great God Pan influenced many writers of the genre, including the unrivaled master H.P. Lovecraft. It makes perfect listening for a dark and rainy evening.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: Jan 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781781981177

Arthur Machen

Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh mystic and author. Born Arthur Llewellyn Jones, he was raised in Monmouthshire in a prominent family of clergymen. He developed an early interest in alchemy and other occult matters, and obtained a classical education at Hereford Cathedral School. He moved to London, where he failed to gain admittance to medical school and soon focused on his literary interests. Working as a tutor, he wrote in the evening and published his first poem, “Eleusinia,” in 1881. A novel, The Anatomy of Tobacco (1884), soon followed, launching his career as a professional writer. Machen made a name for himself as a frequent contributor to London literary magazines and achieved his first major success with the 1894 novella The Great God Pan. Following his wife’s death from cancer in 1899, he briefly joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and began conducting research on Celtic Christianity, the legend of the Holy Grail, and the stories of King Arthur. In 1922, after a decade of working as a journalist for the Evening News, he published The Secret Glory—a story of the Grail—to popular and critical acclaim. This marked the highpoint of his career as a pioneering author of fantasy, horror, and supernatural fiction whose work has been admired and praised by William Butler Yeats, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King.

Reviews for The Great God Pan and Other Weird Tales

[Stephanie Nuñez · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

There were a few exciting bits, but for the most part this book is dry. Very HP Lovecraft so if you're into that style this is the book for you.