The Great God Pan
Arthur Machen
Read by Ethan Rampton
The Great God Pan is a haunting novella by Arthur Machen that delves into the intersection of nature, the supernatural, and the darker aspects of human desire. The story begins with a scientific experiment that seeks to unveil the mysteries of existence, but the results unleash a terrifying force that challenges the boundaries of reality.
Set against a backdrop of Victorian society, Machen's work explores themes of paganism and the primal instincts that lie beneath the surface of civilization. The narrative is rich with atmospheric detail, evoking a sense of dread and wonder as it confronts the reader with the unknown.
Initially met with outrage for its provocative content, The Great God Pan has since been recognized as a seminal work in horror literature. Its exploration of the uncanny and the grotesque continues to resonate, making it a distinctive entry in the genre that invites listeners to ponder the nature of fear and the allure of the forbidden.
Chapters
Select a chapter to play
| The Experiment | 17:48 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| Mr. Clarke's Memoirs | 15:09 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The City of Resurrections | 16:28 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The Discovery in Paul Street | 12:47 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The Letter of Advice | 11:47 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The Suicides | 17:44 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The Encounter in Soho | 14:40 | Read by Ethan Rampton | |
| The Fragments | 13:12 | Read by Ethan Rampton |
Reviews
Wonderfully Haunting
VixenWench
The narrator was fabulous. I loved this story. A cautionary tale of the consequences when one meddles with things beyond our ken.
Shelley Batten
Reviewed in 2020. I absolutely loved this story. Beautifully written and very excellently narrated. The narrator must have been trained in drama or acting. It was most brilliantly spoken. I will listen to this again. The story is intense and complex with many characters. A little macabre but as I have not the constitution for horror or thrillers, I was relieved the large volume of the story was inferred and not revealed to give me nightmares
Out of the Pan
Crikey!
Great story, but the best chapter is the first, and it gets worse as it goes on. The problem was that the protagonist and the antagonist were only tangentially related to one another. Therefore, Machen had to work quite hard to push them together, and it came across as forced. I think Machen could have preserved the mystery and interlinked the characters. For example, amalgamating Clarke and Lord Argentine, so that Clarke becomes Lord Argentine due to his elder brother's suicide. On the plus side, "The Great God Pan" was spooky, striking, and subtle. It draws attention to many things, such as the likeness of Pan and Satan, without overdoing them. Solid.
Jahan
This recording is well done and easy to listen to, and the only mistake that I noted was at the end of chapter 7 where the reader says “end of chapter 6.” When chapter 8 starts one may think they have missed chapter 7 but all chapters are accounted for.
A LibriVox Listener
Wow. This is some seriously progressive material for the Era. If you're a true horror fan and enjoy being made uncomfortable., check this out.
Exceptional piece of historical horror
RMB Jacque
This short story is brilliant. It shocked the Victorian public with it's sexual innuendos and graphic death scenes, which serves to make it that much more intriguing to read. Of course, 19th century readers were, apparently, easily shocked and modern readers may find it comical that such 'tame' writing was considered quite scandalous in this bygone era. Stephen King names this work as one that contributed to his love of horror and his subsequent foray into the genre of macabre.
one of the best reading bags on librivox
joey furlan
One of the best readers Iâve ever heard. Great story. If you block Lovecraft, youâll love this story. One of the few that had a huge influence on H. P. L.
Amazing read ( Listen)
- Nonso
The narrator was amazing!! Kinda wished they story had lasted longer and that the author had gone more in-depth into what it [undisclosed to avoid spoilers] was