Fantasy | Lecturia

H. P. Lovecraft: Cool Air

Cool Air is a story by H. P. Lovecraft published in 1928 in the magazine Tales of Magic and Mystery. It narrates the experience of a man who moves into a boarding house in New York, where he meets Dr. Muñoz, who lives on the floor above him. The doctor is cultured and refined, but suffers from a mysterious illness that forces him to keep his room at a very low temperature. Over time, the relationship between the two grows closer, allowing the man to discover the mystery behind the doctor’s strange behavior.

Guy de Maupassant: The Apparition

The Apparition is a short story by Guy de Maupassant, published in Le Gaulois on April 4, 1883. It tells the disturbing experience of an elderly marquis who, at a social gathering, decides to share an event that has tormented him for more than fifty years. In his youth, an old friend asks him to retrieve some documents from his former home. On arrival, the marquis finds an atmosphere of abandonment and a gloomy environment that will be the setting for a terrifying experience that will leave an indelible mark of fear.

Clark Ashton Smith: The Charnel God

In “The Charnel God,” Clark Ashton Smith transports us to the sinister city of Zul-Bha-Sair, where the god Mordiggian rules over the dead. Phariom, a desperate young man, struggles to save his wife Elaith, who, mistakenly thought to be dead, has been claimed by the priests of this dark god. In an attempt to rescue her, Phariom enters the dark temple of Mordiggian, where he discovers a world of necromantic horrors and supernatural creatures. It is a story full of gothic atmosphere and a deep sense of cosmic terror, which immerses us in a universe where death and black magic are law.

Clark Ashton Smith: The Master of the Crabs

“The Master of the Crabs” is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith published in Weird Tales in 1948. On the shadowy shores of Zothique, an apprentice is swept away by his master, the sorcerer Mior Lumivix, in a desperate race against the dreaded Sarcand. Their goal: a treasure hidden on the mysterious island of Iribos. As they sail west, they face storms, bewitched calm, and the horrors that lurk in the depths. On the island, betrayal, ancient magic, and sea creatures become the protagonists of a struggle for power and survival.

Ray Bradbury: The Small Assassin

In “The Small Assassin,” a short story by Ray Bradbury published in 1946, a woman named Alice Leiber experiences an intense fear of her newborn son, convinced that the baby wants to hurt her. Despite the support of her husband and the doctors, Alice feels alone in her struggle, perceiving a sinister connection with her son that nobody else seems to notice.

Jorge Luis Borges: The Book of Sand

The Book of Sand (El libro de arena), a story by Jorge Luis Borges published in 1975, tells the story of a man who, in exchange for a valuable Bible and money, acquires a mysterious book of unknown origin and strange characters that seem to have infinite content. As the man tries to understand the nature of the book, he becomes obsessed and isolates himself, which will seriously affect his life.