Fantasy | Lecturia

Edgar Allan Poe: The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. Summary and analysis

“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” by Edgar Allan Poe narrates a disturbing scientific experiment. A hypnotist, fascinated by the boundaries between life and death, decides to try to hypnotize a person at the moment of their death. To do this, he recruits Ernest Valdemar, a terminally ill man. With the help of doctors and assistants, the narrator undertakes this audacious experiment, exploring unknown territories of the human consciousness. As the process advances, the participants face inexplicable phenomena that challenge their understanding of reality and death. The story combines elements of psychological horror with a pseudo-scientific approach, creating an atmosphere of growing tension and mystery that keeps the reader in suspense until its surprising conclusion.

Jorge Luis Borges: The House of Asterion

The House of Asterion, a short story by Jorge Luis Borges, published in 1947 in Los Anales de Buenos Aires and later included in the collection El Aleph (1949), explores the life of Asterion, a mythical and enigmatic character who lives in a unique, vast and labyrinthine house. Through a first-person narrative, Asterion describes his solitary existence in this mysterious house, where he entertains himself with various games and reflections while awaiting the arrival of the promised Redeemer.

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.