Horror | Lecturia

Clark Ashton Smith: The Return of the Sorcerer

“The Return of the Sorcerer” is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith, published in 1931, which forms part of the Cthulhu Mythos cycle. The story follows an unemployed man who accepts a job as secretary to John Carnby, a solitary scholar specializing in demonology and witchcraft. Carnby asks him to use his knowledge of Arabic to help him decipher passages from the Necronomicon, an ancient and obscure book. As he progresses with his work, the protagonist begins to suspect that his employer’s interest goes beyond pure erudition and that dark and diabolical secrets lie behind his facade.

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.

Charles Dickens: Captain Murderer

Captain Murderer is a disturbing story by Charles Dickens, published on September 8, 1860, in All The Year Round. The story revolves around a dark and enigmatic character, Captain Murderer, who, hidden behind his wealth and charm, seduces young women to make them part of a macabre culinary ritual. With a gloomy atmosphere and disturbing details, Dickens reinvents the essence of the classic story of Bluebeard, immortalized by Charles Perrault, adding his touch of horror and black humor.

Ray Bradbury: The Small Assassin

“The Small Assassin” is a short story by Ray Bradbury, published in November 1946 in Dime Mystery Magazine and later included in the collection Dark Carnival (1947). Alice and David are new parents. After a traumatic birth, Alice develops the terrifying conviction that her newborn son is a conscious and malevolent entity trying to kill her. While doctors and family members attribute her fears to postpartum psychological distress, Alice feels increasingly vulnerable to the amorality of a creature that seems to stalk her in the silence of her home.

Clark Ashton Smith: The Nameless Offspring

The Nameless Offspring is a short story by Clark Ashton Smith published in June 1932 in the magazine Strange Tales of Mystery and Terror. It tells the story of Henry Chaldane, who, during a trip through the English countryside, happens upon Tremoth Hall, an old mansion shrouded in a dark family legend. There, he meets Sir John Tremoth, a man tormented by a terrible secret related to his lineage.

Henry Kuttner: The Salem Horror

The Salem Horror is a short story by Henry Kuttner, published in May 1937 in the magazine Weird Tales. It tells the story of Carson, a writer who rents an old house in Salem to find peace and finish his novel. Soon, he discovers strange noises in the basement and a disturbing presence in the house, linked to an ancient witch named Abigail Prinn. Moved by curiosity, Carson finds a hidden room full of arcane symbols, unaware of the dark power that still dwells there. As he delves deeper into his discovery, he finds himself trapped in unimaginable horror.