The House on the Borderland (Version 2)


Read by John Van Stan

(4.4 stars; 54 reviews)

This story helped propel 19th Century gothic fiction in the direction of “cosmic” horror. In fact, H.P. Lovecraft lists it as among his greatest influences. It begins simply enough: with two friends stumbling upon a ruined and curious house while vacationing in a remote village. After reading the tattered journal of the old recluse who lived there, they are shocked to discover an interdimensional, reality-bending nightmare full of nearly-indescribable horrors that range from demons, to bestial (somewhat Lovecraftian) monsters, and devastating parasitic fungal diseases. - Summary by jvanstan (5 hr 38 min)

Chapters

Dedication and Author's Introduction 3:36 Read by John Van Stan
The Finding of the Manuscript 23:37 Read by John Van Stan
The Plain of Silence 12:48 Read by John Van Stan
The House in the Arena 14:08 Read by John Van Stan
The Earth 7:05 Read by John Van Stan
The Thing in the Pit 13:44 Read by John Van Stan
The Swine-Things 20:15 Read by John Van Stan
The Attack 11:10 Read by John Van Stan
After the Attack 9:45 Read by John Van Stan
In the Cellars 8:15 Read by John Van Stan
The Time of Waiting 6:40 Read by John Van Stan
The Searching of the Gardens 13:55 Read by John Van Stan
The Subterranean Pit 21:37 Read by John Van Stan
The Trap in the Great Cellar 9:40 Read by John Van Stan
The Sea of Sleep 9:10 Read by John Van Stan
The Noise in the Night 23:01 Read by John Van Stan
The Awakening 11:50 Read by John Van Stan
The Slowing Rotation 14:05 Read by John Van Stan
The Green Star 17:02 Read by John Van Stan
The End of the Solar System 9:54 Read by John Van Stan
The Celestial Globes 7:45 Read by John Van Stan
The Dark Sun 11:00 Read by John Van Stan
The Dark Nebula 11:00 Read by John Van Stan
Pepper 2:20 Read by John Van Stan
The Footsteps in the Garden 8:26 Read by John Van Stan
The Thing from the Arena 19:05 Read by John Van Stan
The Luminous Speck 5:55 Read by John Van Stan
Conclusion 9:11 Read by John Van Stan
Grief 2:30 Read by John Van Stan

Reviews

Wonderfully Read Proto-Lovecraftian Novel


(5 stars)

The narrator of this wonderfully melancholic cosmic horror has a stupendous sense of the dramatic, which creeps through his reading. This was a thoroughly enjoyable book.

classic


(4.5 stars)

a classic story of the genre brought to life by a skillful, light handed reader. i am very grateful for all his hard work.


(3.5 stars)

Very good story and well read. But I did find parts of it rambling.


(5 stars)

An amazing story, read by a wonderful narrator!


(4 stars)

I enjoyed how it was read more than the story itself.