The House on the Borderland

June's Gothic Book Club Pick and Associated News

Alone in an old house in the West of Ireland. Tearing into the fabric of space and time. Pursued by mysterious beasts. Unraveling endless horror by means of a found manuscript.

Yes, that’s how I spent my weekend, but it’s also the premise for William Hope Hodgson’s remarkable The House on the Borderland. This 1908 novel is as influential as it is engaging, creating a proto-psychedelic experience, which is as wondrous as it is terrifying.

Given that we spent last month immersed in the city of Mordew, courtesy of Alex Pheby’s dark fantasy, I thought I’d go a little easier on you this time around. Summer is on the way after all, so count yourselves lucky. I was going to choose Alan Moore’s Jerusalem, but let’s revisit that when the evenings begin to draw in.

In the meantime, I implore you to grab yourself a copy of this superb title, in whichever format works best for you. There are a couple of audiobooks available. My preferred hard copy is the Swan River Press edition, which is available from their site.

For those on a budget (accessibility is always a consideration as part of this book club, my friends), it’s available in the public domain via Kindle or most e-readers. I will add, however, that the the SWP version has a remarkable introduction by Alan Moore (who often cites it as one of his favourite books) and an afterword by Iain Sinclair.

I feel strangely close to this book in many ways. Not only does it fit very neatly into my artistic tastes and literary preferences, but I was geographically connected to Hodgson for almost a decade, living just over a mile from his childhood home and the church where his father was a minister in Ardrahan, Co Galway. In fact, it’s Ardrahan where the story begins and when I previously looked out across the Burren hills which form the horizon from the train station mentioned in those opening chapters, I always thought of Hodgson’s characters in the book, but also how the town must have looked to the family, who relocated from the UK on ‘missionary work’. I’ll get into some of the local stories regarding the Hodgsons as we progress through the month.

Prepare for a marvellous, hallucinatory exploration which you will undoubtedly enjoy as we enter The House on the Borderland.

TikTok Creator Award Nomination

Uncertain as to how this happened, but I have been nominated for a TikTok Rising Star Creator of the Year Award at this year’s Booktok Awards, which are coming up in July. This is both genuinely surprising and heartwarming. There are so many superb creators out there, highlighting really important work and topics, and to be counted among them is amazing. There are only eight nominees on the longlist, which in itself is quite mind-blowing, so I’m taking a moment to extend my immense gratitude to everyone who reads, watches, shares and enjoys my content. It means a great deal.

Gothic Book Club - Now on Fable

May saw the first real use of the Fable app for the Gothic Book Club and it worked out well. For those who don’t know it yet (I only started using it recently), this is an app designed for book clubs to discuss and explore their chosen title in a spoiler-free environment by using breakout rooms, mostly by chapter.

It’s been amazing to see so many people interacting and getting to know each other as they delve into the intricacies of the monthly pick. It’s proven to be a worthwhile addition to the Gothic Book Club and I can definitely recommend checking it out. For those who wish to interact with other members and talk about the book as you read through, it’s perfect.

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend and thanks once again!