William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) - Edwardian Horror
The Voice in the Night (Short Story, 1907) The House on the Borderland (1908) William Hope Hodgson's much-anthologised The Voice in the Night is a n early (1907) example of eco-horror. It tells the tale of a mysterious natural life form in the South Pacific which has the ability to absorb all life around it including any human beings who come into contact with it. It is a fine tale set in the sea-going environment that so often inspired Hodgson. It should also be regarded as science fiction since there is nothing supernatural in the cause of the distress of the couple who come alongside the narrator's ship. I originally discovered William Hope Hodgson initially as the author of one of the better stories in Cuddon's Penguin Book of Horror Stories . The Derelict (1912) is also an atmospheric tale of sea-going monstrosity. He was also the author of the pulp series Carnacki the Ghost Finder . Hodgson is an oddity and The House on the Borderland is an odd story. It fal