William H. Hodgson
Terrore dagli abissi

The Hypnos Editions continue, with great dedication and expertise, to make available to the Italian public some classics of weird literature in the commendable series "“Library of the Imagination”" which is distinguished by an overly minimalist graphic design but always very interesting content. Now it's the turn of the English William Hope Hodgson, an author not unknown in Italy: all his novels have been published, including his undisputed masterpieces such as "The House On The Borderland – 1908", for which the Urania Classics edition is recommended. Currently hard to find is "The Night Land – 1912", published by Fanucci years ago with a questionable graphic design: it remains in any case a classic of cosmic and apocalyptic fantasy that should absolutely be reprinted. On the other hand, the novels set at sea, "The Boats Of The Glenn Carrig – 1907" and "The Ghost Pirates –1909", are easily available, initially curated by Fanucci and subsequently by Addictions-Magenes Editoriale. Hodgson was well acquainted with maritime life as he embarked as a cabin boy on a ship at a young age: he often talked about his harsh experience and the miserable life he had to lead on board. Nonetheless, all this was an inexhaustible source of inspiration for him as a writer. During his travels, he had the opportunity to confront the vast solitude of the sea, seen as a sort of deity indifferent to the destinies of man from which he was able to capture the secrets so well described in his stories. This interpretation of the marine element certainly brings him closer to the "Lovecraftian" concept of a hostile Cosmos towards humanity. The sea is then seen as the archetypal symbol of the terrors hidden within the human unconscious. In addition to the mentioned novels, Hodgson also wrote numerous short stories on the subject, which are fortunately now collected by Hypnos for the first time in 3 volumes curated by the very talented and meticulous Pietro Guarriello, one of the leading experts on the fantastic in our country. The first is titled "Terror from the Abyss": in the long and rich introduction – "Of Monsters and Storms - The Life and Stories of William Hope Hodgson," Guarriello talks extensively about the English writer's life at sea and provides detailed insights into all the stories included. Each story is then always accompanied and presented by a small examination. The material is of high quality and demonstrates Hodgson's great ability to describe atmospheres full of impending dark terror: perhaps the best feature of these stories is the grand and sad sense of extreme solitude evoked with a skillful hand. Stories such as "From the Tideless Sea" and "More News From The Homebird", which form a small thematic cycle dedicated to the Sargasso Sea, are truly unsettling in hinting at the monstrosities hiding in the hidden depths of the ocean. Perhaps, however, the most memorable tales are those where Hodgson evokes and transforms his real-life experiences into authentic masterpieces of atmosphere in which he deftly portrays the fury of the elements, as in "Homeward Bound" and "Out Of The Storm". In any case, the overall level is always high; perhaps I found less successful the stories in which the mystery is explained rationally as in "Bullion". "The Mystery Of The Water-Logged Ship", centered on the infamous Bermuda Triangle, and "The Ghosts Of The Glen Doon", based on the theme of the "haunted ship," are instead two mysteries conducted with a skillful use of narrative means. There is also a real gem like "The Ghost Ship", which is the unfinished final chapter of the novel "The Ghost Pirates". "Terror from the Abyss" is a beautiful volume that presents in an organic and in-depth manner the short stories of this great writer of the fantastic: a must-buy for all Hodgson followers and for those seeking pure "sense of wonder". The whole is completed with a careful bibliographic note and a beautiful internal illustration by Ivo Torello. The book can be purchased on the Hypnos Editions website or at the Delos Store.

William H. Hodgson “Terror from the Abyss” - Hypnos Editions - 323 pages - 2015 - Euro 21.90