It opens in the laboratory of the mad scientist, Dr. Raymond, though some might say I’m being unfair. I don’t believe Machen intended to portray him as absolutely mad, just a bit obsessed. Dr. Raymond intends lift the veil between the physical world and the spiritual, an occurrence the ancients called “seeing the god Pan”. No problem thus far, but it is Raymond’s method that condemns him. He will perform brain surgery on a young woman, a sort of lobotomy, that he is absolutely convinced will allow the subject to witness the spiritual realm. He claims it is completely safe, and that…
I rescued Mary from the gutter, and from almost certain starvation, when she was a child; I think her life is mine, to use as I see fit.
Mad says I. He reminds me of Dr. Frankenstein.
Mary does not come through the operation unharmed. Dr. Raymond calmly observes…
…it is a great pity; she is a hopeless idiot. However, it could not be helped; and after all, she has seen the Great God Pan.
In other words, not a total loss.
Mad!
By the way, he has not one bit of evidence that his conclusion is fact…he just knows it
Ugh!
And indeed it did lift the veil briefly. Raymond’s reckless experiment unleashes an unholy terror on the world, setting the stage for the bulk of the tale. The entity’s terrifying menace on humanity and the suspenseful pursuit by investigators are compelling, but the story stumbles at the start and is ridiculous in the end. Such an opinion begs justification; be warned:
SPOILER ALERT
Just the high points: two amateur sleuths track down the otherworldly menace and threaten to call the police unless it hangs itself. Yes, a supernatural being with mind-bending powers commits suicide out of fear of the cops.
Ugh!
My rating 2.5 of 5 stars
This novel fulfills the “Deity” category for the What’s in a Name? 2025 challenge, as the title features deity.
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