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The Other Gods
The Other Gods
Barzai the Wise, a high priest and prophet greatly learned in the lore of the "gods of earth", or Great Ones, attempts to scale the mountain of Hatheg-Kla in order to look upon their faces, accompanied by his young disciple Atal.
Book Excerpt
Atop the tallest of earth's peaks dwell the gods of earth, and suffer not man to tell that he hath looked upon them. Lesser peaks they once inhabited; but ever the men from the plains would scale the slopes of rock and snow, driving the gods to higher and higher mountains till now only the last remains. When they left their old peaks they took with them all signs of themselves, save once, it is said, when they left a carven image on the face of the mountain which they called Ngranek.
But now they have betaken themselves to unknown Kadath in the cold waste where no man treads, and are grown stern, having no higher peak whereto to flee at the coming of men. They are grown stern, and where once they suffered men to displace them, they now forbid men to come; or coming, to depart. It is well for men that they know not of Kadath in the cold waste; else they would seek injudiciously to scale it.
Sometimes when earth's gods are homesick they visit in the still of the night the peaks where once they dwelt, and weep softly
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(1933) Fantasy (Gods vs Man) / Short story
R: * * *
Plot bullets
The Gods of old have receded away from the encroachment of man, higher and higher into their mountain abodes..
Man pursues them, ostensibly to praise and honor them.
Is there no respite from these supposed lesser beings.
Has man become, The Other Gods?
R: * * *
Plot bullets
The Gods of old have receded away from the encroachment of man, higher and higher into their mountain abodes..
Man pursues them, ostensibly to praise and honor them.
Is there no respite from these supposed lesser beings.
Has man become, The Other Gods?
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As with too many of Lovecraft's stories, there isn't much dread or tension here, with the point of view shifting from an omniscient narrator to the disciple Atal (who only reports snatches of voices and brief glimpses of things he can't quite comprehend,) then back to the narrator, etc., etc.
For Lovecraft fans; it won't give anyone nightmares, or lingering memories of anthing special at all.
For Lovecraft fans; it won't give anyone nightmares, or lingering memories of anthing special at all.
11/23/2012
Lovecraft is well known for his Cthulhu Mythos, but few know of his other cycle which centered around the Dreamlands, uneartly stories of horror and beauty that found their apex in his novella The Quest For Unknown Kadath.
In The Other Gods, Barzai the Wise decides to climb Hatheg-Kla to spy on Earth's gods. However, there are worse things on Hatheg-Kla than the meek and mild gods of earth's distant past and the resulting short story is a satisfying read.
In The Other Gods, Barzai the Wise decides to climb Hatheg-Kla to spy on Earth's gods. However, there are worse things on Hatheg-Kla than the meek and mild gods of earth's distant past and the resulting short story is a satisfying read.
02/05/2007