William Hope Hodgson Turns 140

William Hope Hodgson was born 140 years ago today, on November 15, 1877.  He was killed by an artillery shell in 1918 while fighting for the British in WWI.

Hodgson wrote in a number of related genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror, as well as straight nautical adventure.

The novels The House on the Borderland and The Night Land are among his best known works, although they are not considered easy reading as they were deliberately written in an archaic style.

Perhaps currently the most popular of Hodgson’s works are the stories of Carnacki the Ghost-Finder.  These are slightly different than the typical occult detective story in that not all the of cases Carnacki investigates turn out to be due to supernatural causes.  Sometimes the solutions are more mundane.  To my mind, this makes them more interesting.

Carnacki is popular enough that new stories about the character are still being written.

8 thoughts on “William Hope Hodgson Turns 140

  1. Matthew

    I read Hodgson’s The Ghost Pirates not long ago. It’s pretty accessible so it might be a good place to start for someone who hasn’t read Hodgson before. I read the Carnacki stories a few years ago.

    Reply
    1. Keith West Post author

      I’ve heard good things about The Ghost Pirates. I’ve read some of the Sargasso stories, and I found them to be quite readable.

      Reply
      1. Matthew

        The Sargasso stories are very readable if a bit repetitious. Come to think of it I don’t remember House on the Borderland being that hard to read.

        One of his non-supernatural sea stories Jack Grey, Second Mate reminded me a lot of REH. Jack Grey is a tall dark hair, blue eyed, muscular sailor and the entire story is a fast-past action piece about a mutiny. The character even goes berserk in climax.

        Reply
        1. Keith West Post author

          I want to read more of his work. I’ve read a few other authors (adventure fiction mostly) from that time period, and they were all quite good. I think there is a wealth of good storytelling that needs to be rediscovered.

          Oh, and I’m going to be good and refrain from making a double entendre of your last sentece.

          Reply
  2. deuce

    Kudos, Keith! You’re one of the few bloggers out there who keeps track of these birthdays. If one is going to post about an author, why not give it extra oomph by posting it on a significant date? That’s my view, anyway. WHH’s death in the Great War was a tragic loss. A pity that Robert E. Howard never seems to have read him.

    Reply
    1. Keith West Post author

      Thanks. I’ve missed a number this year simply because I’ve been distracted by thing like work and family. I need to set up my calendar to give me alerts a day or two in advance. Maybe over Christmas I can steal a few minutes and get that set up.

      Reply

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