1920-11-05
short story
By William Hope Hodgson
Alternate Titles:
“The Call in the Dawn”
Sargasso Sea
Synopsis
A ship comes upon a large weed island in the middle of the ocean. They hear a voice calling from within it and decide to investigate. What they find is weird.
History
First publication: The Premier Magazine, November 5, 1920
Review
This is an excellent example of Lovecraftian before Lovecraft even was writing fiction. It is also an excellent example of understatement. There was a time when people didn’t need every detail spelled out in stories, they could admire the mystery without it being solved. That was the beginnings of horror fiction and Hodgson is a master. There is plenty of suggestion of monsters and the supernatural, but it is all suggestion, just like when we feel creeped out by deserted places in the real world. Hodgson puts a lot of imagination into it, but holds back from solving any of the mystery, leaving you with something that is sublime almost to being almost poetry. I’m finding that I love this type of story. If you need gore or intense description or tidy endings where all becomes clear then this story is not for you. But if you can appreciate the mysterious for what it is without needed explanation, then this story is recommended!
Videos
We have the story in these editions:
The Boats of the Glen Carrig and Other Nautical Adventures, hardcover, Night Shade Books, 2003-07-15
All of the stories in the Sargasso Sea series:
From the Tideless Sea
The Mystery of the Derelict
More News from the Homebird
The Thing in the Weeds
The Finding of the Graiken
From the Tideless Sea
The Voice in the Dawn
