Customer Reviews

Dagon (Voices of the South)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a book that takes the familiar Lovecraftian, or maybe Derlethian, scenario--a young man inherits a house, is taken over by the spirit of the place and is destroyed by obsession--and explores it with deep psychological realism. The effect is uncanny: It's almost as if the cardboard characters of the Lovecraft stories (which, don't get me wrong, I love) have come to life. In order to sustain the realistic tone, the supernatural elements all happen offstage--but if you've ever wondered what it would really be like to be enslaved by a priestess of the Elder Gods, this book is for you. This edition is out of print, but the novel is reprinted in full in The Fred Chappell Reader, which is in print. I have to wonder what fans of Chappell, who is mostly a writer of Southern Literature, make of a novel whose first words are "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Hybrid literature is a tough sell, especially when one of the component genres has a following as finicky as the fans of H.P. Lovecraft. While some readers are content to read the same scenarios over and over, others might want something more.
If you are a fan of the Cthulhu mythos, I urge you to give this book a shot, despite the negative reviews on this page. If you are unfamiliar with H.P. Lovecraft, be glad to take this book on its own rewarding terms.

Both deeply disturbing and compelling, DAGON is full of images and hints of sensation that linger in the subconscious long after reading. Chappell phrases the most mundane details in the most interesting ways so that you are forced to pay attention and consider what he is describing. These details collect like drops of water, until the atmosphere is so thick with dread and oppression that it is almost unbearable, so that even after you finish the book the feeling of unease remains inescapable.

It's a subtle, short read that quietly builds to it's inevitable climax and bizarre coda. The story is on its surface simple, but the way in which it is told is a major achievement.

The first half of this book is great, becoming more and more atmospheric, moody, and tense as the main character (a more realistic version of the typical Lovecraft protagonist) investigates the mystery of his home. However, after that, the book radically shifts gears and becomes a journey into madness which, while it has some good and creepy bits, becomes primarily an exercise in psychological abuse and "gross-out" horror. Ultimately, I was unsatisfied with a book which has been so highly recommended by some.

DAGON by Fred Chappell is Horror with a capital letter and in the most powerful sense. This writer refers to H.P. Lovecraft's special universe, while pinning you to images he creates that are unforgettable and unique. You'll never forget this book or Mina's passive face under black eyes abasing you through your window.

Dagon is a slow,delicious read. Fred Chappell has created the most horrifying book I have ever read. Along with an amazingly intricate plot, that builds and builds, he unfolds his tale with poetic accuracy. One enters this book slowly, and then a shocking event takes things to a new turn. The main character begins a life so far and horrible that he cannot even remember his former existence.

This is where the book really takes off. It's chilling. You enter the mind of madness.

Subhuman yokels abuse, tattoo & murder one another while worshipping demons.

I found this book on a list of "Cthulhu Mythos" related items and thought it would be good. Big mistake. The first couple of chapters were good, with the proper atmosphere and creepiness. Then came the next hundred or so pages, which suddenly turned the story into a mishmash of sex, sadism, and filthy language, and even a bizarre message of "oneness with the universe". A few vague references to Cthulhu does not make a "Mythos" story.

Dagon is a short novel written by Fred Chappell, with a copyright in 1987. I have the LSU Press edition from 2002. It is a standard 5.5" x 8.5" trade paperback with 177 pages, seemingly substantial, but the font is larger than usual with trade paperbacks so it actually reads fairly quickly. Production values are high; there is a cover illustration by Dave Ross showing a half man with a scaly lower body from behind, held captive in chains in some sort of ancient temple. Evocative but no wow factor; there is no interior art (too bad, it might have relieved the tedium). List price is $15.95. This book was manufactured according to some standard on book longevity (again too bad, it will take that much longer to crumble away).

Spoilers may follow, but who cares?

I tend to buy and read almost anything mythos associated so of course I lapped it up. Just after the title page there is a page devoted to Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn. Very auspicious! Unfortunately that was also the highlight.

I really did not like this book even a little bit and I have been trying to figure out why. Sometimes mythos books fall apart because the prose is poor, like Other Nations, or the prose, plot and characterizations all stink, like Island Life, or because the book has really nothing to do with the mythos and instead has to do with schlocky gross out horror, like A Darkness Inbred. This novel clearly was living and breathing in the world of the mythos, had a clearly thought out plot and had prose that was highly polished. So what was the problem?

First of all, I couldn't stand any of the characters, particularly the protagonist, I was more concerned about Thomas Covenant than Peter Leland, and I wanted Thomas Covenant to meet an unseemly early end. Second, it was dull, tedious, boring, a chore to read. There was precious little forward momentum here. Finally, although highly crafted, the prose was almost entirely devoted to Peter's tortuous and disinteresting introspection. Also there was no awesomeness of a mythos entity or any sense of terror at all. He was mostly pathetic and worth only the reader's disdain.

In a typical (mercifully only 10-15 pages) mythos story, a protagonist goes to an ancient mansion/estate/farm and falls under the influence of some evil dabbler in mythos books, or their own dabbling in mythos books, who then loses control over their free will and gets used for or comes to unseemly ends. The reader mainly sees it as either their journal entries or from a birds eye third person viewpoint. This novel rather originally places you in the mind of the victim protagonist who doesn't have any understanding of what is going on, who knows nothing of the mythos. He only catches glimpses but does not understand them or what the evil sorceror type is doing. The mythos happenings are never made explicitly clear. This *could* have been so cool. So Peter gradually loses his will and his life to the vaguely fishoid appearing Mina, with his wife an innocent bystander victim along the way. Nice premise, a slow disappointing slog to drag yourself through.

Not recommended to anyone at all anywhere anytime. Go reread Balak or something good instead.