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The House on the Borderland Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of The House on the Borderland


A recluse lives in a mysterious old house and tries to deal with the strange occurrences there. The House on the Borderland is framed by the writer and a friend on a fishing trip in Ireland where, in the ruins of an old house they discover a diary.
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The rest of the story is the manuscript of this diary, describing the life of a recluse who lived in the old house before it fell into ruin. He lives with his sister, who functions as his housekeeper and with his dog Pepper, who he describes with considerably more affection.

During the first strange incident the Recluse is transported through space and time where he comes to an arena encircled by statues of mythological monsters and evil gods. At the heart of the arena is an identical copy of the Recluse's house. As the Recluse watches a colossal pig-like beast attacks the house and tries to break into it, eventually spotting him. He is immediately returned to his study, in his own home, having lost a day of time.

The next strange event occurs when the Recluse begins exploring a great pit beside his home that recently expanded due to a cave in. From within, human sized pig-men emerge and attack. First assaulting Pepper, then engaging in a prolonged siege on the House itself. The recluse opens fire on the creatures, reinforces his doors and manages to hold out through the night, although his sister loses her mind in the face of the alien creatures and is never the same again.

The Recluse and a recovered Pepper go to explore the Pit after several days of peace and find an underground river flooding it. There is a tunnel down in the greater pit that leads to what seems to be a bottomless pit directly under the house itself. The river overflows and the Recluse is nearly pulled down into the pit before Pepper makes his way down into the pit and helps to drag him out.

The manuscript is damaged for the next section, but it becomes clear that the Recluse has been transported to what he calls the "Sea of Sleep" where he meets with a dead lover. This event is what keeps him in the House despite all of the dangers that he has faced. Because if he left he would never be able to visit her again.

The next strange event occurs soon after, the Recluse perceives time moving forward faster than normal. Accelerating faster and faster until the death of the sun. The entire dead solar system drifts towards the center of the universe and is absorbed into a green sun at the middle of the universe. He drifts back to the Sea of Sleep and his lost love. Eventually snapping back to the present where he finds Pepper has expired, apparently of old age.

Having acquired a new dog, mainly for protection from future attacks by the pig-creatures, the House comes under attack once more, this time by the gigantic Swine Beast from the arena. It injures the new dog which slowly sickens until the Recluse puts it out of its misery. He himself is infected with the same bio-luminescent sickness and dies leaving the story unfinished.

From the destroyed state of the House in the present when the fishermen discover the manuscript, it is clear that the pig creatures were successful in destroying it and progressing whatever their agenda was.
Best part of story, including ending: The subtle horror of this book wasn't in the big dramatic scenes or the huge cosmic events it was more in the absence of things that a more contemporary novel would force down your throat.

Best scene in story: The Swine-Beasts assault on the House played out like a classic spam-in-a-can horror movie but with a terrible sense of isolation and the added worry that it may have all been in the writers mind.

Opinion about the main character: The main character is a Recluse, both in name and demeanor but his relationship with his dog Pepper really humanizes him.

The review of this Book prepared by Graeme Penman a Level 1 Blue Jay scholar

Chapter Analysis of The House on the Borderland

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Plot & Themes

Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence 10%planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives 70%Feelings, relationships, character bio/development 10%Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places 10% Tone of book    -   suspenseful (sophisticated fear) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?    -   fantasy story on current Earth Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Horror story?    -   Yes Horror plotlets    -   bad dreams

Main Character

Identity:    -   Male Profession/status:    -   unemployed Age:    -   40's-50's Really unusual traits?    -   Mentally ill or deluded

Setting

Earth setting:    -   19th century Takes place on Earth?    -   Yes

Writing Style

Accounts of torture and death?    -   moderately detailed references to deaths scientific jargon? (SF only)    -   none/very little science jargon needed How much dialogue?    -   significantly more descript than dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like The House on the Borderland

William Hope Hodgson Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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