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Post by Jason Aiken on Aug 24, 2017 18:09:42 GMT -5
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Post by Von K on Sept 15, 2017 14:44:34 GMT -5
This yarn is simply awesome for atmosphere and suspense when read first time through and the plot is unknown. I first read this yarn about three years ago when the suspense, the isolation, the atmosphere and horror elements affected me much more than than on my recent second read through.
For this reason I would recommend anyone reading this thread to first read the yarn if you haven’t yet done so, and don’t read my comments any further.
Due to my own writing aspirations I tend to view most yarns through the lens of story craft these days. But from that angle too, there is much of great interest to be learned here.
Imho, the Horror from the Mound is a totally classic weird western where REH draws upon his own Texas background to lend greater credibility to the whole setting. The yarn is very well structured, and the structure works well to contribute to the build up of suspense, right up to the final confrontation between Brill and the Horror, which makes for a terrific climax.
One traditional method that REH employs is to open the yarn with action and then segue straight into backstory to provide the reader with context. You can see this in Gods of Bal Sagoth, Queen of the Black Coast, Xuthal of the Dusk and others. Here in tHftM however REH uses a different method where he saves revealing the backstory as the penultimate element in the yarn. In this yarn REH uses the backstory as a kind of mystery plot, thus saving the revelation of backstory until close to the end.
There is also a classic dramatic triangle in this yarn between the three key players. This triangle is Hero (Brill), Victim (Lopez), Villain (Valdez). The motivations of the three players are all well represented. But, this being a horror yarn, the hero doesn't get to save the victim and almost becomes one himself.
Do I recall someone on the old forum mentioning a possible influence from Bram Stoker’s Dracula on some of the plot elements for tHftM?
One last point. The demise of the Horror is described from the POV of Brill. Could de Valdez have escaped his fate? Could he still be out there? Do the MHI have a file on Valdez with a comensurate bounty?
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Post by Jason Aiken on Sept 19, 2017 20:30:35 GMT -5
Finished reading this tonight so I'll throw down my initial thoughts and follow up on VonK's post tomorrow.
This was a cool concept that was executed fairly well, but I don't think it's one of REH's best horror tales. Don't get me wrong, it's a good story, but I wouldn't put it up there with "The Black Stone," "The Cairn on the Headland," or even "Wolfshead." To me, the concept supersedes the actual tale in this case.
Still, it was enjoyable and if it's truly the birth of the Weird Western, that alone is of enough significance to allow me to see why so many speak fondly of this little yarn. And it's always neat to see REH write a vampire.
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Post by buxom9sorceress on Sept 20, 2017 5:48:52 GMT -5
The Horror from the Mound great atmosphere, suspense, and interesting backstory of spanish history in the wild west. as usual, fire spoils a vamp tale too quickly, but reh gives us an exciting action ending. i rate this 8 of 10: a good horror tale. [ nothing very special, but i am fond of it for the spanish connections ]  |
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Post by Von K on Sept 21, 2017 19:20:16 GMT -5
Thanks for your perspective Bux.
Jason, look forward to your follow up.
I'd say Valley of the Lost is arguably a better tale from REH in this genre, but I still think tHftM is a great atmospheric little yarn which packs a lot into it's wordcount.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Sept 21, 2017 19:51:38 GMT -5
This yarn is simply awesome for atmosphere and suspense when read first time through and the plot is unknown. I first read this yarn about three years ago when the suspense, the isolation, the atmosphere and horror elements affected me much more than than on my recent second read through. Very true, REH did a good job of setting the stage for this. It was evident that help wasn't coming, as only Brill and Lopez were residing in the area. Perhaps isolation is one of the most important aspects of a horror yarn? Agreed, structurally this is a very sound story. Good point, I was expecting Brill to read Juan's account sooner than he did. Yeah, there were consequences for Brill's actions for sure. If you don't see the body....(hell, sometimes even if you do...) |
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Post by Von K on Oct 5, 2017 19:11:09 GMT -5
Thanks Jason.
Was this the yarn that a reader wrote in to criticise REH's portrayal of vampires? Might have been G P Olsen?
Personally I thought the vampire was good in this (as with Hills of the Dead it had an interesting spin on the traditional vamp), but the vampire was not quite as well tied in with REH's broader supernatural worldbuilding as, for instance, the critters in the Valley of the Lost were.
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Post by johnnypt on Oct 27, 2017 8:37:16 GMT -5
A little later to the party, was just able to read it this morning. You almost think it's going to be a "From Dusk Until Dawn" like thing where a normal story crashes into a vampire story. But it's a fairly typical, well done little story. Kind of a one off, Von K is right how it doesn't snuggly fit into the larger REHU...except maybe somehow in an extended way it ties into Nekht Semerket, were Deguzman and Valdez on the same expedition?
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Post by Sangria Sword on Feb 17, 2019 0:18:40 GMT -5
The Horror from the Mound is a good little horror ( Weird Western) gem. Although "the Horror" is a bit of a wimp as far as that kind of monster goes. Brill is one tough and strong Texan!
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Post by charleshelm on Feb 17, 2019 11:25:37 GMT -5
That part of the country does not seem very eerie or spooky, at least in the daytime. At night, especially with no moon, it can be a different story. REH relied on the Texas landscape often, and here he uses the history of Texas to effect, postulating an ancient horror. I enjoyed it the first time and enjoy when I revisit it.
We get a lot in a fairly short tale...the difficulties of making a living in a land that can be unforgiving, the older history of what is considered a new part of the new world, the independent spirit of the people, and the superstitious nature of some of them.
I agree that the first read is the best, but it has good pacing and action, and setting a vampire tale in Texas is I believe a novel move that works well.
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Post by Char-Vell on Feb 18, 2019 8:10:14 GMT -5
I may have said this in another thread, but I wish there'd been a series of Steve Brill tales in which he screws around with something and causes his neighbors grief.
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Post by charleshelm on Feb 18, 2019 9:08:07 GMT -5
I may have said this in another thread, but I wish there'd been a series of Steve Brill tales in which he screws around with something and causes his neighbors grief. There is so much more REH could have done...but that's for some alternate universe I guess. |
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