To describe the plot of House on the Borderland is nearly impossible.

Based on the 1908 novel by William Hope Hodgson, it involves the discovery of a discarded diary by two youths on the run from some troublesome locals. Upon reading the tome they unfold a story of the house that once dwelled in that very spot, the titular House On The Borderland. The borderland, it seems, is a place where the walls between this dimension and others meet and what tries to come through from that other place is as horrifying as it is unexpected. The illustrated version here is hard to describe, yet even the visceral, haunting and always brilliant art of Richard Corben cannot begin to touch on the surreal and disturbing images painted with words in the original novel.

Bookended with the two boys reading of the discovered book, the main narrative follows the author of the diary, Byron Gault as he spends a lifetime (and beyond, but not how you think) battling the evils that threaten to overrun the house. Both endings, Byrons and the boys are as shocking as they are open ended, leaving you haunted and pondering the intricacies of this story long after you have put it down.

An added bonus is the foreword by Alan Moore who delves into the life of William Hope Hodgson and the novel itself in greater detail.

• TPB
  12/17/2018