The Rats In The Walls Fantasy And Horror Classics

Having just endured the death of his son during the First World War, Delapore moves from the US to his ancestral property, Exham Priory, in England, seeking space and peace to mourn his loss. He begins to restore the estate - despite dire warnings from locals - and hears rats scurrying behind the walls. Joined by academics, he investigates - and discovers a truly spine-chilling family secret. His ancestors had an underground city populated by prisoners, some walking on all fours, who were kept to feed their desire for human flesh! As the sound of the scurrying rats grows to a cacophony in his ears, Delapore is seized by madness and the uncontrollable urge to feast on flesh. Fans of James Herbert's 'Rats' trilogy, 'The Rats', 'Lair', and 'Domain', will get a similar shiver from 'The Rats in the Walls'. There is also a taste of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'. Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author famed for his horror and fantasy fiction. Born in Rhode Island, he became a pioneer of ‘cosmic horror’, conjuring up the lore of supernatural creatures who exist beyond our understanding. His best-known stories include "The Call of Cthulhu", "At the Mountains of Madness" and "The Colour Out of Space". While he was a mainstay of pulp magazines, Lovecraft never achieved wider literary recognition in his lifetime. But his posthumous influence has been profound. It can be found in everything from the fiction of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman to the HBO series "Lovecraft Country".

Following the death of his only son during the Great War, American Delapore becomes the last remaining descendant of the De La Poer family and decides to relocate to his English ancestral estate, Exham Priory. Once there, he starts hearing the sound of rats through the walls and having strange dreams that lead him to the discovery of his family's despicable secret. "The Rats in the Walls" is a 1923 short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. A chilling tale of a horrific family secret that will not disappoint fans of Lovecraft's seminal literature. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) was an American writer of supernatural horror fiction. Though his works remained largely unknown and did not furnish him with a decent living, Lovecraft is today considered to be among the most significant writers of supernatural horror fiction of the twentieth century. Other notable works by this author include: “At The Mountains of Madness”, “The Dunwich Horror”, and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”. Read & Co. is publishing this classic short story now as part of our “Fantasy and Horror Classics”imprint in a new edition with a dedication by George Henry Weiss.

"The Rats in the Walls" is a short story by American author H. P. Lovecraft. Written in August–September 1923, it was first published in Weird Tales, March 1924. In 1923, an American named Delapore, the last descendant of the De la Poer family, moves to his ancestral estate in England following the death of his only son during World War I. To the dismay of nearby residents, he restores the estate, called Exham Priory. After moving in, Delapore and his cat frequently hear the sounds of rats scurrying behind the walls. Upon investigating further, and through recurring dreams, Delapore learns that his family maintained an underground city for centuries, where they raised generations of "human cattle"—some regressed to a quadrupedal state—to supply their taste for human flesh. This was stopped when Delapore's ancestor killed his entire family in their sleep and left the country in order to end the horror, leaving the remaining human livestock and a surviving relative to be devoured by the rats inhabiting the city's cesspits. Maddened by the revelations of his family's past, a hereditary cruelty and his anger over his son's death, Delapore attacks one of his friends in the dark of the cavernous city and begins eating him while rambling in a mixture of Middle English, Latin, and Gaelic, before devolving into a cacophony of animalistic grunts. He is subsequently subdued and placed in a mental institution. At least one other investigator, Thornton, has gone insane as well. Soon after, Exham Priory is destroyed and the investigators decide to cover up the existence of the city. Delapore maintains his innocence, proclaiming that it was "the rats, the rats in the walls", who ate the man. He continues to be plagued by the sound of rats in the walls of his cell. Famous works of the author Howard Phillips Lovecraft: At the Mountains of Madness, The Dreams in the Witch House, The Horror at Red Hook, The Shadow Out of Time, The Shadows over Innsmouth, The Alchemist, Reanimator, Ex Oblivione, Azathoth, The Call of Cthulhu, The Cats of Ulthar, The Festival, The Silver Key, The Other Gods, The Outsider, The Temple, The Picture in the House, The Shunned House, The Terrible Old Man, The Tomb, Dagon, What the Moon Brings

When the descendant of an ancient aristocratic family moves from Massachusetts to Exham Priory, his ancestral home in the south of England, he is plagued by the constant noise of rats scurrying within its walls. As the sound begins to haunt his dreams, he investigates the house and discovers a horrific secret underneath, which will bring him to the point of madness. Considered one of the most accomplished examples of the horror genre, 'The Rats in the Walls' is presented here alongside other quintessentially Lovecraftian tales - such as 'The Dunwich Horror', 'At the Mountains of Madness', 'The Colour out of Space' and 'The Horror at Red Hook' - in a brand-new collection which will delight new readers and those familiar with the blood-curdling imaginary worlds of the twentieth century's master of terror.

The Rats in the Walls By Howard Phillips Lovecraft H.P. Lovecraft's classic tale of horror, madness, and historic cannibalism. Following the death of his son, a Massachusetts man returns to his family's ancestral home in England. There, he is haunted by the sound of rats scurrying behind the castle walls. Ultimately, he discovers a terrible subterranean secret of his family's past.

This carefully edited collection has been designed and formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Table of Contents: Arthur Machen (1863-1947) was a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. His novella The Great God Pan has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "The best horror story in the English language"). Historian of fantastic literature Brian Stableford has suggested that Machen "was the first writer of authentically modern horror stories, and his best works must still be reckoned among the finest products of the genre". Table of Contents: Novels: The Three Impostors The Hill of Dreams The Terror: A Mystery The Secret Glory Short Stories and Novellas: A Fragment of Life The White People The Great God Pan The Inmost Light The Shining Pyramid The Red Hand The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War: The Bowmen The Soldiers' Rest The Monstrance The Dazzling Light The Bowmen And Other Noble Ghosts Change The Children of the Pool The Bright Boy The Tree of Life Opening the Door The Marriage of Panurge The Holy Things Psychology The Turanians The Rose Garden The Ceremony The Happy Children The Cosy Room Munitions of War The Great Return A New Christmas Carol The Islington Mystery Out of the Earth Essays: Hieroglyphics Dog and Duck Dreads and Dolls Translation: The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798 Autobiography: Far Off Things Criticism: Arthur Machen: A Novelist of Ecstasy and Sin (With Two Uncollected Poems by Arthur Machen)

When a man purchases an estate that was once occupied by his ancestors, he becomes obsessed with restoring it to its former grandeur. But as he learns more about his ancestral estate, Exham Priory, he uncovers sinister details about his ancient relatives, and the dark secrets hidden in the depths of the house begin to overwhelm him. H.P. Lovecraft’s writing served as the basis for what is now called “The Cthulhu Mythos,” a universe created by Lovecraft and subsequent writers—most famously Lovecraft’s publisher August Derleth—that centered around the horror of “The Great Old Ones.” The Cthulhu Mythos has become influential in popular culture and has inspired numerous books, comics, films, and games. HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

"The Rats in the Walls" is a short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 - March 15, 1937) - known as H.P. Lovecraft - was an American author who achieved posthumous fame through his influential works of horror fiction. Virtually unknown and only published in pulp magazines before he died in poverty, he is now regarded as one of the most significant 20th-century authors in his genre. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, where he spent most of his life. His father was confined to a mental institution when Lovecraft was three years old. His grandfather, a wealthy businessman, enjoyed storytelling and was an early influence. Intellectually precocious but sensitive, Lovecraft began composing rudimentary horror tales by the age of eight, but suffered from overwhelming feelings of anxiety. He encountered problems with classmates in school, and was kept at home by his highly strung and overbearing mother for illnesses that may have been psychosomatic. In high school, Lovecraft was able to better connect with his peers and form friendships. He also involved neighborhood children in elaborate make-believe projects, only regretfully ceasing the activity at seventeen years old. Despite leaving school in 1908 without graduating - he found mathematics particularly difficult - Lovecraft had developed a formidable knowledge of his favored subjects, such as history, linguistics, chemistry, and astronomy. Although he seems to have had some social life, attending meetings of a club for local young men, Lovecraft, in early adulthood, was established in a reclusive 'nightbird' lifestyle without occupation or pursuit of romantic adventures. In 1913 his conduct of a long running controversy in the letters page of a story magazine led to his being invited to participate in an amateur journalism association. Encouraged, he started circulating his stories; he was 31 at the time of his first publication in a professional magazine. Lovecraft contracted a marriage to an older woman he had met at an association conference. By age 34, he was a regular contributor to newly founded Weird Tales magazine; he turned down an offer of the editorship. Lovecraft returned to Providence from New York in 1926, and over the next nine months he produced some of his most celebrated tales including "The Call of Cthulhu," canonical to the Cthulhu Mythos. Never able to support himself from earnings as author and editor, Lovecraft saw commercial success increasingly elude him in this latter period, partly because he lacked the confidence and drive to promote himself. He subsisted in progressively straitened circumstances in his last years; an inheritance was completely spent by the time he died at the age of 46.