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The House on the Borderland

Dramisation of William Hope Hodgson's 1908 fantasy
from archive.org

The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson 1908

"From the Manuscript discovered in 1877 by Messrs. Tonnison and Berreggnog in the Ruins that lie to the South of the Village of Kraighten, in the West of Ireland. Set out here, with Notes. . . . "

1 The Manuscript

Two friends are camping near the bleak ruins of a huge old house in a remote spot in the west of Ireland, when they discover a ragged manuscript.

It purports to be the journal of an old recluse who once lived in the house with his sister. The manuscript describes his terrifying experiences of being besieged by supernatural creatures and another dimension...

2 The Siege

After beginning to read the ragged manuscript purporting to be written by an old recluse, the narrator and his sister face the swine-like supernatural creatures' terrifying siege...

3 The Pit

Will the narrator and his dog survive a watery entrapment?

4 The Wound

Back from his voyage, the narrator sees a sinister green hand at his window...

Read by Jim Norton.

First published in 1908, William Hope Hodgson's fantasy novella is now seen as a classic of early, Edwardian sci-fi.

Abridged in four parts by Doreen Estall.

Producer: Lawrence Jackson
Made for BBC Radio 7 by BBC Northern Ireland
The House on the Borderland
First Broadcast:
From Tuesday 4th September 2007, 18:30 on BBC 7
Four episodes

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A manuscript is found: filled with small, precise writing and smelling of pit-water, it tells the story of an old recluse and his strange home - and its even stranger, jade-green double, seen by the recluse on an otherworldly plain where gigantic gods and monsters roam.

Soon his more earthly home is no less terrible than his bizarre vision, as swine-like creatures boil from a cavern beneath the ground and besiege it. But a still greater horror will face the recluse - more inexorable, merciless and awful than any creature that can be fought or killed.

  1. T 1 of 4 (26Mb)
  2. 2 of 4 (25.1Mb)
  3. 3 of 4 (26Mb)
  4. 4 of 4 (26Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.