But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch’s high estate
(Ah, let us mourn, for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him, desolate!);
And, round about his home, the glory
That

blushed and bloomed
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.

- From THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER - Edgar Allen Poe

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The greatest writer in the suspense/horror genre, Edgar Allen Poe (sorry Lovecraft fans) has penned some of the most gripping and macabre tales and poems that include The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum and that poem every goth embraced - The Raven.

For long, I’ve wanted to jot a few words that acknowledged Poe. I chose to write on this, The Fall Of The House Of Usher, for one reason - its one tale that can send a shiver down your spine every time you read it. It also brings back some childhood memories when ’book’ was your best friend.

The story isnt novel length and as such you can finish the whole work in minutes, but every word leaves a lasting impression.

The plot again is something that isnt meant to be revealed in a review. So I shall refrain from doing that.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher

The story is dark and reeks melancholia from start to end. We get to see it all through the eye of the narrator, who visits his friend Roderick Usher at his family estate. The estate and its inhabitants, Roderick and his sister Madeline - the last of the Ushers, are in a sickly state. Madeline has been battling an ailment that has confined her to her bed. Roderick, who greeted his friend and made him welcome, starts to withdraw into his shell as the days passed.

The highlight of the story is the scene where the narrator reads from the ’Mad Trist’ of Sir Lancelot Canning...

with your permission I’ll borrow an excerpt from this story (Mad Trist):

“And Ethelred, who was by nature of a doughty heart, and who was now mighty withal, on account of the powerfulness of the wine which he had drunken, waited no longer to hold parley with the hermit, who, in sooth, was of an obstinate and maliceful turn; but, feeling the rain upon his shoulders, and fearing the rising of the tempest, uplifted his mace outright, and, with blows, made quickly room in the plankings of the door for his gauntleted hand; and now pulling therewith sturdily, he so cracked, and ripped, and tore all asunder, that the noise of the dry and hollow-sounding wood alarummed and reverberated throughout the forest.”

this is where Poe weaves his magic. The narrator starts to experience eerie events that synchronised with the text he was reading... like the dry hollow sound that reverberated throughout the forest

...

Who’ll survive the night? What tale of treachery does the House Of Usher hide? What happens to the House of Usher?

To sum it all up

A tale of death, betrayal and decay in the inimitable style of Poe. The highlights are the beautiful poem that you encounter midway and the narrating of the deeds of Ethelred and the effects it has on the narrator and his friend.

So, whether you relish the macabre or are plain chicken, experience Poe at his darkest best by reading this tale of the Fall Of The House Of Usher


For those who are finding it hard to lay your hands on the paperback... here’s a web site that could prove useful: http://www.bartleby.com/195/10.html

~sleep tight~

Plot Revealed In The Review:	Not revealed
Purchase Price (INR):	0.00
Purchased From:	Can't remember