The Hill of Dreams

The Hill of Dreams is a supernatural novel written by Welsh author Arthur Machen.

The novel recounts the life of a young man, Lucian Taylor, focusing on his dreamy childhood in rural Wales, in a town based on Caerleon. The Hill of Dreams of the title is an old Roman fort where Lucian has strange sensual visions, including ones of the town in the time of Roman Britain.

Later it describes Lucian's attempts to make a living as an author in London, enduring poverty and suffering in the pursuit of art.

Generally thought to be Machen's greatest work, it was little noticed on its publication in 1907 save in a glowing review by Alfred Douglas. It was actually written between 1895 and 1897 and has elements of the style of the decadent and aesthetic movement of the period, seen through Machen's own mystical preoccupations.

E-Book: ePUB, 66,400 words, average reading time 5 hours, 30 min. Unabridged full version. Also available as audiobook read by Mark Nelson, running time 7 hours, 4 min.

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" (1890; 1894) has garnered a reputation as a classic of horror (Stephen King has called it "Maybe the best [horror story] in the English language"). He is also well known for his leading role in creating the legend of the Angels of Mons.