cover image of The Horla

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What if the thing stealing your breath could never be seen-only felt?

First printed in 1887 and hailed as a precursor to cosmic and psychological horror, The Horla chronicles a mind's slow consumption by an entity that may-or may not-be real. This fresh, accessible translation heightens Maupassant's razor-sharp prose for modern readers while preserving every pulse of paranoia.

  • Origin of the "Unseen Stalker" Mythos - Discover the story that inspired H. P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space and modern films like The Invisible Man.
  • Diary-Style Descent - Each dated entry drags you deeper into sleepless terror, mirroring the narrator's fraying sanity.
  • Science vs. Supernatural - Hypnotism, germ theory, and colonial fears collide, reflecting a century's anxieties in one haunting figure.
  • Enhanced Edition Extras - Includes a timeline of Maupassant's own struggles with mental illness, discussion prompts, and a mini-essay on the history of invisible monsters in fiction.
  • Read at night with the lights low-if you dare to sense what lurks over your shoulder.

    The Horla