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Vathek, the ninth Caliph of the Abassides, took the throne at a young age. He debates the most knowledgeable scholars of the day, jailing them if they disagree with him. He possesses an evil eye that can kill lesser men with a single look. He is proud, and he is powerful. Still, he wants more—more knowledge, more power, more women. When a hideous merchant from India arrives in his court bearing glowing swords, Vathek sees an opportunity to take everything he’s ever wanted. So begins his journey east in search of ultimate sovereignty.
Vathek is a feverish account of debauchery and ambition that has inspired the likes of Lord Byron, H. P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 31, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781504010726
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781504010726
- File size: 1894 KB
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Accessibility
Publisher statement (EPUB)
The publisher provides the following statement about the accessibility of the EPUB file supplied to OverDrive. Experiences may vary across reading systems. After borrowing the book, you may download the EPUB files to read in another reading system.
Ways Of Reading
No information about appearance modifiability is available.
Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.
Conformance
No information is available.
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
June 1, 2020
First published in 1782, this ornate, orientalist work of supernatural horror from Beckford (1759–1840) is a fever dream for the senses. The evil Caliph Vathek is a glutton for all things worldly. He already has five palaces devoted to the senses (each given flowery names, including “The Palace of Perfumes or The Incentive to Pleasure” and “The Eternal or Unsatiating Banquet”), but when a giaour arrives with treasures unimaginable, Vathek wants more. Prodded by his mother, Carathis, a woman more lustful and despicable than her son, Vathek undertakes a journey to the fabled Palace of Subterranean Fire, hoping to gain supernatural powers. Along the way there are human sacrifices, spells, debauchery, and villainy. The emphasis on how evil every element of Vathek’s life is (even his camel is nefarious) gives rise to some darkly comic moments. The protracted descriptions of riches and feasts are slow going, but in the stirring finale Beckford’s gothic prose shines, and it’s easy to see how this overlooked classic influenced the writing of Byron, Lovecraft, and Poe. This fantastical, over-the-top story will appeal to devotees of early horror.
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
subjects
Languages
- English
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