A book a day: Iván Humanes: Theory of the Great Hell

Year of publication: 2024
Valuation: Between recommendable and okay

Theory of the Great Hell is an anthology by the Catalan Iván Humanes. It compiles about eighty micro-stories between one and two pages in length, as well as a “Preface” and a “Postface.”

Humanes’ micro-stories are joined by a love for the macabre, the strange, the sinister, the terrifying and the caustic. From them I am left with the occasional power of their imagery and, above all, with the black humor they exude.

Its registers are varied: genre stories with effective endings, atmospheric pieces and even meta-literary exercises (like those on page 87).

Many of these micro-stories are self-contained. Others, however, belong to a larger argument, initiated in the aforementioned “Preface”; This one introduces us to a coven of old women who write, practice witchcraft and live in a lighthouse (which seems to be a kind of residence).

This major argument has left a bittersweet taste in me. And, although it starts off strong and serves to unite (somewhat deceitfully, it must be said) the whole, it loses steam as it develops. To this we must add that, for my taste, it wastes its characters (especially the narrator and Albert), its Lovecraftian touches and its meta-literary approach. Be that as it may, we must recognize some brilliant ideas, such as the one presented in short story 56.

I liked the self-contained micro-stories whose plot is not directly linked to the story of the old wives. Especially those that do not depend on the effectiveness of a final twist, but rather develop a suggestive concept or premise with solvency. I think, for example, of the numbers 30, 40, 55 and 68.

In sum, Great Hell Theory It is a successful anthology. It contains a dozen outstanding micro-stories and exhibits a somewhat tricky but consistent “total unity.” It has been lovingly edited by Pez de Plata, who adorns it with a textured cover and back cover and a handful of illustrations and interior photographs.