"The Last Test" by H. P. Lovecraft / A HorrorBabble Production

[@HorrorBabble]

"The Last Test" is a revision by H. P. Lovecraft of Adolphe de Castro’s 1893 work, A SACRIFICE TO SCIENCE. The tale, which in this form first appeared in Weird Tales Magazine in November 1928, tells of the mystery surrounding the death of a renowned bacteriologist. Chapters: 0:00:09 - Introduction 0:00:56 - Part 1 0:13:42 - Part 2 0:42:26 - Part 3 0:50:17 - Part 4 1:15:27 - Part 5 1:58:32 - Further Listening This recording is dedicated to our Cthulhu and Yellow Level HorrorBabblers: 'General' Dipper, Bernard Mulligan, Bjorn Larsson, Brandon, Cameron Holaday, Chris Epplett, Daniel C. Barker, Galen Hoffman, Jacob Louwerse, Jamie, Jessica Mari, Joanna Roye, Joshua Calvin Smiley, Kickweed, L. Harris, Logan Kilcullen, Patrick, Richard WB Feigen, Sara Pagel, Simon Eckert, Wes Sale, Zontar Zee AND Adam Beckner, Adriana Alexander, al doty, Andrew, Andrew Moffat, Ann Bassano, Art Wagner, Austen Jones, Charles Bossler, Dmitri Gorjatse, Dovauk, Ian Adly Bin Iskandar Dzakurnain, Jeffrey Bunn, John Michael, Larna Dennis, Laura, Laura Scarlett, Mark R Patterson, Miri P. Weaver, Nate Aloisio, Nero, Philippe Lavoie, Quench Smith, Rahul Vemuri, Rik Kershaw-Moore, Samuel A. Mortensen, Sean Lorentzen, Shanna Syn, Thomas Scott, Veronica LoCurto Bandcamp link: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com/album/the-last-test Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble Music and production by Ian Gordon & Jennifer Gill Image by sbtlneet: pixabay.com/users/sbtlneet-3591002 Support us on Bandcamp or Patreon: horrorbabble.bandcamp.com www.patreon.com/horrorbabble HorrorBabble MERCH: teespring.com/stores/horrorbabble-merch Search HORRORBABBLE to find us on: AUDIBLE / ITUNES / SPOTIFY Home: www.horrorbabble.com Rue Morgue: www.rue-morgue.com Social Media: facebook.com/HorrorBabble instagram.com/horrorbabble twitter.com/HorrorBabble

[@jackbeans7236]

Looololooooo9ll lol

[@barryhill2836]

Llllllllllllllllplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllpllllllllllllllllplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllplllllllllplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllplllllllplllllllplllllllllllplllllllplpllllllllnlllllllllllllllllllllplllllplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllplllpllllllllllllllllllllllllpllllllplllllplplllllppllllllllllpllllllllllllllllllpllllllllllllplllllpllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllpllllpllllllllllplllpllllllpllllplplllplllllllpllllllllllllllplpllllllllllllllpllpllllllllllplllllllllllllllpllkllllllllpllllllllllllplllllllllpllplllllpplllllllllpllllplllpllllplllllllllpllllllllllllllllllllllllllklllplllllllllplllllllllplllllllllllplpllpllllllllllllpllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllpllllplllplllllllllplllnlllllllllllllplllllllllllllllllplllllllllllllplllllplllllllllllplllllllllpllllllllklplllllllllllpllllllpl LL

[@Astarothican]

​@@docwhammothis is truly remarkable lit right here. I appreciate you typing this. There is a whole wealth of super valuable knowledge here in only a few verses....mind blowing stuff

[@Wppk765]

God, how timely is this story!!

[@Boogie_the_cat]

What pandemic?

[@strangelitgirl]

Eeeeeeek

[@SwineBrothers]

Lovecraft's ghost-written stories are underrated, love that more people are hearing them.

[@Red13teen]

Good grief it's been ages since a long lovecraft got babbled!!!... thank you so much for making my last night before I return to work after 4 years off battling pancreatic cancer easier and more importantly enjoyable thanks guys

[@HorrorBabble]

Thanks, Jay! And I would think congratulations are in order after such a battle! :)

[@Red13teen]

@@HorrorBabble thank you mate truly thank u honestly your superb work kept me busy during 8rounds of chemotherapy and cheered me up after so many surgeries... thank u for your part

[@rev.dr.dayspring7805]

U never know who ur work will help. Th i s is beautiful.

[@wolftree6365]

My guy. I thank you sincerely for taking time out of your life to record audiobooks. Not only that, but if something so challenging as a lovecraftian novel. I love your voice, and wouldn't have a H. P. Audiobook reading done by any other. Absolute legend.

[@mrnevermore4934]

I love these long narrations especially Lovecraft stories. Cheers Ian and hope you're well.

[@ethanbabcock3624]

Morgan Taylor look is what lo

[@howardlovecraft750]

It's hard to beat Lovecraft's works. Thanks Mr Gordon for the readings, listen to them quite often.

[@micahfoley9572]

i beat them with a tentacle. but you're right, it's hard. they're so slippery.

[@billielyons-super70]

What a fine story! I had such a lovely evening listening to this sad tale, while cutting fabric for a garment. Ian, thank you for your flawless reading.

[@micahfoley9572]

"Conscious destiny and the self-sufficiency of genius" is a pretty loaded phrase coming from such a disciplined writer. Also, people don't give H.P. enough for the quality of his bromance XD

[@NateB]

Disciplined? His prose is turgid with luridity, and a clear example of telling “horrific and awesome” rather than just showing.

[@NateB]

Not that I don’t enjoy it, but don’t pretend that it’s not self indulgent.

[@micahfoley9572]

@@NateB but that tone never varies within a given story. his characters never break the bounds of what he's chosen for them to be. his implacable void beasts remain a mystery to us throughout his work. his narrator's voice never breaks the fourth wall or gives up the tension for an easy conclusion or a laugh. if you compare it to the people who came afterwards and picked up his mantle, they were far more willing to indulge in things that a more disciplined writer wouldn't. he chooses his path and his plan and his destination and he doesn't diverge from it, even when it might have value to him outside the story. or if he does, he rewrites the entirety of the piece so we never see it. and i think it's a big part of what makes him so successful and such an identifiable story teller. No one sounds like the guy, even when they try, and i think that's why. (bars lol) his voice is not contained to a single story. it's become the voice of not only his stories but of his beasts and worlds and his ideas, even 100+ years later, and i think that's only possible because it never diverges. i don't know what else to call that but discipline. i think maybe you read "disciplined writer" as "disciplined tone" like a lady prison warden?

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

​@@micahfoley9572 Your post is one of the best and most insightful summaries I have ever read of what makes Lovecraft so superior to all other fantasy/horror writers. If anything, his lurid adjectives are a demonstration of extra discipline, just for the work they represent to flow with the text without blandness, snags or repetitions.

[@micahfoley9572]

@@wrathofatlantis2316 oh, wow, thank you. that's really generous of you. :)

[@SuperTonyony]

My definition of synergy: A great story is read by a great reader.

[@tamlandipper29]

I'm not saying Lovecraft's various prejudices ever make sense. But what the hell has he got against turtles??!

[@thumperpaul155]

Penguins don't get any love either.

[@stevepalpatine2828]

@@thumperpaul155 Penguins are violent, vengeful creatures with rugose eggs...

[@thehillz726]

@@thumperpaul155 i think it might have just been for the mental image of a violent predator turtle like a snapper.

[@PotterPossum1989]

Those shifty little shell-bearers!

[@unclesham5507]

His grandfather named the goddamn cat. Everyone need to relax.

[@jamiecameron7615]

Horrorbabble is bloody awesome at doing H.P. Thank you so very much!!

[@blixten2928]

I must say that this is one of my very favorites. It has such a good framwork and lead-in: the whole background in public health, the official status of the villain, everything. It makes the "horror" much more interesting. Sort of like Ian's own grounding of many stories in a palpably felt village, with weather, pub, food and all. THANK YOU!

[@BeastlyEwok]

Yas!!!!! Perfect way to end a 12 work shift. Thanks Ian.

[@dwaynemontgomery1851]

given how limited my free time has been, its taken me 2 weeks to listen to the whole thing, but it was well worth it!

[@gregtaylor9806]

I had never heard this one prior to your reading. It is quite good. I enjoyed the interactions between the variety of developed characters and a uncharacteristic (but welcome) emphasis on ‘mundane’ drama.

[@MrsCaranAmy]

That was most wonderfully narrated. The tale's ending was awesome. I loved the vivivid description also.

[@xabaya3294]

been away for the weekend and come back to a 2h Lovecraft reading, that will help get me through the morning catch-up at work :). excellent narration as always thank you

[@Anon_Spartan]

Spoiler: When your dedication to science makes a timeless Atlantean wizard say 'Bruh' perhaps you've gone too far.

[@AnimeShinigami13]

WOW the rant at about 1:10:00 reminds me so much of the Institute from Fallout 4. Mindless experimentation, willful ignorance of suffering, serving the discipline without a thought of why they do what they're doing. Science without a clue as to its purpose.

[@marinakaiser7639]

I saw the old storie ,i just wanted to go to bed now i can fall asleep listening to the ,great Lovecraft. Thank you dear H B.😘👍❤🖤🖐‼

[@hopelessgod7462]

thanks for another bedtime story goodnight all my fellow horror fans may your nightmares all be cosmic where true fear lives

[@RobertEWaters]

Thanks, Ian. A very worthwhile couple of hours. I hope you're feeling better.

[@nannybibb-fee8232]

I'm ready for this. Snuggled in , having given ghastly promises of dire consequences if any dare disturb my rapt attention to my horror addiction❗ Yes... I'm ready for my Gordon!‼❗💚🌵💚🐾🐅

[@TheTalemaster]

I'm a student of Lovecraft's horror...and am wondering how I could not have known about this story...

[@HorrorBabble]

Probably with the original version being written by Adolphe de Castro. Lovecraft's collaborations are certainly more obscure. Good to hear from you, GMD!

[@joshuazane3210]

I haven't heard this one in a while; I look forward to your rendition of it.

[@MaaZeus]

Glad to hear that you are on Spotify! That makes listening these stories at work much easier. Followed!

[@pbr-streetgang]

Thanks for the wonderful wonderful.👍🏼👍🏼

[@mattkemerait]

Listening while hiding from COVID19 under my sheets.

[@balazsvarga1823]

He did predict fevers come from Asia! Lovecraft was a visionary. Great read as always.

[@bondjames5874]

this comment didn't age well.

[@micahfoley9572]

One year later, listening while hiding from covid19 under my sheets.

[@micahfoley9572]

​@@balazsvarga1823 That's...one way to interpret this story.

[@robbabcock_]

Thanks for this fantastic performance! 🐙👻🙌

[@dirrtybbeats7370]

Hey ian Straight up I listen to your horrorbabble hplovecraft and clark ashton smith titles everyday allday at work. And your voice still hasnt gotten old. I enjoy how you narrate Im allways waiting for your new shit. Ill be looking into some of the other authors I dont know

[@donaldmccleary9015]

This is a great story. Partly sad ending, but the world was saved! I loved the part when Clarendon knocked the two guys out at the prison. Your narration of Dalton's exclamation when Clarendon injected himself is priceless! Keep up the great work! Thanks for narrating this wonderful story for us.

[@HorrorBabble]

Thanks, Donald!

[@amazinghayes1]

Hands down my favourite Lovecraft story. Superb work.

[@triple_gem_shining]

Glad to see you post

[@ugsskywatchermckenzie4319]

BABBLE ON!!! 🖤💜💀

[@ravenkeefer3143]

Ian, fantastic orator, conveyor of text, a mostly lost art. Truly appreciate the audio. I consume rapidly, speed reader, outstanding oratory allows more while doing other things. Most definitely will subscribe and share playlists, specific works. Ever consider, "Berserkers" by Saberhagan? Still one set of works implanted deeply in my memory. Very much appreciation, ✌, R

[@JamesMC04]

This story contains a description of how fake news arises. Very sobering. Refashioning another man’s story seems to have done wonders for Lovecraft’s style. Mentions of Yog-Sothoth: 1 Mentions of Atlantis: 3 Mysterious Orientals: several Mentions of Nyarlathotep: 1 Shub-Niggurath: 2 Alien geometries: 0 “blasphemously”: 1 “palaeogean”: 1 “cyclopean”: 1 Plus a handful of other refs to the Lovecraftverse

[@GodOfPlague]

A corrupt media and a plague the world never changes

[@JamesMC04]

@@GodOfPlague No, not even in fiction LOL

[@CJ-uf6xl]

Thank you!. And I really hope you are well.

[@Wombats555]

Love your work! Looking forward to listening to the other half tomorrow night!

[@zunipus]

This is a Best Of candidate. Excellent narration! Thank you. 🙏

[@lacyhart2043]

This one is slow but great you know I love it. Thanks man I appreciate your work.

[@feralbluee]

the second Lovecraft story i actually like and enjoyed. thanks so much for your incredible reading. :) 🌷

[@Duchess_Van_Hoof]

Remarkably excellent, story and narration both.

[@feralbluee]

tortured story - if one can say it that way. he lived a tortured life. incredible tale. Lovecraft created interesting characters with real feelings. even the old servant had a feel to her. thanks, as always :) 🐈🐾🌻

[@callumleask9186]

Absolute joy. Your a master storyteller

[@SedDelMar]

Well done! I was unaware of this title.

[@feralbluee]

one story which Lovecraft was brilliant. the characters have depth and psychological nuances. and i just noticed that i already wrote a comment last time i listened. and holy whatever another one! i think three is a good number, so i’m leaving this one. stories about scientific endeavors always interest me :) 🧪beautifully done reading, Ian. 🐲🌷🌱

[@pbr-streetgang]

Its like listening to an old friend read to you.

[@popevimtoripkeefhappysackXXX]

“As the day went on she found herself more and more thinking of Dick...” I TRIED not to snigger. I really did, honest.......

[@HorrorBabble]

We're no better, Paul!

[@gerry5134]

😂😊😋🤣😂 oh dear had to dry my eyes! 😂🤣

[@silvertheelf]

Paul ... bad. 😂

[@bobbymarcum772]

Paul in one of Ian's narrations, I distinctly remember the phrase "we ejaculated together", as in: "Golly,", we ejaculated together as the woman revealed her obsession with Dick to my Boy Scout troop.

[@Self-replicating_whatnot]

It's like that line in Hypnos wherein protagonist and his companion were said to frequent gay parties to distract themselves from cosmic horrors they stumbled upon in their occult studies.

[@thurayya8905]

I am surprised and delighted that Lovecraft wrote a story, even a reworked one, that was set in California and had a woman that wasn't his landlady or an inbred albino.

[@chrisfisher2469]

Nice work ian on a true horror

[@josullivan5604]

wow! i had never heard of this one! what a treat! i love the revision work.

[@charleyedwards2121]

U still are the best!!

[@aliceofspades]

Brilliant, and brilliantly executed!

[@B.von.Bentzen]

This is one of my favorites of all time

[@GrubbsandWyrm]

This hits different in 2020

[@tobypack6328]

Thank ya Gov’na!

[@arecane2000]

I've heard this story presented as "The Nemesis Of Fire". Is there a difference. I don't remember if there was.

[@lacyhart2043]

Hope your head feels better soon.

[@Stretchycat36]

You are the voice I go to sleep to. Keep up the great work

[@viriathas9910]

So who else is listening to this in April 2020 and thinking... "Damn."

[@michaelparrish7604]

Thanks 🙏

[@jasemalvis2140]

THis is so amazing. Keep it up

[@b.b.3260]

I love falling asleep to your voice @horrorbabble

[@olalustig5397]

YES YES YES YES CTHULU R'LYEH WGAH'NAGL FHTAGN

[@tamlandipper29]

Mom???

[@frankmcgovern5445]

DUDE, not out loud.

[@Red13teen]

Ya ya yog saggoth rie he wheg^thagen

[@frankmcgovern5445]

@@Red13teen Welp, that's done it. I've got gills now. Thanks.

[@Red13teen]

@@frankmcgovern5445 bugger i was going for tentacles not gills but never mind eh remember never call up that which you can't put back down...ya theea rhell these azathosth

[@Astrithor]

This and "The Electric Executioner" are both very interesting. Adolphe de Castro had a very similar style of storytelling to Lovecraft, it seems.

[@amythestsmith9917]

Its both very interesting and weird to hear a story so close to home (geographically btw)

[@crsmyth4428]

Beautiful

[@laureloneiros1500]

2020 anyone?

[@silvertheelf]

Someone was playing Plague .Inc

[@jasonsantolin3190]

#138! Yea!!

[@StarboyXL9]

"It is out of Asia that most of the Earth's diseases spring" Well, judging by 2020 he isn't wrong!

[@thefisherking78]

Oh my god that was good. All hail HPL

[@PlayNiceFolks]

7:50 even back then, "Asia, where most of the world's diseases spring". 🤔

[@NateB]

Higher population centers. Check “Guns Germs and Steel” by Jared Diamond for why such places produce worse diseases.

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

Very nice! Missed my Lovecraft lately, thanks for all y'all do! Cheers mate!

[@jasonsimms7958]

Love these. :)

[@obsc3n3skull]

Ahhhh.... The story of 2020

[@dickvansteijn4115]

Do I image overlap with the actual situation in Frisco?

[@mariecarie1]

I love the alliterations Lovecraft throws in on Claronden’s helper, Sarama. “Sardonic skeleton, “cadaverous clinic man” lol P.S. Picture young Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Claronden. It’s kinda perfect.

[@mahorosan1]

Ah, apropriate listening material for the corona virus lockdown

[@BigBennKlingon]

For some reason that I cant put my finger on, I can never get all the way through this one. Ive made 3 tries so far. At some point I always zone out. It's the only Lovecraft story Ive ever had difficulty with.

[@BigBennKlingon]

I did it! Im not sure what my problem was but i was missing out

[@MichaelLaneMonkeywrench]

Ah this is a classic :)

[@michaelmerriam1979]

So weird to listen to this now...

[@Allistar]

Finally a narrator who can continue the work of Sir David Attenborough.

[@tombingus3984]

Thousands of human beings die? I sleep. One dog is placed in peril: "REAL SHIT?!?!?!?"

[@uh-huh]

Did you guys make any changes to this story? We all like our Lovecraft (his writing even if we don't like the man himself) but let's face it by his own admission he's not that good with dialogue. There's way more dialogue in this story than most Lovecraft stories. I'm just wondering if that is because it's a reworking of another author's story or if HorrorBabble made some changes to make it more "voice worthy"?

[@HorrorBabble]

The 'dialogue' in this one is owed to the fact that the story is a revision of Adolphe de Castro's earlier work, "A Sacrifice to Science".

[@rinraiden]

I think I'm in love with your voice, Ian :P

[@tobypack6328]

All we need now in 2021 is for CERN to bring back YOG-SOTHOTH from the “Upside-Down” or a SHOGGOTH 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@fredrikgranstrom6743]

GOTTA LOVE LOVECRAFT

[@tombingus3984]

42:41 Jesus Christ, H.P. was literally a 4chan user decades before 4chan was even conceived.

[@Thomas-wn7cl]

👍👍👍

[@Nemisis025]

Oh, they be fuckin' in San Quentin

[@paulwalker5225]

"Last test", how ominous. Let's see the story.

[@Self-replicating_whatnot]

To the flamethrowers, comrades! Ignis Sanat!

[@Go0dTimes4fUnPro]

Topical

[@insearchofprometheus]

Is this going to be a non-supernatural Lovecraft story? "... I once even heard him call upon Yog-Sothoth!" Never mind, carry on.

[@stewartlancaster6155]

England v Australia at Lords.

[@collinbaker9091]

SCP 049…..

[@WhizzerdSupreme]

Honestly, Clarendon didn't even do anything wrong 🤷🏼🤓

[@hopelessgod7462]

I like this story but it doesn't seem to have a motive at least not one I can find. Why is dude killing people with his ring? Does he just like to see them die? Why does the other guy give him the ring? Is that narlathelhotep? It seems kind like it but killing puppies to get his sick hard seems kinda beneath a god. Why to any and all of this