The Novel of the White Powder

<p><strong>A dangerous curiosity. A powder of impossible age. A slow hideous devolution.</strong></p><p><strong><em>The Novel of the White Powder</em></strong> is one of <strong>Arthur Machen's</strong> most famous and psychologically terrifying short stories exploring the theme of hidden degenerative horror disguised as medicinal science.</p><p>The story is told by the narrator who recounts the tragic case of his scholarly friend <strong>Francis Leicester</strong>. Francis is highly educated but fragile and he overworks himself preparing for an important examination. His doctor prescribes him a <strong>white powder</strong> to help calm his nerves and improve his sleep.</p><p>The horrifying climax comes when the narrator realizes the <strong>white powder was mislabeled</strong>. It was not a medicinal bromide but a compound of ancient terrifying significance: a chemical agent that causes the user to <strong>devolve</strong> into a primal pre-human state. The final unspeakable horror is the discovery of Francis Leicester's ultimate fate--;a horrifying fluid mess of primordial material reduced to the state of a terrifying sentient slime.</p><p><strong><em>The Novel of the White Powder</em></strong> is a masterpiece of early weird fiction demonstrating Machen's unique power to merge scientific rationale with the profound dread of biological and cosmic degeneration.</p>