I didn't know Somerset Maugham wrote Gothic horror with some great weird fiction touches. I feel like these are the kind of things that genre snobs gloss over. Anyway, this fits right in alongside late 19th century reads like [b:The Beetle|816740|The Beetle|Richard Marsh|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1178654437l/816740._SY75_.jpg|802628] or Doyle's [b:Lot No. 249|11430719|Lot No. 249|Arthur Conan Doyle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348393608l/11430719._SY75_.jpg|16364113] with some touches that are at home alongside [a:Algernon Blackwood|38840|Algernon Blackwood|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1361603654p2/38840.jpg]'s early 20th century tales. It's probably a little too of its time for many modern readers. Much of the vagueness, especially about sex and violence, will bore some. There's also the Middle East Orientalism that doesn't read well today, but isn't nearly as bad as some other texts of the era. However, I love this stuff and the sections where Haddo works his magic, creeps into dreams, and the final walk through his labs made it worth the read.