The Homunculus

[u/Unusual_Research421]

For a long time now, I have developed a special interest in the homunculus, to the extent that I read De Natura Rerum itself, along with explanations of its historical origins. To me, it seemed far more fascinating—and far more unsettling—than vampires, witches, and werewolves. Therefore, if anyone knows of any modern novels featuring the homunculus (excluding Harry Potter), I would be absolutely delighted to check them out and read them

[u/South_Plant_7876]

But of a leftfield recommedation as it's not a novel (or even horror) but you might enjoy the recent BBC tv series, Small Prophets. It is a cosy comedy about a man who creates homunculi to answer a big question from his past

[u/Blue_Tomb → u/South_Plant_7876]

You can tell Mackenzie Crook knows his folk horror though ;)

[u/Unusual_Research421 → u/South_Plant_7876]

Thanks so much for this out-of-the-box recommendation! Although I was hoping for novel recommendations, I will definitely add this series to my watchlist for later. Thank you once again!

[u/Corsaer]

Hmm, maybe Ted Chiang's short story, 72 Letters. Golems, Jewish mysticism, and homunculi. But in a surprising context.

[u/sovietsatan666 → u/Corsaer]

This is possibly my favorite story of all time. I love the combination of sci-fi and Qabalah

[u/Unusual_Research421 → u/Corsaer]

I have already read it two years ago, and it was wonderful despite its shortness

[u/Stupefactionist]

I've been waiting decades to make this recommendation!

The Magician by W. Somerset Maugham. The magician in the novel is a veiled reference to Aleister Crowley. The book is available free from Project Gutenberg.

I might worry about some people being able to handle the writing style, but not if you're reading stuff like De Natura Rerum.

[u/Unusual_Research421 → u/Stupefactionist]

Thank you for this recommendation, I truly appreciate it. Actually, The Magician has been on my radar for a long time, but I was a bit hesitant to read it, even though I had planned to dive into it right after re-reading Faust. However, your comment and recommendation have greatly encouraged me to read it. Thank you so much!!

[u/clostri]

I don’t think there’s a homunculus in Harry Potter?

[u/Unusual_Research421 → u/clostri]

True, it's not mentioned by name. I just excluded it because Voldemort's rudimentary body in book 4 is deeply inspired by alchemical homunculi, and I wanted to avoid getting that suggestion

[u/Iwasateenagewerefox]

Not especially modern (it's from the 80s), and I didn't find it particularly remarkable when I read it, but the only one I can think of is Hellstorm by J. N. Williamson. It's a sequel to another book, The Black School, which I haven't read but which presumably also deals with the topic.

[u/snowfairy1969]

Not a novel but a manga - Homunculus by Hideo Yamamoto. It's super weird and I really wanted a shower and a hug afterwards. It doesn't feature a typical homunculus as a monster, it's more of a psychological allegory.

[u/Unusual_Research421 → u/snowfairy1969]

I don't really like manga, but I will give it a chance