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The Baumoff Explosive
William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work including horror, fantastic fiction, and science fiction stories.
'The Baumoff Explosive' (sometimes known as 'Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani') was first published in 1919. This story is one of Hodgson's most powerful and disturbing and is especially relevant to modern times because of its themes of blasphemy, religious mania, obsession with the crucifixion of Jesus, and suicide bombing.
A group of friends is discussing the rumour that a strange new explosive has been invented by a man named Baumoff, which has the effect of creating a temporary area of darkness. One of those present describes his last meeting with Baumoff - a scientist who is also profoundly Christian and obsessed with the crucifixion.
Baumoff believes that aspects of the crucifixion story - in particular the sky turning black between the sixth and ninth hour - have a rational, scientific basis. He believes the human psyche can affect the aether and impede the transmission of light.
Baumoff demonstrates how a tiny quantity of a chemical compound, when crushed and burned, creates a region of temporary darkness. Baumoff then goes on to demonstrate what happens when the substance is 'burned' (metabolised) within his own body. While his friend watches in horror, Baumoff's heart rate and respiration increase dangerously, and he begins driving metal spikes into his hands and feet to simulate the pain of Christ's crucifixion.
The narrator begs him to stop his demonstration, but Baumoff insists that the narrator only observe and take careful note. But as the experiment continues, things become increasingly sinister...and it becomes clear that Baumoff has unleashed forces which he cannot control.
'The Baumoff Explosive' (sometimes known as 'Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani') was first published in 1919. This story is one of Hodgson's most powerful and disturbing and is especially relevant to modern times because of its themes of blasphemy, religious mania, obsession with the crucifixion of Jesus, and suicide bombing.
A group of friends is discussing the rumour that a strange new explosive has been invented by a man named Baumoff, which has the effect of creating a temporary area of darkness. One of those present describes his last meeting with Baumoff - a scientist who is also profoundly Christian and obsessed with the crucifixion.
Baumoff believes that aspects of the crucifixion story - in particular the sky turning black between the sixth and ninth hour - have a rational, scientific basis. He believes the human psyche can affect the aether and impede the transmission of light.
Baumoff demonstrates how a tiny quantity of a chemical compound, when crushed and burned, creates a region of temporary darkness. Baumoff then goes on to demonstrate what happens when the substance is 'burned' (metabolised) within his own body. While his friend watches in horror, Baumoff's heart rate and respiration increase dangerously, and he begins driving metal spikes into his hands and feet to simulate the pain of Christ's crucifixion.
The narrator begs him to stop his demonstration, but Baumoff insists that the narrator only observe and take careful note. But as the experiment continues, things become increasingly sinister...and it becomes clear that Baumoff has unleashed forces which he cannot control.
28 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1919
About the author
William Hope Hodgson
1,027 books611 followersWilliam Hope Hodgson was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and science fiction. Early in his writing career he dedicated effort to poetry, although few of his poems were published during his lifetime. He also attracted some notice as a photographer and achieved some renown as a bodybuilder. Hodgson served with the British Army durng World War One. He died, at age 40, at Ypres, killed by German artillery fire.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 30, 2017
One of the best, or the best, genre bending weird literature I have ever read. In this story, Orator gives his personal account of a war time scientific experiment, originally intended to explain the Darkness of the Cross theory surrounding Christ’s death.
I was reading this short, at around midnight, with some shoegazing playlist plugged in, and by the last few paragraphs, the already disturbing narrative became so immersive that, I found myself uneasy and in search of lively music, to tread through the remaining few sentences. No other story, in my whole life, had this effect on me, at least so far.
Doesn’t Æ in Æther looks like a person carrying cross?
I was reading this short, at around midnight, with some shoegazing playlist plugged in, and by the last few paragraphs, the already disturbing narrative became so immersive that, I found myself uneasy and in search of lively music, to tread through the remaining few sentences. No other story, in my whole life, had this effect on me, at least so far.
Doesn’t Æ in Æther looks like a person carrying cross?
October 19, 2025
Reto: 13 cuentos de terror por el club "Clásico el leerte"
Consigna: versículo
Este cuento de William Hope combina ciencia, fe y locura, es una historia inquietante. A través de un experimento que pretende explicar los sucesos ocurridos tras la crucifixión, el protagonista se adentra en un territorio algo oscuro.
Consigna: versículo
Este cuento de William Hope combina ciencia, fe y locura, es una historia inquietante. A través de un experimento que pretende explicar los sucesos ocurridos tras la crucifixión, el protagonista se adentra en un territorio algo oscuro.
April 15, 2019
WHH is my white king, period! This was so incredibly amazing and everything I want my weird/horror fiction to be
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November 8, 2014Kitabın arka kapağına göre; Yüzüklerin Efendisi'nde Tolkien, karanlığın güçlerini Hodgson'ı hatırlatır biçimde uyandırmaktaymış. 1877 İngiltere doğumlu Hodgson, bilim-kurgu, korku ve fantastik yazında eserler vermiş. Yazarlığının yanı sıra denizcilik ve askerlik de yapan Hodgson, özellikle korku türündeki eserlerinde yaşadığı macera ve gözlemlerinden sık sık faydalanmış, kült eserler bırakmış. İlk olarak 1919 tarihinde yayımlanan Baumhoff Patlayıcısı (bir diğer adıyla Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthaniesasen) esasen bir kısa öykü. Dinine oldukça bağlı, aynı zamanda bir deha olan kimya uzmanı Baumhoff, dini bir mucize olan "çarmıhın kararması"nı kanıtlamak üzere arkadaşı Stafford'un tanıklığını kullanıyor. Hikayenin ana hattında bu deneyi dinliyoruz Stafford'un ağzından.
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August 28, 2017
Interesting story which starts off as if it is going to be a story about a scientist inventing new weapons, but then goes off in a more mystical, and finally quite scary, direction. Hodgson - who influenced H P Lovecraft and Dennis Wheatley among others - really needs to be better known.
June 12, 2022
Questo breve racconto non mi ha fatto impazzire
August 4, 2023
I quite like the idea but it was so, so, boring. I skimmed the second half.
June 1, 2020
EXACT RATING: 3.00 stars
Really interesting concept, executed adeptly. Not my favorite writing style.
Really interesting concept, executed adeptly. Not my favorite writing style.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews