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Fear
“Fear is one of the few books in the chiller genre which actually merits employment of the overworked adjective ‘classic,’ as in ‘This is a classic tale of creeping, surreal menace and horror.’ One of the really, really good ones.” —Stephen King
Professor James Lowry doesn't believe in ghosts, the supernatural, the surreal, or any type of dark fantasy. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn't remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
Lowry is pursued by a dark, secret evil that is turning his whole world against him while it whispers a his forgotten scary story from the shadows: If you find your hat you'll find your four hours. If you find your four hours then you will die…Fear turns to terror...
“A true scare!” —Ray Bradbury
“Ron Hubbard’s Fear. Without Fear, I would never have come up with what I do.” —Philip K. Dick
Professor James Lowry doesn't believe in ghosts, the supernatural, the surreal, or any type of dark fantasy. Not until a gentle spring evening when his hat disappeared, and suddenly he couldn't remember the last four hours of his life. Now, the quiet university town of Atworthy is changing - slightly at first, then faster and more frighteningly each time he tries to remember.
Lowry is pursued by a dark, secret evil that is turning his whole world against him while it whispers a his forgotten scary story from the shadows: If you find your hat you'll find your four hours. If you find your four hours then you will die…Fear turns to terror...
“A true scare!” —Ray Bradbury
“Ron Hubbard’s Fear. Without Fear, I would never have come up with what I do.” —Philip K. Dick
75 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1952
112 people are currently reading
6317 people want to read
About the author
L. Ron Hubbard
1,927 books649 followersL. Ron Hubbard is universally acclaimed as the single most influential author and humanitarian of this modern age. His definitive works on the mind and spirit—comprising over 350 million copies in circulation and more than 40 international bestsellers—have resulted in a legacy benefiting millions and a movement spanning all cultures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 287 reviews
November 28, 2025
Better Knock On Wood...
FEAR
by L. Ron Hubbard
2 1/2 stars. In his introduction to this book, author L. Ron Hubbard says: This is not a nice book and shouldn't be read alone after midnight, and author Stephen King highly recommended it...
We are all superstitious savages at heart...
One beautiful spring day, two small spirits lurked in a dark shadow behind the ajar door of the medical office of Dr. Chalmers...
The spirits were avoiding the sunlight...
Prof. James Lowry was being treated for malaria before his return to Mexico to gather facts on primitive sacrifice, demons, and devils...
As the men talked, the office door moved slightly...
It was held that demons appeared at the full moon. Believing this to be true, Chalmers advised Lowry he'd better knock on wood...
But...
It was too late for that because Lowry was fired from the university that very day due to an article he had written for a newspaper...
Lowry turned to his old childhood friend, Prof. Tommy Williams for solace. Williams instead gave Lowry wisdom, for solace was nothing but a lie...
Returning home...
It was now dusk. Windows were lit, the wind had picked up, and a cool moon hung above stars that blinked. By his watch, Lowry had lost four hours...
And his hat...
His wife sent him up to bed because the malaria had made him sick, but Lowry was unable to sleep...
The wind from the open bedroom window seemed to ask: Why? Where? Why? Where?
Finally, at midnight...
Lowry got dressed and went out for a walk where, along the way, he met some underworld characters who told him...
Don't look for your hat because it will lead you to your missing four hours, and they, in turn, will lead to your death...
The recap above was the first part of the story, which I really got into, but what followed wasn't as intriguing and, at times, it was very confusing, like an acid trip.
You've heard of the TV series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE? Well, this story was like the dark side of PILGRIMS PROGRESS by John Bunyan. I really fell down the rabbit hole in the second half, and I blame Stephen King's glowing recommendation for a mediocre, outdated book.
Was this story all bad? No, but the vast majority was. It is my opinion that Hubbard should've been buried with this book and forced to spend eternity reading it.
FEAR
by L. Ron Hubbard
2 1/2 stars. In his introduction to this book, author L. Ron Hubbard says: This is not a nice book and shouldn't be read alone after midnight, and author Stephen King highly recommended it...
We are all superstitious savages at heart...
One beautiful spring day, two small spirits lurked in a dark shadow behind the ajar door of the medical office of Dr. Chalmers...
The spirits were avoiding the sunlight...
Prof. James Lowry was being treated for malaria before his return to Mexico to gather facts on primitive sacrifice, demons, and devils...
As the men talked, the office door moved slightly...
It was held that demons appeared at the full moon. Believing this to be true, Chalmers advised Lowry he'd better knock on wood...
But...
It was too late for that because Lowry was fired from the university that very day due to an article he had written for a newspaper...
Lowry turned to his old childhood friend, Prof. Tommy Williams for solace. Williams instead gave Lowry wisdom, for solace was nothing but a lie...
Returning home...
It was now dusk. Windows were lit, the wind had picked up, and a cool moon hung above stars that blinked. By his watch, Lowry had lost four hours...
And his hat...
His wife sent him up to bed because the malaria had made him sick, but Lowry was unable to sleep...
The wind from the open bedroom window seemed to ask: Why? Where? Why? Where?
Finally, at midnight...
Lowry got dressed and went out for a walk where, along the way, he met some underworld characters who told him...
Don't look for your hat because it will lead you to your missing four hours, and they, in turn, will lead to your death...
The recap above was the first part of the story, which I really got into, but what followed wasn't as intriguing and, at times, it was very confusing, like an acid trip.
You've heard of the TV series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE? Well, this story was like the dark side of PILGRIMS PROGRESS by John Bunyan. I really fell down the rabbit hole in the second half, and I blame Stephen King's glowing recommendation for a mediocre, outdated book.
Was this story all bad? No, but the vast majority was. It is my opinion that Hubbard should've been buried with this book and forced to spend eternity reading it.
December 27, 2013
As prolific (as in Guinness World Book of Records prolific) and significant as L.Ron Hubbard was of an author, the man is most well known for starting a cult. I was curious to see what his writing was like and this book was very well regarded as a masterpiece of psychological horror and a fairly noncommittal length of 101 pages. Originally published in 1940, it's surprisingly undated with minute exceptions of things like prices. I can see why this book got the acclaim that it did, though it didn't quite sing to me. There was some unquestionably good writing, very descriptive, very convincing tumble into madness, but it also was a tad slow and aimless at times. Nice twisted ending, really brought the story together. Also included in this edition are a comprehensive glossary and an author biography, the somewhat aggrandizing version that makes no mention of his most notorious claim to fame. While the accomplishments and accolades might have been misrepresented and/or exaggerated, nevertheless quite a character. If only the man had stuck with fiction.
December 13, 2018
The professional reputation of Nebraska-born writer L. Ron Hubbard, it seems to me, has taken a double hit since his heyday in the 1940s. Hubbard, of course, was the founder of the cultish sect known as Scientology, and ever since the release of his initial article on Dianetics in the May 1950 issue of John W. Campbell's "Astounding Science-Fiction," and the founding of the group two years later, his name has been unavoidably linked to this oft-maligned pseudoreligion. And then there was the notorious film version of Hubbard's 1982 doorstop of a novel "Battlefield Earth," featuring Scientologist John Travolta in a picture that most viewers seem to have found dreadful, if not laughable. (Full confession: I have never read the book, whose 1,000+-page length has long intimidated as well as fascinated me, or seen the film.) But those folks who find it an easy matter to disparage Hubbard seem to forget that the man had a very long and respected career years before the Dianetics article and decades before that whopper novel were written. Indeed, the man's bibliography, encompassing the fields of sci-fi, fantasy, Westerns, horror, mystery and adventure, is so huge that I despair of giving it an enumeration; let's just say that he wrote some 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, and refer those who want to know more to the Internet Speculative Fiction Database for further elucidation. As for me, I had previously only read Hubbard's fantasy classic "Slaves of Sleep," which first appeared in Campbell's "Unknown" magazine in 1939 and in an expanded novel form nine years later. I had enjoyed the novel, although I did have some quibbles regarding it, and figuring that it was time to give Hubbard another shot, decided to pop for his 1940 novel "Fear."
Why "Fear"? Well, I'd read many good things about this one, and from some names that I highly respect. The book is featured in James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock's excellent overview volume "Fantasy: The 100 Best Books," for one thing. Author Stephen King has called it "a classic tale of creeping, surreal menace and horror"; Tim Powers deems it a "terribly powerful story"; Ray Bradbury said it's "a true scare"; Robert Bloch called it "Hubbard's finest work"; and Robert Silverberg has judged it "a classic masterpiece of psychological horror." Sounds good, right? Anyway, "Fear," as had "Slaves of Sleep," made its first appearance in "Unknown," but in the July 1940 issue; again, a longer version would be published many years later. As legend has it, Hubbard wrote the entire novella while on a transcontinental train trip, and was only 29 at the time. The issue of "Unknown" that it originally appeared in must surely be a highly collectable item today, especially since it also featured the initial appearance of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's "The Land of Unreason" (another fantasy that I had some quibbles with!). Out of print for some time, "Fear" can today be easily purchased via the fine folks at Galaxy Press--which imprint seems to exist solely for the sake of keeping Hubbard's legacy alive--and in a very reasonably priced, typo-free, handsome edition, as well. And if I was not nearly as wowed by the book as those respected authors above seem to have been, I yet found much to enjoy and appreciate in it.
The novel introduces us to a 38-year-old college professor named James Lowry, who teaches ethnology at Atworthy College. Lowry, when we first meet him, has just returned from the Yucatan with a case of malaria, and has recently had an article published in which he mocks the existence of devils and demons. The college president finds the very nature of the article a scandalous disgrace, and Lowry is summarily given the sack. He goes to the abode of his best friend and fellow professor Tommy Williams for consolation, but while later returning home to his wife Mary, suddenly realizes that he left Tommy's house at 2:45...and that it is now 6:45. He has somehow lost four hours, as well as his hat, with no memory of what has transpired to him! And thus begins Lowry's nightmarish odyssey. After walking down the stairs of his front porch later that night, he finds that those stairs lead him deep into the Earth, where he encounters a witch, a knight, and the historical hangman Jack Ketch. He is warned that to find his hat, and regain those four hours, will lead to his demise! Back in his home, Lowry begins to see bloblike...things out of the corners of his eyes. He hears uncanny laughter, and his breakfast plates move disconcertingly when he tries to eat. During another psychedelic, hallucinatory journey, Lowry is led by a 300-year-dead monk up into the mountains, where he witnesses some kind of unholy convocation. He sees his own headstone, with the year of his death--1940--engraved upon it. Back home yet again, he notices that both Mary and Tommy have grown fangs, and learns, from an evil-looking 4-year-old girl, that he is nothing less than "the Entity"...the one person amongst all the teeming billions who can control reality. And sadly, for poor James Lowry, his hellish experiences have only just begun....
While reading "Fear," the reader will doubtlessly be wondering if Lowry's experiences are merely some kind of malarial fugue, or if perhaps, as Williams maintains, it just isn't wise to mock demons and other supernatural forces. I would never dream of revealing the startling surprises that Hubbard holds up his sleeve, but will say that when the story first appeared in "Unknown," it was under the subhead "A psychological fantasy." And if you think you know where Hubbard's story is going, trust me, you're wrong. Still, for a novel that has co-opted the word "fear" for its title, "Fear" is never all that scary...except, perhaps, in retrospect, after the final page has been turned. Rather, I would term it more "bizarre" and "freaky," as opposed to genuinely frightening, although the fact that Lowry is not even safe from physical manifestations while sitting in the pew of his own church does go far in dramatizing his dire predicament.
Hubbard writes simply but very effectively here, and his book practically demands to be read at a breakneck pace. He is not afraid of making up his own words (such as "beration") or of using them in novel ways (or is "castanet" really a verb?). He also throws in occasional words of wisdom that the reader may feel compelled to highlight (my favorite: "The state of being 'grown up' was a state beset by as many worries, and just as false, as those of childhood"). "Fear," it seems to me, might be very successfully adapted to the big screen, and it is frankly remarkable that it has not been given the cinematic treatment already. Hollywood, are you listening? Summing up their article on the book, Cawthorn & Moorcock tell us, "As a case-study or as a pure fantasy, it is as dark as they come," and I suppose that I would have to agree with that statement. In many ways prefiguring his initial article on Dianetics, "Fear" will surely linger long in the memory, and may even be more enjoyable when given a second read. My only real quibble with it, actually, is that Lowry and his loving wife are shown to be sleeping in separate bedrooms. Now THAT'S what I call scary! In all, though, a devilishly clever piece of work from L. Ron Hubbard.
But wait...this volume is not quite finished yet! As an added treat, this Galaxy Press edition also offers, for our delectation, one of Hubbard's many short stories. The story is "Borrowed Glory," which first appeared in the October 1941 issue of "Unknown." (Actually, by that point, the name of Campbell's magazine had been changed to "Unknown Worlds.") In this one, Tuffaron the Mad Genii engages in a little wager with an angel named Georgette. Tuffaron maintains that humans are responsible for their own suffering and cannot be made happy, no matter what is given to them. Georgette disagrees, and so the bet is sealed. Georgette comes to Earth and, for 48 hours, gives youth and beauty to a 66-year-old, unemployed and miserably lonely spinster named Meredith Smith. Meredith is told that her every wish will be granted for two days, but that at the end of the ordained period, everything that she has been given must be taken away. Smith jumps at the offer, and is soon seen riding through Central Park in a shiny limo; an elegantly dressed, beautiful woman. She meets the man of her dreams, too, leading to an ironic twist of an ending in this effortlessly charming and affecting story.
And, oh...for all you folks who would pooh-pooh Hubbard's skills as a wordsmith, check out this early passage, in which Meredith is initially described:
"[She] was not unlike the shawl which covered her--a lovely weave but tattered edges and thin warp and a bleach which comes with time...She had been useless. She had run a typewriter. She had been nothing to life. She had never known beauty; she had never known laughter; she had never known pain; and she would die without ever having lived, she would die without a single tear to fall upon her going. She had never been known, to be forgotten. Yesterdays reached back in a long gray chain like pages written with a single word and without punctuation. Tomorrow stretched out gray, gray and then black. A long, long time black. And she was forgotten before she was gone and she had nothing to forget except emptiness...."
Whew! Almost makes Eleanor Rigby sound like a party animal, right?
Described on the back cover of this Galaxy Press volume as a "chilling horror short story," "Borrowed Glory," it seems to me, is, rather, more of a lovely fantasy, albeit with an O. Henry-ish conclusion. Again, though, a most impressive piece of work. Taken together, "Fear" and "Borrowed Glory" may very well accomplish its publisher's mission: to reclaim the good reputation of one of the giants of science fiction's Golden Age. Next up for me, I hope, will be another of Hubbard's legendary fantasies from 1940: "Typewriter in the Sky." Stay tuned....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a perfect destination for all fans of L. Ron Hubbard....)
Why "Fear"? Well, I'd read many good things about this one, and from some names that I highly respect. The book is featured in James Cawthorn and Michael Moorcock's excellent overview volume "Fantasy: The 100 Best Books," for one thing. Author Stephen King has called it "a classic tale of creeping, surreal menace and horror"; Tim Powers deems it a "terribly powerful story"; Ray Bradbury said it's "a true scare"; Robert Bloch called it "Hubbard's finest work"; and Robert Silverberg has judged it "a classic masterpiece of psychological horror." Sounds good, right? Anyway, "Fear," as had "Slaves of Sleep," made its first appearance in "Unknown," but in the July 1940 issue; again, a longer version would be published many years later. As legend has it, Hubbard wrote the entire novella while on a transcontinental train trip, and was only 29 at the time. The issue of "Unknown" that it originally appeared in must surely be a highly collectable item today, especially since it also featured the initial appearance of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's "The Land of Unreason" (another fantasy that I had some quibbles with!). Out of print for some time, "Fear" can today be easily purchased via the fine folks at Galaxy Press--which imprint seems to exist solely for the sake of keeping Hubbard's legacy alive--and in a very reasonably priced, typo-free, handsome edition, as well. And if I was not nearly as wowed by the book as those respected authors above seem to have been, I yet found much to enjoy and appreciate in it.
The novel introduces us to a 38-year-old college professor named James Lowry, who teaches ethnology at Atworthy College. Lowry, when we first meet him, has just returned from the Yucatan with a case of malaria, and has recently had an article published in which he mocks the existence of devils and demons. The college president finds the very nature of the article a scandalous disgrace, and Lowry is summarily given the sack. He goes to the abode of his best friend and fellow professor Tommy Williams for consolation, but while later returning home to his wife Mary, suddenly realizes that he left Tommy's house at 2:45...and that it is now 6:45. He has somehow lost four hours, as well as his hat, with no memory of what has transpired to him! And thus begins Lowry's nightmarish odyssey. After walking down the stairs of his front porch later that night, he finds that those stairs lead him deep into the Earth, where he encounters a witch, a knight, and the historical hangman Jack Ketch. He is warned that to find his hat, and regain those four hours, will lead to his demise! Back in his home, Lowry begins to see bloblike...things out of the corners of his eyes. He hears uncanny laughter, and his breakfast plates move disconcertingly when he tries to eat. During another psychedelic, hallucinatory journey, Lowry is led by a 300-year-dead monk up into the mountains, where he witnesses some kind of unholy convocation. He sees his own headstone, with the year of his death--1940--engraved upon it. Back home yet again, he notices that both Mary and Tommy have grown fangs, and learns, from an evil-looking 4-year-old girl, that he is nothing less than "the Entity"...the one person amongst all the teeming billions who can control reality. And sadly, for poor James Lowry, his hellish experiences have only just begun....
While reading "Fear," the reader will doubtlessly be wondering if Lowry's experiences are merely some kind of malarial fugue, or if perhaps, as Williams maintains, it just isn't wise to mock demons and other supernatural forces. I would never dream of revealing the startling surprises that Hubbard holds up his sleeve, but will say that when the story first appeared in "Unknown," it was under the subhead "A psychological fantasy." And if you think you know where Hubbard's story is going, trust me, you're wrong. Still, for a novel that has co-opted the word "fear" for its title, "Fear" is never all that scary...except, perhaps, in retrospect, after the final page has been turned. Rather, I would term it more "bizarre" and "freaky," as opposed to genuinely frightening, although the fact that Lowry is not even safe from physical manifestations while sitting in the pew of his own church does go far in dramatizing his dire predicament.
Hubbard writes simply but very effectively here, and his book practically demands to be read at a breakneck pace. He is not afraid of making up his own words (such as "beration") or of using them in novel ways (or is "castanet" really a verb?). He also throws in occasional words of wisdom that the reader may feel compelled to highlight (my favorite: "The state of being 'grown up' was a state beset by as many worries, and just as false, as those of childhood"). "Fear," it seems to me, might be very successfully adapted to the big screen, and it is frankly remarkable that it has not been given the cinematic treatment already. Hollywood, are you listening? Summing up their article on the book, Cawthorn & Moorcock tell us, "As a case-study or as a pure fantasy, it is as dark as they come," and I suppose that I would have to agree with that statement. In many ways prefiguring his initial article on Dianetics, "Fear" will surely linger long in the memory, and may even be more enjoyable when given a second read. My only real quibble with it, actually, is that Lowry and his loving wife are shown to be sleeping in separate bedrooms. Now THAT'S what I call scary! In all, though, a devilishly clever piece of work from L. Ron Hubbard.
But wait...this volume is not quite finished yet! As an added treat, this Galaxy Press edition also offers, for our delectation, one of Hubbard's many short stories. The story is "Borrowed Glory," which first appeared in the October 1941 issue of "Unknown." (Actually, by that point, the name of Campbell's magazine had been changed to "Unknown Worlds.") In this one, Tuffaron the Mad Genii engages in a little wager with an angel named Georgette. Tuffaron maintains that humans are responsible for their own suffering and cannot be made happy, no matter what is given to them. Georgette disagrees, and so the bet is sealed. Georgette comes to Earth and, for 48 hours, gives youth and beauty to a 66-year-old, unemployed and miserably lonely spinster named Meredith Smith. Meredith is told that her every wish will be granted for two days, but that at the end of the ordained period, everything that she has been given must be taken away. Smith jumps at the offer, and is soon seen riding through Central Park in a shiny limo; an elegantly dressed, beautiful woman. She meets the man of her dreams, too, leading to an ironic twist of an ending in this effortlessly charming and affecting story.
And, oh...for all you folks who would pooh-pooh Hubbard's skills as a wordsmith, check out this early passage, in which Meredith is initially described:
"[She] was not unlike the shawl which covered her--a lovely weave but tattered edges and thin warp and a bleach which comes with time...She had been useless. She had run a typewriter. She had been nothing to life. She had never known beauty; she had never known laughter; she had never known pain; and she would die without ever having lived, she would die without a single tear to fall upon her going. She had never been known, to be forgotten. Yesterdays reached back in a long gray chain like pages written with a single word and without punctuation. Tomorrow stretched out gray, gray and then black. A long, long time black. And she was forgotten before she was gone and she had nothing to forget except emptiness...."
Whew! Almost makes Eleanor Rigby sound like a party animal, right?
Described on the back cover of this Galaxy Press volume as a "chilling horror short story," "Borrowed Glory," it seems to me, is, rather, more of a lovely fantasy, albeit with an O. Henry-ish conclusion. Again, though, a most impressive piece of work. Taken together, "Fear" and "Borrowed Glory" may very well accomplish its publisher's mission: to reclaim the good reputation of one of the giants of science fiction's Golden Age. Next up for me, I hope, will be another of Hubbard's legendary fantasies from 1940: "Typewriter in the Sky." Stay tuned....
(By the way, this review originally appeared on the FanLit website at http://www.fantasyliterature.com/ ... a perfect destination for all fans of L. Ron Hubbard....)
June 25, 2011
DO NOT be pulled in by the quote from Stephen King on the cover. Fear is a routine pulp thriller, and not one that has aged well. Avoid.
January 30, 2025
It actually made sense despite being super cryptic! Love the stream of consciousness style of Hubbard and the whole fever-dream feel of this book. 😵💫
June 17, 2020
I decided to give this book a whirl based on the title alone. I thought it would be a creepy book that would keep me on the edge of my seat, but it wasn’t scary at all and was just awful. I managed to finish it but I honestly struggled to get through every single sentence. The plot was all over the place, the writing was bad and I wasn’t impressed at all. The only reason I finished it was because I knew it was a short book and I was curious to see how it would all come together. There wasn’t anything I enjoyed and everything annoyed me.
December 21, 2020
Ni fu ni fa, lo he encontrado en audiolibro y dura menos de 2 horas pero se me han hecho largas. Una historia de fantasmas y demonios que ha envejecido bastante mal, por mucho que ponga Stephen King en la portada que es un clásico del terror.
October 31, 2025
*** 3.2 STARS ***
Word Count 38,776
Fear is like, a nightmare you can barely remember after you've woken up.
It's full of interesting imagery (especially what Lowry sees from the corner of his eye) but the writing and plotting is mediocre.
Word Count 38,776
Fear is like, a nightmare you can barely remember after you've woken up.
It's full of interesting imagery (especially what Lowry sees from the corner of his eye) but the writing and plotting is mediocre.
October 5, 2025
Fear is a chilling psychological horror that lingers long after the last page. On the surface, it’s the story of Professor James Lowry, a man of logic and intellect who ridicules superstitions and mocks belief in the unseen. But when he suddenly loses four hours of his life, his rational world begins to unravel, and he is forced to confront the possibility that the unknown may not be so easily dismissed.
Hubbard masterfully explores the tension between reason and belief. The novel asks unsettling questions: what happens when the mind betrays itself? When the reality you cling to begins to fracture? Lowry’s descent into paranoia is not just terrifying — it’s symbolic of the fragile balance between skepticism and faith, love and obsession, trust and betrayal.
The theme of betrayal is especially powerful here. Lowry betrays his own principles when doubt seeps in, and those closest to him become unrecognizable through the lens of his unraveling mind. Even love — once steady and grounding — is twisted into something uncertain, shadowed by fear.
Hubbard’s writing style is hauntingly vivid. His descriptions transform ordinary spaces into places of menace, where superstition and the unseen pulse just beneath the surface creating an atmosphere that is both suffocating and hypnotic. The language feels dated at times, but rather than distracting, it lends an otherworldly, dreamlike quality that mirrors the novel’s exploration of the uncanny. Even when nothing overtly frightening is happening, you feel an unease building between the lines — a kind of psychological pressure that keeps you reading.
At its core, Fear is about more than one man’s breakdown. It’s about the limits of reason, the seduction of the unknown, and the devastating consequences when fear takes root in the cracks of love and belief. This isn’t horror for shock value — it’s horror that forces you to look inward and ask: what do I really believe, and what would happen if I lost hold of it?
If you’re looking for a classic of psychological horror — one that gets under your skin rather than in your face — this book delivers exactly what its title promises.
Hubbard masterfully explores the tension between reason and belief. The novel asks unsettling questions: what happens when the mind betrays itself? When the reality you cling to begins to fracture? Lowry’s descent into paranoia is not just terrifying — it’s symbolic of the fragile balance between skepticism and faith, love and obsession, trust and betrayal.
The theme of betrayal is especially powerful here. Lowry betrays his own principles when doubt seeps in, and those closest to him become unrecognizable through the lens of his unraveling mind. Even love — once steady and grounding — is twisted into something uncertain, shadowed by fear.
Hubbard’s writing style is hauntingly vivid. His descriptions transform ordinary spaces into places of menace, where superstition and the unseen pulse just beneath the surface creating an atmosphere that is both suffocating and hypnotic. The language feels dated at times, but rather than distracting, it lends an otherworldly, dreamlike quality that mirrors the novel’s exploration of the uncanny. Even when nothing overtly frightening is happening, you feel an unease building between the lines — a kind of psychological pressure that keeps you reading.
At its core, Fear is about more than one man’s breakdown. It’s about the limits of reason, the seduction of the unknown, and the devastating consequences when fear takes root in the cracks of love and belief. This isn’t horror for shock value — it’s horror that forces you to look inward and ask: what do I really believe, and what would happen if I lost hold of it?
If you’re looking for a classic of psychological horror — one that gets under your skin rather than in your face — this book delivers exactly what its title promises.
December 20, 2013
This is the first book I've read, I literally read it as soon as it came out of the package. Visually it caught my attention because the cover is different from the others book of L. Ron Hubbard, must be because it was probably one of the most recent works of this writer. Even Stephen King expressed his opinion about it, calling it "a classic tale of creeping, surreal menace and horror"....I had to find out how good was this book if the master of horror was so fascinated about it. And I can honestly say that the good reviews are totally right about it! The book starts like a ordinary book, then take a surreal, creepy and supernatural tone until the very last page when the extraordinary truth finally comes about. Up until the last page, you kinda scratch you head thinking: "Hmmm....where are we going with this??" You can't put it down until all of it makes sense. I think the suspense from this book is really entertaining and not even the final makes you hate the ordinary teacher James Lowry, even when the writers seems to try very hard to make you!
December 30, 2013
Of everything I have ever read, this by far is the most frightening of all. King, Barker, Koontz; they are lightweight in comparison. I haven't stopped thinking about this story for years. It's that good.
October 10, 2017
Un libro que muestra claramente lo que es una buena fumada.
EL profesor obsesionado con el estudio del diablo y sobrenatural, es despedido al tener hasta los c****** al rector. A llegar a casa tenemos a una esposa empalagosa y cegada por amor, y nuestro obsesivo se da cuenta que ha perdido su sombrero. Todo girara en la búsqueda de tal, en un mundo diferente, en que todo los personajes que encontrara y situaciones serán autenticas absurdidades.
Un adelantado a su época este autor, sin duda.
EL profesor obsesionado con el estudio del diablo y sobrenatural, es despedido al tener hasta los c****** al rector. A llegar a casa tenemos a una esposa empalagosa y cegada por amor, y nuestro obsesivo se da cuenta que ha perdido su sombrero. Todo girara en la búsqueda de tal, en un mundo diferente, en que todo los personajes que encontrara y situaciones serán autenticas absurdidades.
Un adelantado a su época este autor, sin duda.
May 7, 2008
Apparently, there's a lot more going on here than I got out of it. Well, I didn’t like it and Kiyan loved it. After hearing his analysis of it I felt like an idiot. But I still didn’t like it.
August 4, 2019
This book was bad. I have owned it for many years and tried to read it from time to time. Today I managed to finished it while struggling through every page - the writing was that bad. And the plot was not impressive. This book was supposed to be very atmospheric, but it wasn't. The only thing that kept me going was curiosity and the shortness of the book. Needles to say the ending was not very original and by the time I reached it I was mostly just annoyed by everything in this book and wishing it would end at last. I would recommend to avoid it unless you are looking for a reason to read something you could complain about.
January 28, 2013
A great classic horror story!!! makes me wish that more horror writers could write a gripping tale like this one with out the use of monster/gore/ and other literary mechanisms that are not always necessary except for shock and filler
October 29, 2025
Fear is a novella that really should have been a much shorter story. The setting reminded me of Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife, but I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as that masterpiece. My main problem with it isn’t so much Hubbard’s writing, which is perfectly fine. It’s the fact that for most of the story I had no idea what was going on; it’s extremely surreal and it just goes on and on and on to the point of boredom. If it had been shorter, this would have been more tolerable. I was fully prepared to give it one star and write it off completely — and then the ending happened. I won’t spoil it, but the last couple of pages are excellent and a little shocking and put the rest of the story in a whole new light. I probably won’t ever read this again, but I really appreciated how Hubbard wrapped it all up.
December 10, 2020
Un libro que prometía tener una trama entretenida pero se quedó solo en una historia más, que de a momentos se vuelve aburrida. Un final que no me lo esperaba pero que me recordó un cuento clásico por como se dan las cosas.
Moraleja: si has perdido 4 horas de tu vida, no las busques. Sigue como si nada hubiera pasado.
Moraleja: si has perdido 4 horas de tu vida, no las busques. Sigue como si nada hubiera pasado.
September 5, 2021
Истински легенди като Стивън Кинг, Айзък Азимов и Рей Бредбъри се изказват много ласкаво за тази книга.
Авторът препоръчва на читателите да не посягат нощем към нея.
Скромното ми мнение е, че трябва да приемете съвета на автора много сериозно.
Авторът препоръчва на читателите да не посягат нощем към нея.
Скромното ми мнение е, че трябва да приемете съвета на автора много сериозно.
December 3, 2025
Decent ghost story.
October 29, 2025
4.5
I honestly thought this was a solid thriller. It’s one of those that keeps you guessing what is real which has you focusing even more deeply when reading. What really sets this story above others is the descriptions. The author did a fantastic job with the imagery and vivid descriptions. You truly feel like you are part of the nightmare, I could easily visualize everything that was going on which only helped my immersion in the story. Overall, I would recommend this one!
I honestly thought this was a solid thriller. It’s one of those that keeps you guessing what is real which has you focusing even more deeply when reading. What really sets this story above others is the descriptions. The author did a fantastic job with the imagery and vivid descriptions. You truly feel like you are part of the nightmare, I could easily visualize everything that was going on which only helped my immersion in the story. Overall, I would recommend this one!
June 23, 2017
I was going to "DNF" this book but I have this (bad) habit of finishing every single book I start to read.
Anyway, there were some very good, sort of philosophical paragraphs in this book which I really, really liked, but I can't give this book more than one star. I couldn't connect to the protagonist at all, and the plot was... Don't know how to explain it other than it was messy (and not in a good way, if that makes sense. lol) It felt like the author just improvised it and the results weren't as good as they could have been.
It's one of those books that when you get to the ending you feel like "really? That was it? Ok..." and you thought it would be something more creative or shocking, but you're just sort of disappointed. (Though I would assume that at the time of publication this type of ending wasn't so overused.)
I think that the ending sort of invalidated a lot of the events that happened in the novel, and it was sort of expected to the point of being boring (to me).
This is just my opinion, of course. I would have given it another star because of these interesting moments I mentioned, but the truth is that even though I enjoyed those paragraphs, I didn't enjoy the book as a whole.
An additional note: It is categorized as horror, but it isn't scary or disturbing at all, just in case someone is wondering. Perhaps it was when it was first published in 1940, though.
Do I recommend? Not sure. I would because of these philosophical paragraphs. They were VERY interesting and the only reason the book was worth reading.
(But then again, the ending sort of invalidates a lot of it to some degree. But it's kind of an "open to interpretation" thing, though. Won't detail because of spoilers.)
Anyway, there were some very good, sort of philosophical paragraphs in this book which I really, really liked, but I can't give this book more than one star. I couldn't connect to the protagonist at all, and the plot was... Don't know how to explain it other than it was messy (and not in a good way, if that makes sense. lol) It felt like the author just improvised it and the results weren't as good as they could have been.
It's one of those books that when you get to the ending you feel like "really? That was it? Ok..." and you thought it would be something more creative or shocking, but you're just sort of disappointed. (Though I would assume that at the time of publication this type of ending wasn't so overused.)
I think that the ending sort of invalidated a lot of the events that happened in the novel, and it was sort of expected to the point of being boring (to me).
This is just my opinion, of course. I would have given it another star because of these interesting moments I mentioned, but the truth is that even though I enjoyed those paragraphs, I didn't enjoy the book as a whole.
An additional note: It is categorized as horror, but it isn't scary or disturbing at all, just in case someone is wondering. Perhaps it was when it was first published in 1940, though.
Do I recommend? Not sure. I would because of these philosophical paragraphs. They were VERY interesting and the only reason the book was worth reading.
(But then again, the ending sort of invalidates a lot of it to some degree. But it's kind of an "open to interpretation" thing, though. Won't detail because of spoilers.)
August 26, 2014
This story was first published in the July, 1940 issue of Unknown, a fantasy pulp magazine edited by John W. Campbell. I was curious about the story partly because Hubbard is now remembered more as the founder of Scientology than as a pulp fiction writer. But apparently, Hubbard was a very prolific contributor to the pulp magazines before he organized his new religion/cult (take your pick).
Hubbard was a major contributor to Unknown, which first began publication in 1939 and ran for only 39 issues. I believe that Hubbard contributed six or seven novels to Unknown during that time, including "Fear."
This is the first story I have ever read by Hubbard, and it is reputed to be among his best efforts. It certainly contains all the necessary elements of an effective pulp story, including imaginative flair and a shocking conclusion. Hubbard's writing is fluid and professional, for the most part. Although I enjoyed the story and it was very clever, indeed, I found it overly lengthy and at times a bit tedious. It probably could have been just as effective at half the length!
I have a complete set of Unknown, so I read this in the original format. I loved the illustrations by Edd Cartier.
Hubbard was a major contributor to Unknown, which first began publication in 1939 and ran for only 39 issues. I believe that Hubbard contributed six or seven novels to Unknown during that time, including "Fear."
This is the first story I have ever read by Hubbard, and it is reputed to be among his best efforts. It certainly contains all the necessary elements of an effective pulp story, including imaginative flair and a shocking conclusion. Hubbard's writing is fluid and professional, for the most part. Although I enjoyed the story and it was very clever, indeed, I found it overly lengthy and at times a bit tedious. It probably could have been just as effective at half the length!
I have a complete set of Unknown, so I read this in the original format. I loved the illustrations by Edd Cartier.
January 27, 2014
I feel vaguely guilty giving this a bad review, since the publisher's social media people encouraged me (and about a dozen others on Goodreads) to read it, and they were really helpful when I asked them questions.
As much as I've liked some of L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi, this just didn't click with me at all. Written in a simplistic style, Fear has a broad, but promising, premise. But, alas, only pays off in a series of disjointed non-events, only some of which are interesting. It's "and then . . ." storytelling, and it frustrates.
There was a twist near the end that got me excited for the closure of the book, but it was a red herring, and the actual end was much less satisfying and very abrupt.
As much as I've liked some of L. Ron Hubbard's sci-fi, this just didn't click with me at all. Written in a simplistic style, Fear has a broad, but promising, premise. But, alas, only pays off in a series of disjointed non-events, only some of which are interesting. It's "and then . . ." storytelling, and it frustrates.
There was a twist near the end that got me excited for the closure of the book, but it was a red herring, and the actual end was much less satisfying and very abrupt.
October 16, 2025
I’ve read L. Ron Hubbards sci fi works before, but never a thriller! His writing style definitely bleeds through in this one, same as in the science fiction stories. Definitely a distinctive way of writing, that makes his stories quite unique. Lots of mind-bending metaphors, and so many quotable paragraphs. ”Fear” absolutely felt like a fever dream, where you as a reader try to figure out what is happening, alongside the main character. Jim Lowry lost four hours of his life, with no memories of what happened. Everyone around him tries to offer a helping hand, but in varying degrees. With each page we go, Lowry becomes more and more confused, and also begins to see things that aren’t there…or is it? It’s a thriller, but also has some supernatural elements, told from the perspective of a mad man. A true psychological thriller, that definitely stands the test of time. A surreal, creepy and suspenseful tale that will give you goosebumps. The ending had me in absolute shock, and I loved it.
September 5, 2023
Was giving L. Ron the benefit of the doubt (my first mistake) for the first third of this, but it really just kept getting dumber and dumber… big short story stretched to novel length vibe, feels almost like a Christian parable for a while until the final twist makes it feel very not Christian. Imagine joining this man’s cult… at one point a spirit/demon(?) appears to the main character in the form of a sexy four-year old and he describes her looking “lascivious” and licking her “full pink lips.” I am not one to be prudish about edgelordy things in books that are just there to shock the reader, but like… WHAT?
November 16, 2020
No lo terminaré de leer, no conecté con la historia.
September 26, 2022
Was reading something about Philip K Dick and he mentioned that L. Ron Hubbard, in particular this novella, fear, had had quite the impact on him. I was initially shocked that one of my faves held L. Ron Hubbard in such esteem, although upon further consideration, it makes sense that someone who was able to create a successful cult with such intensive and bizarre world building (aliens! volcanos!) would be a master of writing that was more overly fictional as well.
Fear does not disappoint! It reminds me of that classic horror show Twilight Zone - in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it served as something of an inspiration, considering that this was published in 1940 and Twilight Zone started running in 1959. Very noir, creepy, with typical (for the time) preoccupations with the difference between a more medical understanding of insanity and demonic possession.
If you like classic psychological horror short stories like "The Lottery" or are interested in the psychedelic horrors of Dick and similar writers then Fear will probably be right up your alley as well.
Fear does not disappoint! It reminds me of that classic horror show Twilight Zone - in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it served as something of an inspiration, considering that this was published in 1940 and Twilight Zone started running in 1959. Very noir, creepy, with typical (for the time) preoccupations with the difference between a more medical understanding of insanity and demonic possession.
If you like classic psychological horror short stories like "The Lottery" or are interested in the psychedelic horrors of Dick and similar writers then Fear will probably be right up your alley as well.
February 19, 2008
This book is great! Right from the start, you know something is going to go terribly, horribly wrong, and you will not be disappointed.
The main character, Jim, suddenly realizes that four hours have passed, and he has no recollection of that time period! And to top it all off, he seems to have misplaced his hat during that time!
So starts Jim's quest for his hat.
Jim believes that if he finds his hat, maybe he'll remember how he lost it, and in remembering how he lost it, remember what has happened in the last four hours.
This Suspense/Horror novel takes you on a thrilling ride of intrigue and terror, all heightened by the knowledge that the worst has already happened, and may be happening again! Jim's lack of memories strengthens the belief that something has gone wrong, something he isn't supposed to remember, and never lets you down once it picks you up!
The main character, Jim, suddenly realizes that four hours have passed, and he has no recollection of that time period! And to top it all off, he seems to have misplaced his hat during that time!
So starts Jim's quest for his hat.
Jim believes that if he finds his hat, maybe he'll remember how he lost it, and in remembering how he lost it, remember what has happened in the last four hours.
This Suspense/Horror novel takes you on a thrilling ride of intrigue and terror, all heightened by the knowledge that the worst has already happened, and may be happening again! Jim's lack of memories strengthens the belief that something has gone wrong, something he isn't supposed to remember, and never lets you down once it picks you up!
January 28, 2014
'Fear' by L Ron Hubbard is one of those books, which come along and surprise you. The story is from the horror genre, along with certain elements of fantasy. While not very gory, the tale is much more concerned with psychological horror. Certain scenes are atmospheric and creepy. A unique element of the narrative is the narrators description of his encounters of dark places and beings which seem to come out of nowhere; when he attempts to find clues to his lack of memory concerning four hours which he lost one evening. The reader is left to ponder the question is the tale real or in the characters head? The story and its characters are well fleshed out, with a surprising ending. This tale was one of the first pioneers of the psychological horror theme, as we know it today. Definitely worth checking out.
January 11, 2019
There's just no accounting for certain reading choices that I made around the turn of the century.
I happened to be thinking about Scientology today (don't ask), wondering why they've never fielded a candidate for president and whether or not John Travolta could win California, when I remembered that I had actually read a book of L. Ron Hubbard's once, a long time ago- July 2000, according to my records, when I was fourteen- about which I remember nothing, except for a vague impression of a subpar Twilight Zone episode.
But why, and under what circumstances, did I read it?
Well, one of the reviews here implores readers not to be lured in by the Stephen King blurb on the cover. And since I liked Stephen King when I was a teenager, I guess that must have been the reason. Case closed.
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