It will be revisited!

I don’t know how to put this book into words that can encapsulate how I feel. Non fiction horror, Thomas Ligotti has written an incredibly dense and powerful book for the darkest corners of philosophy.

As a newcomer into the philosophy genre the ideals of pessimism, nihilism etc really interest me and this book gave me such a deep look into the founders of these ideals.

A lonely dense piece of work that somehow made me feel less lonely for thinking a certain way.

5 stars.

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race dwells on the question: "Is life worth living?", and the answer is a resounding and flagrant "no". It is worth noting that this book does not aim to convince you of this; rather, it is a book written for those who already believe that existence is obscene. If you want a less literary and more in-deep philosophical examination of such bleak views, seek Schopenhauer. Ligotti's work here is, undoubtedly, more of a literary indulgence for the previously initiated. I have been what Ligotti describes as a pessimist for almost all of my adult life, but I was curiously unaware of its philosophical foundations beyond Schopenhauer [although it seems I have also been spared from the harrowing despair which the writer inevitably ascribes to pessimists and relays at length in this book, so what do I know], so it is only fair to extend my gratitude to Ligotti for introducing me to the works of Zapffe and Mainländer. The Conspiracy Against the Human Race is a very well-written book with a slick and beautiful prose. My only gripe with it is that it gets repetitive and pushy at times; as if Ligotti wants to hammer a certain idea into the reader's head by repeating it over and over and over, every time using a newer, flashier turn of phrase. I was mostly fascinated by the connections between pessimist philosophy and horror in general [the main reason I picked it up], so I will forgive the [at times] over-the-top dramatizations and recurring themes. Recommended to those interested in the horrors of philosophy.