A. Merritt

It's working now. Must have been my computer; it does weird things now and then. Just to be safe I saved it on favorites. What I was wondering, are you (or anyone reading this) familiar with Algernon Blackwood's INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES? At Hippocampus Press if someone orders a copy they get a free copy of the expanded version of THE METAL MONSTER. Two $15 books for the price of one. Sounds like a good buy if the Blackwood is good.
 
Yes, I've read it. While Blackwood is today known mostly as a writer of ghost or horror stories, and certainly several of the stories in that volume are classics of the genre, they are more "supernatural tales" in a broader sense; much more delicate and subtle than most would associate with "horror". And if the above hasn't clarified the point, it's one of Blackwood's best collections, which is saying considerable.....
 
j. d. worthington said:
Yes, I've read it. While Blackwood is today known mostly as a writer of ghost or horror stories, and certainly several of the stories in that volume are classics of the genre, they are more "supernatural tales" in a broader sense; much more delicate and subtle than most would associate with "horror". And if the above hasn't clarified the point, it's one of Blackwood's best collections, which is saying considerable.....
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Sounds good. When my work schedule returns to a normal -- and steady -- 40 hours, I'm going to take advantage of Hippo's offer. If it's still available.
 
I saw "The Face in the Abyss" in the second hand bookshop and I swear that the blurb on the back read like it was a sequel to "Dwellers in the Mirage". Are these books connected in anyway?
 
No; "The Face in the Abyss" (original novella) was written some 10-12 years before Dwellers in the Mirage; the novel form came out shortly after the original story. There is a fragment of a sequel to Face included in The Fox Woman and Other Stories, but as far as I know, Merritt never attempted to do a sequel to the Mirage novel... which, by the way, was his tribute to HPL....
 
AE35Unit said:
Hmmm I'd not heard of this author till I saw this thread hiding. Another to investigate!
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At least with Merritt, there have been numerous reprintings of his work, and relatively few things to pick up.... And I'd definitely suggest going for the Hippocampus Press edition of The Metal Monster, as it is -- despite being a bit of a slog now and again -- far superior to the standard edition....
 
j. d. worthington said:
At least with Merritt, there have been numerous reprintings of his work, and relatively few things to pick up.... And I'd definitely suggest going for the Hippocampus Press edition of The Metal Monster, as it is -- despite being a bit of a slog now and again -- far superior to the standard edition....
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But if all you have is the standard edition --- mine is the 1972 Avon paperback --- it's still worth it.:)
 
Well, I finally got around to reading "The Face in the Abyss" and I was somewhat underwhelmed I have to say. It just hasn't dated very well in my opinion.

There were some moments that I liked however, like when Graydon watches the feast of the dream-makers and cowers in fear behind a rock when Nemir searches for him...and loses two hours as his thoughts are stolen and used to ensnare his beloved.

I think I'll still try and find a copy of "The Moon Pool" but so far I haven't been too impressed with this author.
 
Look for the short story, "The Moon Pool", rather than the novel. When he tacked on the sequel (which is the majority of the novel), the level really did drop tremendously. Also look for his short stories, "The People of the Pit", "Three Lines of Old French", "Through the Dragon Glass", "The Fox Woman", and the novels Dwellers in the Mirage and The Metal Monster. The first certainly has its faults, but it has some superb material as well (it is also his tribute to HPL, incidentally); the latter you should read in the original serialized form rather than the later revised novel; in the earlier version, despite several awkward sequences, there are large sections that remain intensely powerful, and it is certainly one of the best depictions of an utterly alien life-form I've ever encountered.
 
I've read "Dwellers in the Mirage" but I will look out for his short stories...
 
j. d. worthington said:
Look for the short story, "The Moon Pool", rather than the novel. When he tacked on the sequel (which is the majority of the novel), the level really did drop tremendously. Also look for his short stories, "The People of the Pit", "Three Lines of Old French", "Through the Dragon Glass", "The Fox Woman", and the novels Dwellers in the Mirage and The Metal Monster. The first certainly has its faults, but it has some superb material as well (it is also his tribute to HPL, incidentally); the latter you should read in the original serialized form rather than the later revised novel; in the earlier version, despite several awkward sequences, there are large sections that remain intensely powerful, and it is certainly one of the best depictions of an utterly alien life-form I've ever encountered.
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I actually set out to find just the first story, seeing that I remember the Hippocampus Press edition of The Metal Monster state it was also heavily edited by Merritt when revised, but have been unable to find it, if memory serves.

All I ever found was the revied "complete" novel version.

Oh and....I should get back to The Face in the Abyss. Though it's been at least four-five years since I stopped reading that one, I think I remember all the basics up to the point where I stopped.
 
j. d. worthington said:
Look for the short story, "The Moon Pool", rather than the novel. When he tacked on the sequel (which is the majority of the novel), the level really did drop tremendously. Also look for his short stories, "The People of the Pit", "Three Lines of Old French", "Through the Dragon Glass", "The Fox Woman", and the novels Dwellers in the Mirage and The Metal Monster. The first certainly has its faults, but it has some superb material as well (it is also his tribute to HPL, incidentally); the latter you should read in the original serialized form rather than the later revised novel; in the earlier version, despite several awkward sequences, there are large sections that remain intensely powerful, and it is certainly one of the best depictions of an utterly alien life-form I've ever encountered.
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I`m reading the Kindle version of The Metal Monster. I assume it`s the revision. A little hard to wade through some of the descriptive narrative. I`'ll slog on through, I guess. But so far it`s my least favorite of his works.
 
clovis-man said:
I`m reading the Kindle version of The Metal Monster. I assume it`s the revision. A little hard to wade through some of the descriptive narrative. I`'ll slog on through, I guess. But so far it`s my least favorite of his works.
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Yes, there are lengthy descriptive passages which can act as a roadblock at times; the best thing to do with these is simply to change gears and let the imagery flow; doing this can actually make a fair amount of this rather impressive on a different level....
 
j. d. worthington said:
Look for the short story, "The Moon Pool", rather than the novel. When he tacked on the sequel (which is the majority of the novel), the level really did drop tremendously.
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I didn't know that, but I suspected as much when I read it back in March. The first half is wonderful stuff, eerie and suspenseful. The latter two thirds, whilst highly imaginative in terms of world-building, loses that sense of wonder and drags the whole tale down into a rather tedious and prosaic adventure quest.
 
nomadman said:
I didn't know that, but I suspected as much when I read it back in March. The first half is wonderful stuff, eerie and suspenseful. The latter two thirds, whilst highly imaginative in terms of world-building, loses that sense of wonder and drags the whole tale down into a rather tedious and prosaic adventure quest.
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Merritt also revised the original a bit when including it in the novel, as I recall. If you're interested in reading the original (which really is an exceptional story), it can be found in a number of anthologies, including Sam Moskowitz' Under the Moons of Mars, David G. Hartwell's Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment, and Douglas A. Anderson's H. P. Lovecraft's Favorite Weird Tales....
 
The Moon Pool, The Metal Monster The Ship of Ishtar, Dwellers in the Mirage. A marvelous writer.:)
 
Didn't they adapt his story Burn Witch Burn some decades ago?
 
BAYLOR said:
Didn't they adapt his story Burn Witch Burn some decades ago?
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I believe you're referring to the old film The Devil Doll, with Lionel Barrymore. There is a film titled Burn, Witch, Burn in America (the original British title is Night of the Eagle), but it is an adaptation of Leiber's Conjure Wife....
 
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