j d worthington
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Okay... so now we've got a start on the Haggard thread. Next up, in light of C-M's request: A. Merritt. Not nearly as prolific as Haggard, and despite an occasional eclipse of his reputation, Merritt produced several works which are often considered as classics in the field. His work is essentially adventure tales, with exotic locales, filled with mythic and legendary references, and given to lush descriptions. His main fault, I would say, lies in falling into the habit of "catchpenny romance" (as Lovecraft would say): romantic elements that followed dime-novel and sensational literary convention, rather than as reflected by either a higher-grade of literature or having much in the way of verisimilitude. This can sometimes weaken what is otherwise a very strong book (such as The Moon Pool); nevertheless, his work does tend to be full of excitement, color, verve, atmosphere, and not a little beauty in both language and concept. Highly recommended to anyone who loves fantasy in the broader sense.
His first story, "Through the Dragon Glass" (1917), though a very good tale -- in fact, quite remarkable for a first published story -- is not quite as strong as some of his later work, but remains a minor gem of fantasy. This was followed by "The People of the Pit" (1918), which depicts a truly alien civilization and manages to maintain the mystery and eeriness of the concept throughout the tale. Yet neither of these quite made Merritt's reputation. It was the original short tale of "The Moon Pool" (also 1918, though later joined to its sequel "Conquest of the Moon Pool" in 1919 and published in revised form as a novel under the title of the original tale) that truly established Merritt as one of the important voices in fantastic fiction (and science fiction, as his work is often that blend known as science fantasy). This tale was a favorite of H. P. Lovecraft, among others, and "The People of the Pit", it has been argued, may have also had an influence on HPL's At the Mountains of Madness. Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage returned the favor, as it was his hommage to HPL.
Merritt produced eight novels:
The Moon Pool (1919)
The Metal Monster (1920)
The Ship of Ishtar (1926)
Seven Footprints to Satan (1928)
The Face in the Abyss (complete novel 1931; original novelette form 1923)
The Dwellers in the Mirage (1932)
Burn, Witch, Burn (1933)
Creep, Shadow (a.k.a. Creep, Shadow, Creep!; 1934)
and the collection, The Fox Woman and Other Stories (which also includes a few unfinished pieces). There was also an unfinished novel completed by Hannes Bok (friend of Merritt and one of the artists to whom he had given his support at the beginning of Bok's career), The Black Wheel (1948).
His first story, "Through the Dragon Glass" (1917), though a very good tale -- in fact, quite remarkable for a first published story -- is not quite as strong as some of his later work, but remains a minor gem of fantasy. This was followed by "The People of the Pit" (1918), which depicts a truly alien civilization and manages to maintain the mystery and eeriness of the concept throughout the tale. Yet neither of these quite made Merritt's reputation. It was the original short tale of "The Moon Pool" (also 1918, though later joined to its sequel "Conquest of the Moon Pool" in 1919 and published in revised form as a novel under the title of the original tale) that truly established Merritt as one of the important voices in fantastic fiction (and science fiction, as his work is often that blend known as science fantasy). This tale was a favorite of H. P. Lovecraft, among others, and "The People of the Pit", it has been argued, may have also had an influence on HPL's At the Mountains of Madness. Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage returned the favor, as it was his hommage to HPL.
Merritt produced eight novels:
The Moon Pool (1919)
The Metal Monster (1920)
The Ship of Ishtar (1926)
Seven Footprints to Satan (1928)
The Face in the Abyss (complete novel 1931; original novelette form 1923)
The Dwellers in the Mirage (1932)
Burn, Witch, Burn (1933)
Creep, Shadow (a.k.a. Creep, Shadow, Creep!; 1934)
and the collection, The Fox Woman and Other Stories (which also includes a few unfinished pieces). There was also an unfinished novel completed by Hannes Bok (friend of Merritt and one of the artists to whom he had given his support at the beginning of Bok's career), The Black Wheel (1948).