Book Description
The first scholarly edition of a classic science fiction novel.
From the Publisher
5 1/2 x 8 1/2 trim. 8 illus.
About the Author
Author of 15 science fiction and fantasy novels, ABRAHAM MERRITT (1884-1943) was the most popular genre writer of his time. His talent for fantasy and science fiction writing was first recognized when the novelette version of this story appeared in a 1918 issue of All-Story Weekly. MICHAEL LEVY currently serves as Chair of the Department of English and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Moon Pool ANNOTATION
Dubbed "The Shining One" by terrified Pacific natives, an evil mass of energy, powered by the full moon, roams the night seeking victims to kidnap. When an anthropologist falls into the clutches of the Shining One, he is whisked into the bowels of titantic caverns, where others are imprisoned, and finds himself engaged in a desperate attempt to save the sunlit world above.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Set on the island of Ponape, full of ruins from ancient civilizations, the novel chronicles the adventures of a party of explorers who discover a previously unknown underground world full of strange peoples and super-scientific wonders. From the depths of this world, the party unwittingly unleashes the Dweller, a monstrous terror that threatens the islands of the South Pacific. Although Merritt did not invent the lost world novel, following in the footsteps of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Burroughs and others, he greatly elaborated upon that tradition. This new edition includes a biography of the author, and an introduction detailing Merritt's many sources and influences, including the occult, mythological, and scientific discourses of his day.
SYNOPSIS
An anthropologist is kidnapped by an evil spirit.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The Wesleyan Early Classics of Science Fiction presents the first scholarly edition of A. Merritt's celebrated lost world novel, The Moon Pool, edited and with an introduction by Michael Levy. First published as a novelette in All-Story Weekly in 1918, it remains a landmark fantasy. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
"This edition of The Moon Pool is a rare accomplishment: a scholarly edition of a piece of pulp fiction. Levy's edition does a service to the whole genre."
Kirkus Reviews
First published as a novel in 1919, this path-breaking genre piece was praised by The New York Times, whose review of Merritt (1884-1945) is appended here. Also included in this new edition: a lukewarm introduction by SF star Robert Silverberg, who admits his "fatigue" of so many fantasy cliches found in Merritt's other-world narrative. On the other hand, Merritt was among the first (with Verne and Haggard, whom he most resembles) to speculate in fiction about the implications of the new science, archaeology, and anthropology at the turn of the century. This faux memoir records a botanist's tale of life in a lost "Atlantis" in the Pacific, a fantastic nether world controlled by forces of electricity and magnetism. The stock characters-from a chatty Irish adventurer to a scheming Russian scientist-bring to life a story that resembles too many movies to name. And scriptwriters might still find much to mine in this entertaining ode to love and sacrifice.
Art & Photography
Book Info
