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Seven Footprints To Satan
Jim Kirkham, a young man of wealth, devoted to exploration and collections of antiques is in love with Eve Martin, the daughter of a collection of gems.
At a reception in Eve’s home, a fabulous gem is exhibited and, at this time, a series of strange events begin – and as a result the gem is lost. In setting out to inform the police, Eve and Jim are kidnapped and, after a wild ride in a car, they find themselves in the home of a mysterious man who calls himself Satan…
A perfect, thrilling novel by one of Stephen King's favourite authors.
At a reception in Eve’s home, a fabulous gem is exhibited and, at this time, a series of strange events begin – and as a result the gem is lost. In setting out to inform the police, Eve and Jim are kidnapped and, after a wild ride in a car, they find themselves in the home of a mysterious man who calls himself Satan…
A perfect, thrilling novel by one of Stephen King's favourite authors.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1928
12 people are currently reading
396 people want to read
About the author
A. Merritt
245 books121 followersAbraham Grace Merritt, wrote under the name of A. Merritt, born in New Jersey moved as a child to Philadelphia, Pa. in 1894, began studying law and than switched to journalism. Later a very popular writer starting in 1919 of the teens, twenties and thirties, horror and fantasy genres. King of the purple prose, most famous The Moon Pool, a south seas lost island civilization, hidden underground and The Ship of Ishtar, an Arabian Nights type fable, and six other novels and short stories collections (he had written at first, just for fun). Nobody could do that variety better, sold millions of books in his career. The bright man, became editor of the most successful magazine during the Depression, The American Weekly , with a fabulous $100,000 in salary. A great traveler, in search of unusual items he collected. His private library of 5,000 volumes had many of the occult macabre kind. Yet this talented author is now largely been forgotten.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
May 11, 2024
They found Satan in the suburbs of New York City, Long Island to be exact. You reply on the street that's not news, the Devil manipulates the Stock Market, again, give me something I haven't heard before. Lucifer has a vast treasure trove, looted the biggest in history in his massive, secluded mansion on the north shore, you yawn and walk away ... Jim Kirkham is back from China where the adventurer had a very profitable trip, stealing... finding jade, ( in a Tomb) and selling them to a fat cat in Gotham who to show his goodness donated them to a museum how noble ! But Mr. Kirkham unwisely invested all his profits, so difficult to obtain, almost losing his life numerous times, on the New York Stock Market. The man still has a few dollars in his pocket over fifty bucks! And the awareness that someone or thing has been following him for weeks, maybe just shadows on the wall? A creepy feeling though, James is not a coward he deliberately goes on the streets of the city. Bumps into a man with a familiar face his own on 5th Avenue, heading to Kirkham's club. Must be a lot of guys that look like Jim. It's a big metropolis millions of people, with almost half with his same persuasion. But now not feeling too comfortable, he decides to sit on a bench. Meeting a scholarly man and has a very interesting conversation before being kidnapped, no escape possible. Dr. Michael Consardine he says he is, brings him with the help of friends including Eve, a gorgeous young woman to the Devil's home, (with no doors or windows just secret panels). She takes a little of the sting from a dire situation. Yes, the danger is almost worth it. Seeing Satan seven feet tall, bald with the biggest, bluest eyes that the explorer has ever gazed at. They want him to join the large criminal organization and do a small job, reluctantly ... But the fun loving Lucifer likes to play also, with his many friends famous rich people too, movie stars, important politicians, powerful businessmen, intelligent scientists the top of the totem pole kind. Satan's little helpers the drugged with Kehft, killer slaves, "stupid brutes" who do any task Satan asks as long as they get the green liquid. They live in the filthy, unseen dungeon, Kirkham even starts to believe this man is really the fallen angel, while falling in love with Eve Satan's future bride . Luckily, a man Jim saved in World War I, ten years earlier Barker, an English master thief gives him valuable information and assistance too. The favorite game of the malignant Satan, with a large thrill seeking, bizarre audience present is from the legend of Lord Buddha. Gautama when first born, seven footsteps he took, one north, east, south and west and the other three unneeded, useless and soon deadly. If a person can walk up some stair steps the four good without stepping on the three evil ones, (the footprints glow) all the world is his or hers. Ruler of Earth everything he desires but there is always a but, failure excruciating pain, limitless torture and hopefully for the loser a quick death ...Jim is a very brave man. Let the games begin.
November 3, 2025
More than 90 years before Squid Game, there was Seven Footprints to Satan.
Explorer James Kirkham comes back to New York from a lucrative mission in China and quickly finds himself kidnapped and brought to a cult run by a man calling himself Satan. Satan wants to play a little game with Kirkham and if he fails, it could cost him more than just his life.
It’s weird, atmospheric, suspenseful and gripping. It’s actually kind of hard not to get sucked into the story once you’re reading it, which is one of Merritt’s greatest strengths as a writer in my opinion.
The beginning is incredibly strong, hooking you from the get go. James Kirkham is kidnapped on the street and he tries to convince a passing police officer he is being kidnapped. But everything Kirkham can think of to confirm his own identity gets countered with such remarkable ease by his kidnapper, even Kirkham himself almost starts to doubt his own identity. It’s like he’s playing a high stakes game of poker with a deck of cards that he quickly realizes was rigged against him from the start. These first couple of scenes are so masterfully crafted, it just shows what a skilled writer Merritt actually was.
The game Kirkham’s forced to play here is a pretty simple game involving a staircase. There are seven shiny special steps. Four of those are good steps and three are bad. You must step on four of them to reach the top. If you step on all four good ones, you win and Satan will satisfy all your desires. If you land on one bad step, you must do Satan one favor and you try the game all over again. If you land on two bad steps, you have to do Satan’s bidding for a whole year. If you land on all three bad steps, your body and soul will be Satan’s for all eternity. The steps randomly switch places each time the game is reset. The added challenge is the fact that you don’t know if you’ve chosen the right steps until after you’ve finished the game. You can check to see whether you’ve chosen the right steps or not during the game, all you have to do is turn around and look at the indicator behind you. But if you do, you forfeit the game. And you have to start all over again. The biblical reference to Lot’s wife is used fiendishly clever here.
This game actually reminds me a lot of Squid Game and the many Japanese manga that inspired it like Liar Game, Kaiji, As the Gods Will, … It’s just an easy to understand game that lends itself to quickly turning the story into a very on the edge of your seat suspenseful kind of thriller.
Abraham Merritt mostly wrote fantasy and lost world stories, almost all of them in far away and exotic locations. But this one actually takes place in New York. There’s also less of the luscious prose Merritt is so known for, it’s a much more straight forward writing style. This really is an oddity in Merritt’s work. Though it does make this particular book feel perhaps a little bit more accessible and less exhausting for a modern audience to read than his earlier works, like The Moon Pool.
There’s a 1929 silent movie adaption. Abraham Merritt later commented that the only similarity between the book and the movie was the title. I’ve watched the first half of the movie and I have to agree. A lot of details are changed and not for the better, turning the story into something completely different. The kidnapping scene in the book feels like the protagonist is having a psychological war game with his kidnapper. The kidnapping scene in the movie has the subtlety and cleverness of a baseball bat whacking you in the face. It also doesn’t really make that much sense. While the mood of the book is creepy and full of suspense, the movie just feels a bit too silly and unrealistic. The book sales apparently plummeted because of the movie at the time. So if you’re interested in this story, it might be worth checking out the book instead of the movie.
There’s one big downside to this book. There’s quite a bit of racism to be found here. This is of course a sign of the times it was written in, but still feels very unfortunate and occasionally even a bit uncomfortable for a modern reader. It’s not the most racist story from the pulp fiction era, but it’s definitely very noticeable.
Abraham Merritt is one of the forgotten masters of the pulp fiction era and this book might be the one book of his a modern audience might actually appreciate most from him. The prose is more accessible here than in his other works, the setting feels more modern and the game is very gripping. It’s just a shame this is by far the most racist book he’s ever written. This is a problem with many pulp stories, but here it does stand out like a cow on a pig farm.
Explorer James Kirkham comes back to New York from a lucrative mission in China and quickly finds himself kidnapped and brought to a cult run by a man calling himself Satan. Satan wants to play a little game with Kirkham and if he fails, it could cost him more than just his life.
It’s weird, atmospheric, suspenseful and gripping. It’s actually kind of hard not to get sucked into the story once you’re reading it, which is one of Merritt’s greatest strengths as a writer in my opinion.
The beginning is incredibly strong, hooking you from the get go. James Kirkham is kidnapped on the street and he tries to convince a passing police officer he is being kidnapped. But everything Kirkham can think of to confirm his own identity gets countered with such remarkable ease by his kidnapper, even Kirkham himself almost starts to doubt his own identity. It’s like he’s playing a high stakes game of poker with a deck of cards that he quickly realizes was rigged against him from the start. These first couple of scenes are so masterfully crafted, it just shows what a skilled writer Merritt actually was.
The game Kirkham’s forced to play here is a pretty simple game involving a staircase. There are seven shiny special steps. Four of those are good steps and three are bad. You must step on four of them to reach the top. If you step on all four good ones, you win and Satan will satisfy all your desires. If you land on one bad step, you must do Satan one favor and you try the game all over again. If you land on two bad steps, you have to do Satan’s bidding for a whole year. If you land on all three bad steps, your body and soul will be Satan’s for all eternity. The steps randomly switch places each time the game is reset. The added challenge is the fact that you don’t know if you’ve chosen the right steps until after you’ve finished the game. You can check to see whether you’ve chosen the right steps or not during the game, all you have to do is turn around and look at the indicator behind you. But if you do, you forfeit the game. And you have to start all over again. The biblical reference to Lot’s wife is used fiendishly clever here.
This game actually reminds me a lot of Squid Game and the many Japanese manga that inspired it like Liar Game, Kaiji, As the Gods Will, … It’s just an easy to understand game that lends itself to quickly turning the story into a very on the edge of your seat suspenseful kind of thriller.
Abraham Merritt mostly wrote fantasy and lost world stories, almost all of them in far away and exotic locations. But this one actually takes place in New York. There’s also less of the luscious prose Merritt is so known for, it’s a much more straight forward writing style. This really is an oddity in Merritt’s work. Though it does make this particular book feel perhaps a little bit more accessible and less exhausting for a modern audience to read than his earlier works, like The Moon Pool.
There’s a 1929 silent movie adaption. Abraham Merritt later commented that the only similarity between the book and the movie was the title. I’ve watched the first half of the movie and I have to agree. A lot of details are changed and not for the better, turning the story into something completely different. The kidnapping scene in the book feels like the protagonist is having a psychological war game with his kidnapper. The kidnapping scene in the movie has the subtlety and cleverness of a baseball bat whacking you in the face. It also doesn’t really make that much sense. While the mood of the book is creepy and full of suspense, the movie just feels a bit too silly and unrealistic. The book sales apparently plummeted because of the movie at the time. So if you’re interested in this story, it might be worth checking out the book instead of the movie.
There’s one big downside to this book. There’s quite a bit of racism to be found here. This is of course a sign of the times it was written in, but still feels very unfortunate and occasionally even a bit uncomfortable for a modern reader. It’s not the most racist story from the pulp fiction era, but it’s definitely very noticeable.
Abraham Merritt is one of the forgotten masters of the pulp fiction era and this book might be the one book of his a modern audience might actually appreciate most from him. The prose is more accessible here than in his other works, the setting feels more modern and the game is very gripping. It’s just a shame this is by far the most racist book he’s ever written. This is a problem with many pulp stories, but here it does stand out like a cow on a pig farm.
August 19, 2011
Readers of Abraham Merritt's first four novels--"The Moon Pool," "The Metal Monster," "The Face in the Abyss" and "The Ship of Ishtar"--may feel a little surprised as they get into his fifth, "Seven Footprints to Satan." Whereas those earlier fantasy masterpieces featured exotic locales such as the Pacific islands, the Himalayas and Peru; extravagant purple prose, dense with hyperadjectival descriptions; and living light creatures, metallic sentient cubes, a lost semireptilian race and battling gods, "Footprints" takes place, for the most part, in good ol' New York City and its suburbs, and tells an almost realistic tale of kidnapping and crime in direct, almost blunt prose. Indeed, although "Footprints" first appeared in "Argosy" magazine in 1927, and in book form the following year, it almost reads as if it had come from the pages of one of the crime pulps, such as "Black Mask" or "Crack Detective Stories." In this fast-moving tale, we meet James Kirkham, an adventurer/explorer (and, with a name like that, future candidate for Star Fleet Academy!) who is kidnapped off the streets of downtown Manhattan by the minions of Satan, a crime lord/supervillain/evil genius. Kirkham is forced to play a game in Satan's lair, during which he is made to tread on seven glowing footprints, four of which are "fortunate" and three "unfortunate." Depending on the steps he lands on, he will either be killed, serve Satan for a year, be given a fantastic fortune, etc. I am not giving away too much by saying that Kirkham winds up a bond servant to Satan, and is compelled to commit various fantastic crimes while in his service. He is housed in Satan's mazelike chateau with dozens of others, and falls in love with a fellow prisoner, Eve. (I suppose having Kirkham's first name be "Adam" would have been forcing things a bit!)
Grotesque in appearance, vast of intellect, profound lover of beauty, and sadistic in the extreme, Satan makes for one terrific character. With his strain of Chinese background, he is reminiscent of Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu, but also of the supervillains of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Indeed, for much of the novel, it is unclear whether Satan is or isn't the actual article; Old Scratch himself. The scenes in which he is present are quite riveting. Merritt keeps things barely on this side of reality; nothing that transpires in the book--the museum theft, the slaves kept in bondage by the mind-altering kehft drug, the worldwide criminal organization, the high-seas piracy--is beyond the realm of credibility. And, suiting style to story, Merritt, as I mentioned up top, writes in spare, wonderfully controlled, crime-pulp prose. Thus, we get a line such as "I shot from the floor, and ...drilled [him] through the head." The dropping of the aforementioned purple prose makes the book seem lean and streamlined; it really does move, and keeps the reader turning the pages. The finale of the book is thrilling in the extreme, and concludes most satisfactorily. I have read that "Footprints" was turned into a 1928 film starring Thelma Todd as Eve, but from the plot synopses on imdb.com, it would seem that this film is a very loose adaptation, at best. I'd love to see it one day, just for comparative purposes, but can't imagine it equalling the suspense and excitement of the book. "Footprints" may have been a change in direction for A. Merritt, but it still makes for marvelous entertainment.
Grotesque in appearance, vast of intellect, profound lover of beauty, and sadistic in the extreme, Satan makes for one terrific character. With his strain of Chinese background, he is reminiscent of Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu, but also of the supervillains of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Indeed, for much of the novel, it is unclear whether Satan is or isn't the actual article; Old Scratch himself. The scenes in which he is present are quite riveting. Merritt keeps things barely on this side of reality; nothing that transpires in the book--the museum theft, the slaves kept in bondage by the mind-altering kehft drug, the worldwide criminal organization, the high-seas piracy--is beyond the realm of credibility. And, suiting style to story, Merritt, as I mentioned up top, writes in spare, wonderfully controlled, crime-pulp prose. Thus, we get a line such as "I shot from the floor, and ...drilled [him] through the head." The dropping of the aforementioned purple prose makes the book seem lean and streamlined; it really does move, and keeps the reader turning the pages. The finale of the book is thrilling in the extreme, and concludes most satisfactorily. I have read that "Footprints" was turned into a 1928 film starring Thelma Todd as Eve, but from the plot synopses on imdb.com, it would seem that this film is a very loose adaptation, at best. I'd love to see it one day, just for comparative purposes, but can't imagine it equalling the suspense and excitement of the book. "Footprints" may have been a change in direction for A. Merritt, but it still makes for marvelous entertainment.
April 3, 2008
This is part horror, part adventure and part crime novel. A bit like a combination of Fu Manchu and Indiana Jones. But a much much less racist version of Fu Manchu. It involves an intrepid explorer who finds himself ensnared by a diabolical criminal mastermind who calls himself Satan. The seven footprints of the title are a wonderful idea – they’re the footsteps of the infant Buddha, some of which were turned to evil, and they form the centrepiece of a cruel but ingenious game by which Satan’s victims can escape his clutches, or become his servants forever. There’s more to the idea than my brief summary would indicate, and I think it’s a delightfully clever idea. The book combines suspense and romance, and packs an enormous amount of fun into a mere 224 pages. This is the third book of Merritt’s that I’ve read, and they’re all sparkling entertainment.
March 3, 2022
Динамично, диаболично и директно.
Роман, който не си губи времето в празни приказки, а направо блъска напред с тежки стъпки. Може ли един учен, уловен в примката на Сатаната, да се справи с всички перипети и да тържествува в един щастлив финал? Дали Сатаната е истински или е само фалшив идол, който ще рухне под тежестта на собствените си лъжи?
Мерит дава отговорите на тези и други въпроси - вижте и вие, докато стъпките не са дошли пред прага ви.
Роман, който не си губи времето в празни приказки, а направо блъска напред с тежки стъпки. Може ли един учен, уловен в примката на Сатаната, да се справи с всички перипети и да тържествува в един щастлив финал? Дали Сатаната е истински или е само фалшив идол, който ще рухне под тежестта на собствените си лъжи?
Мерит дава отговорите на тези и други въпроси - вижте и вие, докато стъпките не са дошли пред прага ви.
November 27, 2013
Originally published in 1928, Seven Footprints to Satan one-ups the standard pulp formula of a world-famous explorer who recovered a valuable artifacts with great dollops of wit and courage, only to find that her/his success provided a springboard into something more dangerous and mysterious. That more dangerous and mysterious situation usually involves a criminal mastermind with massive resources in terms of both wealth and minions combined with some scientific or supernatural power that enables the criminal mastermind to prosecute his/her nefarious schemes with virtual impunity. But what if that criminal mastermind was the ultimate “criminal” mastermind, Satan? No, this isn’t a Church Lady routine from the old Saturday Night Live skits. The ultimate bad guy presented in Seven Footprints to Satan is presented as Satan.
Protagonist James Kirkham is abducted against his will from the center of Manhattan and discovers both the tremendous power and innate cruelty of this ultimate bad guy such that, late in the book, he observes, “And, if Satan was not what he pretended, very surely he was not disgracing the power whose name he had taken.” (p. 118) When Satan protests that the old religious metaphors of hell and brimstone were outdated, Kirkham responds with a call-back to the temptation of Christ: “Yet still, as of old, you take your prospective customers up a high mountain and offer them the kingdoms of Earth.” (p. 67)
The version of the “mountain” to which Kirkham refers is an eponymous contraption built upon a Buddhist legend about seven steps—four leading to Nirvana and three leading toward human weakness and/or destruction. Humans who had displeased Satan were forced to choose four of these seven steps without knowing the results of each step until the very end. If they touch one of the three, they owe a service to Satan. Two steps cause a year’s servitude. Three steps incur death. Kirkham has to deal with the puzzle related to the steps or face imminent death.
In addition to the requisite pulp elements (an incredible chemist, a light-haired and shapely love interest in the clutches of the ultimate bad guy, a handy ally rescued earlier in the protagonist’s career, one or more disillusioned followers of the ultimate bad guy, intricate plans, mysterious contraptions, and a fortress filled with fabulous wealth and intricate passages), this novel adds some interesting ethical dilemmas. In order to save himself, Kirkham has to decided (like a good spy) how far he can become enmeshed in Satan’s plans without causing more harm and havoc than he can accept.
Some of the lines I enjoyed in this novel include one in which the ideas of courage and what it means to be human were described. The former read: “Courage is the cool weighing of the factors of an emergency within whatever time limit your judgment tells you that you have, and then the putting of every last ounce of brain, nerve, and muscle into the course chosen.” (p. 12) The latter read: “A man is his aims plus what he works to attain them.” (p. 67). I also liked this image of Kirkham recognizing Satan using the truth as a weapon of misdirection: “…he did not realize that truth, aptly manipulated, creates far better illusions than do lies.” (p. 37)
So, is Satan as Prince of Lies the prime antagonist in this novel or is Satan as criminal mastermind a supernatural emissary of the biblical personality whose very name means “Antagonist?” Is Satan a genuine supernatural foe in this story or a human simulacrum driven to feed on the same kind of cruelty and pain (both physical and emotional) as the Prince of Lies presented in scripture? That’s only one of the interesting questions in this novel. Even if you think you know the answer, it is a fascinating trip to unravel the strings (or perhaps, given a recurring metaphor in the novel, the webs) leading to the answer.
Protagonist James Kirkham is abducted against his will from the center of Manhattan and discovers both the tremendous power and innate cruelty of this ultimate bad guy such that, late in the book, he observes, “And, if Satan was not what he pretended, very surely he was not disgracing the power whose name he had taken.” (p. 118) When Satan protests that the old religious metaphors of hell and brimstone were outdated, Kirkham responds with a call-back to the temptation of Christ: “Yet still, as of old, you take your prospective customers up a high mountain and offer them the kingdoms of Earth.” (p. 67)
The version of the “mountain” to which Kirkham refers is an eponymous contraption built upon a Buddhist legend about seven steps—four leading to Nirvana and three leading toward human weakness and/or destruction. Humans who had displeased Satan were forced to choose four of these seven steps without knowing the results of each step until the very end. If they touch one of the three, they owe a service to Satan. Two steps cause a year’s servitude. Three steps incur death. Kirkham has to deal with the puzzle related to the steps or face imminent death.
In addition to the requisite pulp elements (an incredible chemist, a light-haired and shapely love interest in the clutches of the ultimate bad guy, a handy ally rescued earlier in the protagonist’s career, one or more disillusioned followers of the ultimate bad guy, intricate plans, mysterious contraptions, and a fortress filled with fabulous wealth and intricate passages), this novel adds some interesting ethical dilemmas. In order to save himself, Kirkham has to decided (like a good spy) how far he can become enmeshed in Satan’s plans without causing more harm and havoc than he can accept.
Some of the lines I enjoyed in this novel include one in which the ideas of courage and what it means to be human were described. The former read: “Courage is the cool weighing of the factors of an emergency within whatever time limit your judgment tells you that you have, and then the putting of every last ounce of brain, nerve, and muscle into the course chosen.” (p. 12) The latter read: “A man is his aims plus what he works to attain them.” (p. 67). I also liked this image of Kirkham recognizing Satan using the truth as a weapon of misdirection: “…he did not realize that truth, aptly manipulated, creates far better illusions than do lies.” (p. 37)
So, is Satan as Prince of Lies the prime antagonist in this novel or is Satan as criminal mastermind a supernatural emissary of the biblical personality whose very name means “Antagonist?” Is Satan a genuine supernatural foe in this story or a human simulacrum driven to feed on the same kind of cruelty and pain (both physical and emotional) as the Prince of Lies presented in scripture? That’s only one of the interesting questions in this novel. Even if you think you know the answer, it is a fascinating trip to unravel the strings (or perhaps, given a recurring metaphor in the novel, the webs) leading to the answer.
August 21, 2019
This novel, first published in 1928, and probably a magazine serial before that, differs from the other novels I've read by this author. In this, although there is a hinting at a supernatural element, everything in it is explicable by technology and trickery, and it falls rather more into the fast paced detective/thriller/adventure genre of the time with lots of action.
Briefly, the hero, James Kirkham, is an adventurer known for retrieving ancient artefacts sometimes in rather daring fashion - a sort of Indiana Jones before that character was even thought of. At the start, he has been well paid for one of these missions, but has just lost the lot in bad investments on the stock market - which turn out to have been deliberately manipulated to do so by a crime boss with a difference. This man, who leads a worldwide organisation that includes people highly placed in the government, media, industry and other sectors, and who also keeps an army of drug addicts who will do anything for him for their next fix, has a large collection of stolen art treasures. He has had James watched for some time, has been manipulating him, and has now decided to force James to join his organisation. He arranges to kidnap James in such a way that James' appeals to authority go nowhere. James ends up at his hideout and is drawn into the crime boss' game - and the central part of that is his self-styled posing as Satan.
James and the heroine Eve, with whom he first clashes but shortly forms a devoted attachment, are pretty cardboard as characters, but I liked the Cockney thief/engineer without whom they would not have a prayer. A stereotype, but still engaging.
The book is quite a page turner and not hard to zoom through in a day or so. Pretty forgettable, but good fun while it lasts. There are some slightly old fashioned attitudes in it, with James' views of Satan's possible part Chinese heritage, and the term the Cockney uses which wouldn't be acceptable today but the book is much less beset by racism than a lot of the popular writing of that period, and even if the heroine is quite often tearful at least she doesn't faint or have hysterics. So a 3 star read.
Briefly, the hero, James Kirkham, is an adventurer known for retrieving ancient artefacts sometimes in rather daring fashion - a sort of Indiana Jones before that character was even thought of. At the start, he has been well paid for one of these missions, but has just lost the lot in bad investments on the stock market - which turn out to have been deliberately manipulated to do so by a crime boss with a difference. This man, who leads a worldwide organisation that includes people highly placed in the government, media, industry and other sectors, and who also keeps an army of drug addicts who will do anything for him for their next fix, has a large collection of stolen art treasures. He has had James watched for some time, has been manipulating him, and has now decided to force James to join his organisation. He arranges to kidnap James in such a way that James' appeals to authority go nowhere. James ends up at his hideout and is drawn into the crime boss' game - and the central part of that is his self-styled posing as Satan.
James and the heroine Eve, with whom he first clashes but shortly forms a devoted attachment, are pretty cardboard as characters, but I liked the Cockney thief/engineer without whom they would not have a prayer. A stereotype, but still engaging.
The book is quite a page turner and not hard to zoom through in a day or so. Pretty forgettable, but good fun while it lasts. There are some slightly old fashioned attitudes in it, with James' views of Satan's possible part Chinese heritage, and the term the Cockney uses which wouldn't be acceptable today but the book is much less beset by racism than a lot of the popular writing of that period, and even if the heroine is quite often tearful at least she doesn't faint or have hysterics. So a 3 star read.
December 18, 2016
За разлика от другите книги на Мерит, тук попаднах на класически пълп сюжет с технически уклон и мистерия. Верен на себе си, авторът е вкарал и доволна доза зловещи моменти.
Предшественик на Индиана Джоунс попада в мрежата на богат и гениален психопат, извратена версия на граф Монте Кристо, който си мисли, че е Сатаната и колекционира предмети на изкуството и хора. Залагайки на човешката алчност той ги поставя в извратена игра в която залогът е собствената им душа. Ако иска да се спаси Джим ще трябва да го победи в собствените му игри с малка помощ от очаквани и неочаквани места.
Писана преди почти век, книгата не изостава на модерните в жанра, даже ги превъзхожда. Малко ме издразниха русизмите и омазаните идиоми в превода, които показваха, че не е работена от английски и убиха част от чара ѝ.
Предшественик на Индиана Джоунс попада в мрежата на богат и гениален психопат, извратена версия на граф Монте Кристо, който си мисли, че е Сатаната и колекционира предмети на изкуството и хора. Залагайки на човешката алчност той ги поставя в извратена игра в която залогът е собствената им душа. Ако иска да се спаси Джим ще трябва да го победи в собствените му игри с малка помощ от очаквани и неочаквани места.
Писана преди почти век, книгата не изостава на модерните в жанра, даже ги превъзхожда. Малко ме издразниха русизмите и омазаните идиоми в превода, които показваха, че не е работена от английски и убиха част от чара ѝ.
September 6, 2018
Merritt is all about the spectacle. Every single story climaxes around some magnificent set piece and then obliterates itself in cataclysm, usually with the hero and heroine/love-interest barely escaping the conflagration. And usually well before that the hero is forced to be witness to some other over-the-top elaborate set piece spectacle.
Which is weird, in this case, because the best part is not the final conflagration but in the tense, quiet introduction as Kirkham is delicately captured and brought to Satan. This is not by force or guile--though Kirkham pointedly asks why he didn't just receive a badly-needed job offer instead--but by a combination of careful planning, impersonation, and manipulation of witnesses. A later jewel heist works similarly and even more impressively: the wrap-up explains why his strange instructions worked and were absolutely perfect.
But Merritt, apparently, couldn't keep this Mission Impossible stuff up, which is a real shame. He reverts to his usual mode of a leering villain and desperate heroics in the face of total doom.
Which is weird, in this case, because the best part is not the final conflagration but in the tense, quiet introduction as Kirkham is delicately captured and brought to Satan. This is not by force or guile--though Kirkham pointedly asks why he didn't just receive a badly-needed job offer instead--but by a combination of careful planning, impersonation, and manipulation of witnesses. A later jewel heist works similarly and even more impressively: the wrap-up explains why his strange instructions worked and were absolutely perfect.
But Merritt, apparently, couldn't keep this Mission Impossible stuff up, which is a real shame. He reverts to his usual mode of a leering villain and desperate heroics in the face of total doom.
June 8, 2016
The second round with A. Merritt presents some interesting parallels. It's the story of an explorer who is kidnapped to a massive estate by a villain called Satan who controls powerful people by forcing them to gamble with him in a sort of a weird gameshow. Our hero tries to bide his time and pretend to go along with Satan's plan while becoming obsessed with a woman who aided in his kidnapping.
It's like the 60s “The Saint” movie “The Fiction Makers” crossed with “The Running Man” (film, not book), with heavy doses of Howard's “Skullface”, and Rohmer's “Fu Manchu”.
It's a 1920s product, relying on different notions of honor, courage, etc. Coincidence is a major factor, too. These are factors that tend to make for a period throwaway, but Merritt's style and imagination sustain it.
On a side note, I love the old pulp stuff better than anything, but... what the hell was with writers in the 20s and over-selling character's accents? In “The Blind Spot” the book almost stopped dead because a Scotch character showed up with long blocks of apostrophe-filled dialogue, Merritt's earlier “The Moon Pool” did something similar with a bombastically Irish character, and now here in “Seven Footprints to Satan” we have Barker, a character who yacks in a deeply defined cockney accent. The book had my full attention, but every time Barker started talking I wanted to put it down.
Anyhow, there's good stuff in here, a couple of fun Hitchcockian touches, the really weird and somewhat cheesy nature of the whole footprint staircase, a mansion made entirely of secret passages, and the expected romantic adventure stuff. For my money, Merritt pulled it off just fine, but I'm knocking off points for Barker's dialogue.
It's like the 60s “The Saint” movie “The Fiction Makers” crossed with “The Running Man” (film, not book), with heavy doses of Howard's “Skullface”, and Rohmer's “Fu Manchu”.
It's a 1920s product, relying on different notions of honor, courage, etc. Coincidence is a major factor, too. These are factors that tend to make for a period throwaway, but Merritt's style and imagination sustain it.
On a side note, I love the old pulp stuff better than anything, but... what the hell was with writers in the 20s and over-selling character's accents? In “The Blind Spot” the book almost stopped dead because a Scotch character showed up with long blocks of apostrophe-filled dialogue, Merritt's earlier “The Moon Pool” did something similar with a bombastically Irish character, and now here in “Seven Footprints to Satan” we have Barker, a character who yacks in a deeply defined cockney accent. The book had my full attention, but every time Barker started talking I wanted to put it down.
Anyhow, there's good stuff in here, a couple of fun Hitchcockian touches, the really weird and somewhat cheesy nature of the whole footprint staircase, a mansion made entirely of secret passages, and the expected romantic adventure stuff. For my money, Merritt pulled it off just fine, but I'm knocking off points for Barker's dialogue.
November 2, 2018
Excellent pulp era story by a writer mostly forgotten today. Very good read and great characters. Very recommended
September 12, 2025
It had some memorable characters and certainly wasn’t badly written but mostly felt impossibly quaint and musty.
There are some cool scenes though, the artifice of the steps that the cult members have to ascend is a clever one and a weird twist on a Buddhist belief i was unaware of.
The torture chamber made out of mirrors was I swear ripped off by the first Flash comic I ever saw.
I also really liked the character of the cockney cat burglar character but reading his dialogue, all dropped haitches was seriously torturous.
There are some cool scenes though, the artifice of the steps that the cult members have to ascend is a clever one and a weird twist on a Buddhist belief i was unaware of.
The torture chamber made out of mirrors was I swear ripped off by the first Flash comic I ever saw.
I also really liked the character of the cockney cat burglar character but reading his dialogue, all dropped haitches was seriously torturous.
November 29, 2021
UPDATE 11/28/2021: On re-reading, what stood out to me this time is the way Merritt keeps you off-guard by never letting up on the tension. If you ever paused to think about the situation, the fabric would rapidly fall apart (some of the most intelligent and ruthless people Satan can collect never once question whether his game is rigged?). But, there is never really a chance to pause, if you read it as written. Each moment, the stakes are raised and the situation is pressed to a new extreme, and the reader is fascinated to see how far it can go before it breaks. A great example of how an adventure novel should be written.
Original review 5/20/2012:
It would probably surprise some people to know that this odd little adventure novel is included on lists of "forbidden books" among occult groups, or that, along with "Nightmare Alley," it inspired some of the early lights in the Church of Satan. My guess is that it is only "forbidden" because certain elements of the occult world don't want you to realize how much of their shtick is stolen lock, stock, and barrel from pulp fiction.
The story concerns an Indiana Jones-type adventurer who is kidnapped (from the "Adventurers' Club," no less!) by an evil mastermind who calls himself Satan. Satan promises him opportunities for pleasure, wealth, and adventure in return for working for him. Specifically, he wants to hire him for a small heist at an antiquities museum, but he'd also like to add our hero to his permanent staff of Highly Competent and Interesting People.
The hero decides to stick around, intrigued by Satan and also by one of his female assistants. He learns about the drug Kehft, which Satan uses to control some of his less loyal minions. It takes them into a world of their own dreams, wherein they rule as kings and queens, while in reality their minds and bodies wither from neglect and addiction. He also learns of the odd form of gambling Satan like to subject his followers to, wherein they climb a staircase with supposedly-random footprint lights. If a white light is lit, they gain boons from Satan, but if a black one, they must submit to a period of unpaid service, up to their entire lives when three black footprints appear. Naturally, our hero plays for the girl, and loses a year of freedom.
The story is engaging and interesting, and the character of Satan is especially well-written, and raises some interesting questions. Is he a con man or is he truly the Devil incarnate? Would there be a difference? What would that be? My edition of the book is illustrated with pictures from the silent movie version, which actually detracts somewhat, because the filmmakers evidently decided it was a comedy, and used a blond-Harold-Lloyd-type (including thick horn-rimmed glasses) to play the hero. Try to find an unillustrated edition.
Original review 5/20/2012:
It would probably surprise some people to know that this odd little adventure novel is included on lists of "forbidden books" among occult groups, or that, along with "Nightmare Alley," it inspired some of the early lights in the Church of Satan. My guess is that it is only "forbidden" because certain elements of the occult world don't want you to realize how much of their shtick is stolen lock, stock, and barrel from pulp fiction.
The story concerns an Indiana Jones-type adventurer who is kidnapped (from the "Adventurers' Club," no less!) by an evil mastermind who calls himself Satan. Satan promises him opportunities for pleasure, wealth, and adventure in return for working for him. Specifically, he wants to hire him for a small heist at an antiquities museum, but he'd also like to add our hero to his permanent staff of Highly Competent and Interesting People.
The hero decides to stick around, intrigued by Satan and also by one of his female assistants. He learns about the drug Kehft, which Satan uses to control some of his less loyal minions. It takes them into a world of their own dreams, wherein they rule as kings and queens, while in reality their minds and bodies wither from neglect and addiction. He also learns of the odd form of gambling Satan like to subject his followers to, wherein they climb a staircase with supposedly-random footprint lights. If a white light is lit, they gain boons from Satan, but if a black one, they must submit to a period of unpaid service, up to their entire lives when three black footprints appear. Naturally, our hero plays for the girl, and loses a year of freedom.
The story is engaging and interesting, and the character of Satan is especially well-written, and raises some interesting questions. Is he a con man or is he truly the Devil incarnate? Would there be a difference? What would that be? My edition of the book is illustrated with pictures from the silent movie version, which actually detracts somewhat, because the filmmakers evidently decided it was a comedy, and used a blond-Harold-Lloyd-type (including thick horn-rimmed glasses) to play the hero. Try to find an unillustrated edition.
February 7, 2015
I love Merritt's scenery chewing histrionics. His books are like popcorn for my brain. Junk food, but healthier junk food.
August 3, 2017
review of
A. Merritt's Seven Footprints to Satan
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - August 3, 2017
I have a vague memory of reading Merritt's name in association w/ H. P. Lovecraft's. That may be completely false. I've never found Lovecraft very interesting so, apparently, if I ran across that association it didn't do much to compel me to read Merritt. As such, this is the 1st bk I've read by him. I reckon that if I'd been alive & been a literate adult & read it in 1928 when it was 1st published I might've just found it ridiculous pop garbage. However, 89 yrs later, I found it quite enjoyable - maybe b/c I like all the pulp trappings that it excels in exploring.
The 1st p proclaims: "Over 5,000,000 Copies of A. Merritt's Books Sold In Avon Editions". That's impressive. I wonder if Merritt got any of the money or if the publishers managed to screw him. I think of all the big budget movies that've been made from Philip K. Dick bks & I think about his reputedly being so poor that he had to resort to eating dog food when he was alive. According to Wikipedia, Merritt was highly pd so I can't point an accusatory finger at publishers for this one.
"The clock was striking eight as I walked out of the doors of the Discoverers' Club and stood for a moment looking down lower Fifth Avenue. As I paused, I felt with full force that uncomfortable sensation of being watched that had both puzzled and harassed me for the past two weeks. A curiously prickly, cold feeling somewhere deep under the skin on the side the watchers are located; an odd sort of tingling pressure. It is a queer sort of a sensitivity that I have in common with most men who spend much of their lives in the jungle or desert. It is a throwback to some primitive sixth sense, since all savages have it until they get introduced to the white man's liquor." - p 5
That's the 1st paragraph. Whether or not the scene & sentiments are cliché it set a mood for me that I enjoyed & expectations that I looked forward to having fulfilled. I'm reminded of a bk I read when I was very young called The Spider's Den (1925), a detective story by Johnston McCulley. The atmosphere of that one must've made an impression on me. I have a vague memory of its featuring a diabolically clever criminal mastermind running a large network from a secret location full of secret passages. I'm further reminded of the series of movies, initially made by Fritz Lang, about Dr. Mabuse, the 1st of wch was called Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (Dr Mabuse der Spieler) (1922). I suppose these malevolent supergenius stories were all the rage in the 1920s.
The main character's name is James Kirkham. Of course, he has to be a man of unusual courage & character to pit himself against the crimelord.
"As I turned down Fifth Avenue from the Discoverers' Club a man passed me, a man whose gait and carriage, figure and clothing, were oddly familiar.
"I stood stock still, looking after him as he strolled leisurely up the steps and into the Club.
"The, queerly disturbed, I resumed my walk. There had been something peculiarly familiar, indeed disquietingly familiar, about that man. What was it? Making my way over to broadway, I went down that street, always aware of the watchers.
"But it was not until I was opposite City Hall that I realized what that truly weird familiarity had been. The realization came to me with a distinct shock.
"In gait and carriage, in figure and clothing, from light brown overcoat, gray soft hat, to strong Malacca cane that man had been—Myself!" - p 8
Obviously, the diabolical potential of that is strong. I wonder when the 1st identity theft story was? According to thebalance.com "In early American history, identity theft was more focused on voter registration and had more to do with ballot stuffing." That means pre-1930s. In Seven Footprints to Satan the charlatan is able to imitate Kirkham so perfectly that even people close to him are unable to tell the difference. I find that extremely unlikely. But, of course, this story is meant to be fantastic not realistic.
As Kirkham gets more & more hopelessly enmeshed in the plot he has a moment of vain hope that someone in the general public might help him: "The hopefulness faded steadily as I studied their faces. Sadly I realized that old Vanderbilt had been all wrong when he had said, "The public be damned." What he ought to have said was "The public be dumb." (p 22)
Kirkham eventually meets his puppet-master adversary Satan (as the title has more or less already told you):
"I began to glance about the dimly lighted room and realized that here, like the great hall, was another amazing treasure chamber. if half of what my eyes took in was genuine, the contents of that room alone were worth millions. But they could not be—not even an American billionaire could have gathered such things.
""But they are genuine," again he read my thoughts. "I am a connoisseur indeed—the greatest in the world. Not alone of paintings, and of gems and wines and other masterpieces of man's genius. I am a connoisseur of men and women. A collection of what, loosely, are called souls. That is why, James Kirkham, you are here!"" - p 30
"Satan for the first time turned his eyes away from me, looking over my head. I had come to the third stage of this mysterious game.
""Did you ever hear the legend of the seven shining footsteps of Buddha?" he asked me. I shook my head." - p 36
Now, rather than spoil this for the possible reader, I'll make up my own story about "the seven shining footsteps of Buddha": Buddha & Satan were playing chess w/ unborn children as the pieces. Satan's unborn children were capable of breathing fire while Buddha's were capable of being so ethereal that fire left them unscathed. Both of them had tricks up their sleeves that were unfathomable to the other not b/c of superior trickiness but b/c of massively incompatible mindsets. Satan had just fused half of his pieces into one massive super-powered meta-piece & divided the remaining pieces into a multitude of almost invisibly small pieces that were plagues.
If Buddha's pieces had been made of any sort of material susceptible to decay, such as ivory or wood, the plagues wd've been able to render them inoperable. Instead, Buddha's pieces were made of transcendent intelligence unmoved from their purpose even by the most convincing malicious gossip. 7 strategically placed 'footprints' of these pieces were capable of enlightening any of Satan's pawns so that they became free of Satan's manipulation whilst retaining his good taste in art. His meta-piece immediately stepped on several of these footprints at once & became released from Satan's will. The 1st thing it decided to do was lay down on the chessboard & take a nap - effectively ending the game & experiencing some very pleasant dreams in the process. In its dream, the meta-piece has Kirkham encounter a soldier whose life he'd saved. Both are imprisoned by Satan.
""I was an electrician before the war," came the whisper in the dark. "None better. Master at it. 'E knows I am. It's why 'e lets me live, as I told you. Satan—augh-h-h!
""Things were different after the war. Jobs 'ard to get an' livin' 'igh. Got lookin' at things different, too. Seen lots of muckers who hadn't done a thing in the war but live cushy and pile up loot. What right 'ad they to 'ave all they 'ad when them as 'ad fought an' their families was cold an' 'ungry?
"" 'Andy with my 'ands I always was. An' light on my feet. Climb! Climb like a cat. Climb like a bloody centipede. An' quiet! A spook in galoshes was a parade compared to me. I ain't praisin' myself, sir. I'm just tellin' you.["]" - p 57
I'm sure you can see where that's going. The above speaker, Barker, becomes a cat burglar & from there to one of Satan's pawns. & what diabolical crimelord doesn't have drug addict slaves?
""Looked like dopes," he says, "and then again they didn't. Their faces weren't a sick white, more of a transparent. They didn't behave like dopes, either. They seemed to be talking sensible enough. Dressed top-notch, too."" - p 99
"Dope" apparently originated as a word referring to a thick viscous liquid in the early 19th century. When I was a kid the dangerously fume-producing glue used to put models together was called "dope" or "model airplane dope". In the late 19th century drug users became known as "dope fiends", apparently because the opium smoked was thick & viscous. The US Army's cartoonish idiot character was called "Joe Dope". Perhaps the above-referred characters were Joseph & Josephine Dope.
"" 'E lets me use the kehft slyves," he answered astonishingly.
""That's twice to-night I've heard their name," I said. "What are they?"
""Them?" there was loathing and horror in his voice. "They fair give you the creeps. 'E feeds 'em the kehft. Opium, coke, 'asheesh—they're mother's milk compared to it. Gives each one of 'em 'is or 'er particular Paradise—till they wake up. Murder's the least of what they'll do to get another shot. Them fellows in the white nightgowns that stood on the steps with their ropes, was some of 'em. You've heard of the Old Man of the Mountains who used to send out the assassins. Feller told me about 'em in the war.["]" - p 61
Ah, yes, Hassan i Sabbah. I've never understood what the attraction of the Old Man of the Mountains was for people like William S. Burroughs & Peter Lamborn Wilson. He just seems like yet-another religious manipulator of the worst sort to me. It's interesting to see him pop up, albeit as an aside, in Seven Footprints to Satan. Anyway, this is pulp & it's the type of pulp that has the ingredients for my favorite pulp recipe.
"A castle with no stairs or "honest doors." . . . A labyrinth of secret passages and sliding panels. And the little thief creeping, creeping through the walls, denied the open, patiently marking down one by one their secrets." - p 63
Anyway, yeah, I had fun reading this. In the end, Satan changes his name to Joe Dope & sells real estate under the business name of Winchester & plays chess in the public parks. JUST KIDDING.
A. Merritt's Seven Footprints to Satan
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - August 3, 2017
I have a vague memory of reading Merritt's name in association w/ H. P. Lovecraft's. That may be completely false. I've never found Lovecraft very interesting so, apparently, if I ran across that association it didn't do much to compel me to read Merritt. As such, this is the 1st bk I've read by him. I reckon that if I'd been alive & been a literate adult & read it in 1928 when it was 1st published I might've just found it ridiculous pop garbage. However, 89 yrs later, I found it quite enjoyable - maybe b/c I like all the pulp trappings that it excels in exploring.
The 1st p proclaims: "Over 5,000,000 Copies of A. Merritt's Books Sold In Avon Editions". That's impressive. I wonder if Merritt got any of the money or if the publishers managed to screw him. I think of all the big budget movies that've been made from Philip K. Dick bks & I think about his reputedly being so poor that he had to resort to eating dog food when he was alive. According to Wikipedia, Merritt was highly pd so I can't point an accusatory finger at publishers for this one.
"The clock was striking eight as I walked out of the doors of the Discoverers' Club and stood for a moment looking down lower Fifth Avenue. As I paused, I felt with full force that uncomfortable sensation of being watched that had both puzzled and harassed me for the past two weeks. A curiously prickly, cold feeling somewhere deep under the skin on the side the watchers are located; an odd sort of tingling pressure. It is a queer sort of a sensitivity that I have in common with most men who spend much of their lives in the jungle or desert. It is a throwback to some primitive sixth sense, since all savages have it until they get introduced to the white man's liquor." - p 5
That's the 1st paragraph. Whether or not the scene & sentiments are cliché it set a mood for me that I enjoyed & expectations that I looked forward to having fulfilled. I'm reminded of a bk I read when I was very young called The Spider's Den (1925), a detective story by Johnston McCulley. The atmosphere of that one must've made an impression on me. I have a vague memory of its featuring a diabolically clever criminal mastermind running a large network from a secret location full of secret passages. I'm further reminded of the series of movies, initially made by Fritz Lang, about Dr. Mabuse, the 1st of wch was called Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (Dr Mabuse der Spieler) (1922). I suppose these malevolent supergenius stories were all the rage in the 1920s.
The main character's name is James Kirkham. Of course, he has to be a man of unusual courage & character to pit himself against the crimelord.
"As I turned down Fifth Avenue from the Discoverers' Club a man passed me, a man whose gait and carriage, figure and clothing, were oddly familiar.
"I stood stock still, looking after him as he strolled leisurely up the steps and into the Club.
"The, queerly disturbed, I resumed my walk. There had been something peculiarly familiar, indeed disquietingly familiar, about that man. What was it? Making my way over to broadway, I went down that street, always aware of the watchers.
"But it was not until I was opposite City Hall that I realized what that truly weird familiarity had been. The realization came to me with a distinct shock.
"In gait and carriage, in figure and clothing, from light brown overcoat, gray soft hat, to strong Malacca cane that man had been—Myself!" - p 8
Obviously, the diabolical potential of that is strong. I wonder when the 1st identity theft story was? According to thebalance.com "In early American history, identity theft was more focused on voter registration and had more to do with ballot stuffing." That means pre-1930s. In Seven Footprints to Satan the charlatan is able to imitate Kirkham so perfectly that even people close to him are unable to tell the difference. I find that extremely unlikely. But, of course, this story is meant to be fantastic not realistic.
As Kirkham gets more & more hopelessly enmeshed in the plot he has a moment of vain hope that someone in the general public might help him: "The hopefulness faded steadily as I studied their faces. Sadly I realized that old Vanderbilt had been all wrong when he had said, "The public be damned." What he ought to have said was "The public be dumb." (p 22)
Kirkham eventually meets his puppet-master adversary Satan (as the title has more or less already told you):
"I began to glance about the dimly lighted room and realized that here, like the great hall, was another amazing treasure chamber. if half of what my eyes took in was genuine, the contents of that room alone were worth millions. But they could not be—not even an American billionaire could have gathered such things.
""But they are genuine," again he read my thoughts. "I am a connoisseur indeed—the greatest in the world. Not alone of paintings, and of gems and wines and other masterpieces of man's genius. I am a connoisseur of men and women. A collection of what, loosely, are called souls. That is why, James Kirkham, you are here!"" - p 30
"Satan for the first time turned his eyes away from me, looking over my head. I had come to the third stage of this mysterious game.
""Did you ever hear the legend of the seven shining footsteps of Buddha?" he asked me. I shook my head." - p 36
Now, rather than spoil this for the possible reader, I'll make up my own story about "the seven shining footsteps of Buddha": Buddha & Satan were playing chess w/ unborn children as the pieces. Satan's unborn children were capable of breathing fire while Buddha's were capable of being so ethereal that fire left them unscathed. Both of them had tricks up their sleeves that were unfathomable to the other not b/c of superior trickiness but b/c of massively incompatible mindsets. Satan had just fused half of his pieces into one massive super-powered meta-piece & divided the remaining pieces into a multitude of almost invisibly small pieces that were plagues.
If Buddha's pieces had been made of any sort of material susceptible to decay, such as ivory or wood, the plagues wd've been able to render them inoperable. Instead, Buddha's pieces were made of transcendent intelligence unmoved from their purpose even by the most convincing malicious gossip. 7 strategically placed 'footprints' of these pieces were capable of enlightening any of Satan's pawns so that they became free of Satan's manipulation whilst retaining his good taste in art. His meta-piece immediately stepped on several of these footprints at once & became released from Satan's will. The 1st thing it decided to do was lay down on the chessboard & take a nap - effectively ending the game & experiencing some very pleasant dreams in the process. In its dream, the meta-piece has Kirkham encounter a soldier whose life he'd saved. Both are imprisoned by Satan.
""I was an electrician before the war," came the whisper in the dark. "None better. Master at it. 'E knows I am. It's why 'e lets me live, as I told you. Satan—augh-h-h!
""Things were different after the war. Jobs 'ard to get an' livin' 'igh. Got lookin' at things different, too. Seen lots of muckers who hadn't done a thing in the war but live cushy and pile up loot. What right 'ad they to 'ave all they 'ad when them as 'ad fought an' their families was cold an' 'ungry?
"" 'Andy with my 'ands I always was. An' light on my feet. Climb! Climb like a cat. Climb like a bloody centipede. An' quiet! A spook in galoshes was a parade compared to me. I ain't praisin' myself, sir. I'm just tellin' you.["]" - p 57
I'm sure you can see where that's going. The above speaker, Barker, becomes a cat burglar & from there to one of Satan's pawns. & what diabolical crimelord doesn't have drug addict slaves?
""Looked like dopes," he says, "and then again they didn't. Their faces weren't a sick white, more of a transparent. They didn't behave like dopes, either. They seemed to be talking sensible enough. Dressed top-notch, too."" - p 99
"Dope" apparently originated as a word referring to a thick viscous liquid in the early 19th century. When I was a kid the dangerously fume-producing glue used to put models together was called "dope" or "model airplane dope". In the late 19th century drug users became known as "dope fiends", apparently because the opium smoked was thick & viscous. The US Army's cartoonish idiot character was called "Joe Dope". Perhaps the above-referred characters were Joseph & Josephine Dope.
"" 'E lets me use the kehft slyves," he answered astonishingly.
""That's twice to-night I've heard their name," I said. "What are they?"
""Them?" there was loathing and horror in his voice. "They fair give you the creeps. 'E feeds 'em the kehft. Opium, coke, 'asheesh—they're mother's milk compared to it. Gives each one of 'em 'is or 'er particular Paradise—till they wake up. Murder's the least of what they'll do to get another shot. Them fellows in the white nightgowns that stood on the steps with their ropes, was some of 'em. You've heard of the Old Man of the Mountains who used to send out the assassins. Feller told me about 'em in the war.["]" - p 61
Ah, yes, Hassan i Sabbah. I've never understood what the attraction of the Old Man of the Mountains was for people like William S. Burroughs & Peter Lamborn Wilson. He just seems like yet-another religious manipulator of the worst sort to me. It's interesting to see him pop up, albeit as an aside, in Seven Footprints to Satan. Anyway, this is pulp & it's the type of pulp that has the ingredients for my favorite pulp recipe.
"A castle with no stairs or "honest doors." . . . A labyrinth of secret passages and sliding panels. And the little thief creeping, creeping through the walls, denied the open, patiently marking down one by one their secrets." - p 63
Anyway, yeah, I had fun reading this. In the end, Satan changes his name to Joe Dope & sells real estate under the business name of Winchester & plays chess in the public parks. JUST KIDDING.
February 19, 2020
Imagine an Aleister Crowley figure in the role of Dr. Fu Manchu, and you have a very good idea of the reading experience ahead of you in SEVEN FOOTPRINTS TO SATAN. The adventurer, James Kirkham, isn’t as noble as Nayland Smith, but the action is exciting and the traps are nefarious. The writer created an enjoyable pulp fiction novel.
Kirkham is kidnapped and taken to a reclusive mansion filled with stolen treasures from all over the world. It is the center of a vast criminal enterprise run by a character who looks like Crowley and who calls himself Satan. And Satan he may be, for he has devious plans and lots of followers who follow his slightest whim in fear of his formidable wrath.
The title comes from a particularly insidious device that consists of a stairway leading to a golden throne. There are seven footprints on the stairway. Those being judged must step on four of them. Four bring unimaginable treasures, but the other three bring greater levels of doom.
As in the best pulp stories (in addition to a stalwart protagonist and a colorful antagonist), there are friends, henchmen, and a lovely woman set to melt her true love’s heart. There are also plenty of twists and turns to hold interest.
Merritt’s other books that I’ve read had all been mythic adventures with supernatural creatures and black-hearted villains all aligned against a handsome and intrepid hero, and warrior damsels who occasionally dropped their clothing to great effect. This one was very different and I enjoyed it more (especially the moments that would have felt right at home in a Dennis Wheatley occult novel). It is a quick read that allows the Reader to put the mind into “play” mode.
Kirkham is kidnapped and taken to a reclusive mansion filled with stolen treasures from all over the world. It is the center of a vast criminal enterprise run by a character who looks like Crowley and who calls himself Satan. And Satan he may be, for he has devious plans and lots of followers who follow his slightest whim in fear of his formidable wrath.
The title comes from a particularly insidious device that consists of a stairway leading to a golden throne. There are seven footprints on the stairway. Those being judged must step on four of them. Four bring unimaginable treasures, but the other three bring greater levels of doom.
As in the best pulp stories (in addition to a stalwart protagonist and a colorful antagonist), there are friends, henchmen, and a lovely woman set to melt her true love’s heart. There are also plenty of twists and turns to hold interest.
Merritt’s other books that I’ve read had all been mythic adventures with supernatural creatures and black-hearted villains all aligned against a handsome and intrepid hero, and warrior damsels who occasionally dropped their clothing to great effect. This one was very different and I enjoyed it more (especially the moments that would have felt right at home in a Dennis Wheatley occult novel). It is a quick read that allows the Reader to put the mind into “play” mode.
Read
July 2, 2024An excellent yarn of oldschool pulp featuring a down on his luck archaeologist who finds himself in the clutches of a criminal mastermind called Satan-- a magnificent pulp villain who resonates with characters from Wagner's Kane, to Fu Manchu, to Blood Meridian's Judge. For its ilk, Merritt's prose is sharp and clear and efficient and sometimes even downright good. If one desperately searches for such things, there may even be some thinking about capitalism, or anyway-- tyrannical human systems -- critiqued in the structures and incentives of Satan's secret society. All in all, a fun satisfying read.
June 26, 2018
Alguien llamado Satán, con mucho peso y esclavos. Se ayudo del engaño haciendo creer que es tal quien dice. Intimida a nuestro protagonista quien nos narra cómo es manipulado para que robe unas joyas. A él no le engaña y sabe que no es el diablo, pero sí que tiene a quien quiere
December 5, 2017
The frequency and intensity of the silliness in the first fourth or so of this book just carried me along and then suddenly the reader is dumped in the lap of a four page humorous monologue in cockney dialect... After that, things settle down a bit into a plot worthy of Hergé. And, like with Hergé, I found myself excusing the everyday racism of a century ago, noting that despite the caricature-descriptions of people, the story is rooted in humanism and a celebration of diversity. Eve, the only female character, surprises with her 'modern' attitude, the choices she makes, her adventurous spirit and her competency. The character of Satan, and his network of top-secret super-criminal agents, reminded me a bit of G.K. Chesterton's Thursday, or Doctor Mabuse.
It might seem like this adventure novel isn't really fantasy or science fiction, but I think at the time it was written things like elevators weren't so common and some of the other gadgets, for example sleeping gas, even less so. It would be like a novel from today that was concerned with ubiquitous surveillance and made use of advanced facial recognition software and autonomous weaponry. Yeah, that stuff is in the newspapers, but it still seems science fiction-y.
Please take a minute to check out some of the covers this book has had over the decades. I found it at Vila Fantastica in Vienna and they had several editions going back to the 1940s at least. There were covers with cartoonish depictions of Satan, others with pin-up girls whipped by demons (only hinted at in the novel), and the sober black cover of the edition I read (not the one pictured) that looked like a "how-to" manual for 1960s beginning Satanists.
Naughty fun from the "Weird Tales" era of pulp.
It might seem like this adventure novel isn't really fantasy or science fiction, but I think at the time it was written things like elevators weren't so common and some of the other gadgets, for example sleeping gas, even less so. It would be like a novel from today that was concerned with ubiquitous surveillance and made use of advanced facial recognition software and autonomous weaponry. Yeah, that stuff is in the newspapers, but it still seems science fiction-y.
Please take a minute to check out some of the covers this book has had over the decades. I found it at Vila Fantastica in Vienna and they had several editions going back to the 1940s at least. There were covers with cartoonish depictions of Satan, others with pin-up girls whipped by demons (only hinted at in the novel), and the sober black cover of the edition I read (not the one pictured) that looked like a "how-to" manual for 1960s beginning Satanists.
Naughty fun from the "Weird Tales" era of pulp.
March 14, 2015
Πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, με στοιχεία αστυνομικού μυθιστορήματος, τρόμου και λίγης φαντασίας. Ένας τύπος απάγεται από τον... Σατανά! Ο Σατανάς τον υποβάλλει σε διάφορες δοκιμασίες για να δει αν του είναι πιστός. Πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, με μπόλικη περιπέτεια, ωραία ατμόσφαιρα, καλούς χαρακτήρες και μερικές ωραίες και κάπως τρομακτικές τελετές.
Φυσικά σαν ιστορία δείχνει λίγο τα χρονάκια της, όπως και η γραφή φυσικά, αλλά αυτό είναι και λίγο φυσιολογικό μιας και το βιβλίο γράφηκε πριν από 85 χρόνια περίπου! Αλλά διαβάζεται πολύ εύκολα και γρήγορα και η ιστορία σε κάνει να ξεχνιέσαι.
Από τον Μέριτ έμεινα αρκετά ευχαριστημένος, ευτυχώς έχω όλα τα βιβλία του που έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά, μιας και φαίνεται (και είναι) πολύ ενδιαφέρων συγγραφέας, αλλά όσον αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση, ναι μεν έμεινα ευχαριστημένος από την μετάφραση, αλλά παραξενεύτηκα κάπως από τα αρκετά έως πολλά τυπογραφικά λάθη. Όχι ότι με ενόχλησε ιδιαίτερα αυτό, άλλωστε όλο κι όλο 1,50 ευρώ έδωσα (Παζάρι Βιβλίου 2011), αλλά είναι ένα αρνητικό αυτό...
Φυσικά σαν ιστορία δείχνει λίγο τα χρονάκια της, όπως και η γραφή φυσικά, αλλά αυτό είναι και λίγο φυσιολογικό μιας και το βιβλίο γράφηκε πριν από 85 χρόνια περίπου! Αλλά διαβάζεται πολύ εύκολα και γρήγορα και η ιστορία σε κάνει να ξεχνιέσαι.
Από τον Μέριτ έμεινα αρκετά ευχαριστημένος, ευτυχώς έχω όλα τα βιβλία του που έχουν μεταφραστεί στα ελληνικά, μιας και φαίνεται (και είναι) πολύ ενδιαφέρων συγγραφέας, αλλά όσον αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση, ναι μεν έμεινα ευχαριστημένος από την μετάφραση, αλλά παραξενεύτηκα κάπως από τα αρκετά έως πολλά τυπογραφικά λάθη. Όχι ότι με ενόχλησε ιδιαίτερα αυτό, άλλωστε όλο κι όλο 1,50 ευρώ έδωσα (Παζάρι Βιβλίου 2011), αλλά είναι ένα αρνητικό αυτό...
November 20, 2018
The first book of the over 200 unread books scattered throughout the house.
I gave this a two for effort and for some weirdness. Written in 1928 the author, Merritt, made tenuous connection between Buddhism and Satan. The numbers 3, 7, 21 play a significant role in the story. Early on the author tells the story of the birth of Siddhartha and how it relates. All in all though, miss this book if you have any other choices :)
I gave this a two for effort and for some weirdness. Written in 1928 the author, Merritt, made tenuous connection between Buddhism and Satan. The numbers 3, 7, 21 play a significant role in the story. Early on the author tells the story of the birth of Siddhartha and how it relates. All in all though, miss this book if you have any other choices :)
Read
February 1, 20164 stars from Sandy: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
February 11, 2022
First off, the way Satan was described it immediately conjured the image of Dr. Evil to my head. So much so that Satan became Dr. Evil and the book took on an even sillier note. But now I am going to talk about exclamation points. Why don't we use exclamation points anymore in literature? In this book nearly every chapter ends with a finely placed exclamation point like it was some sort of radio serial broadcast. Sure, commas, periods and even question marks regularly get used but is everyone so hesitant to mark how excited they are these days? I'm not saying we should go full on grawlix or anything but damn when are we going to use more exclamation marks!?
Oh right the book. That's why you're probably reading this for anyway. Although it is rather odd that you're reading a review about a book where Satan is a main character and he forces people to play a life or death game that wouldn't be out of place on The Price is Right. And I'm right there with you. After 36 years on Earth I'm still reading this whacky shit for amusement sometimes it pays off and I am genuinely knocked flat by the sheer beauty of storytelling and how it lifts my heart and soul above the refuse piling up around me. But yet, I am a creature of habit so I pick stuff like this to read. Some people become doctors or engineers, I became a reader.
But the book is entertaining in its earnest radio serial kind of way. Think of the Twilight Zone or horror comics. There is some death but never gruesome. There is some love but never mushy or pornographic. This may be a downside for some prospective readers. But the cliffhangers at the ends of the chapter end with exclamation points! And I get excited for that.
Oh right the book. That's why you're probably reading this for anyway. Although it is rather odd that you're reading a review about a book where Satan is a main character and he forces people to play a life or death game that wouldn't be out of place on The Price is Right. And I'm right there with you. After 36 years on Earth I'm still reading this whacky shit for amusement sometimes it pays off and I am genuinely knocked flat by the sheer beauty of storytelling and how it lifts my heart and soul above the refuse piling up around me. But yet, I am a creature of habit so I pick stuff like this to read. Some people become doctors or engineers, I became a reader.
But the book is entertaining in its earnest radio serial kind of way. Think of the Twilight Zone or horror comics. There is some death but never gruesome. There is some love but never mushy or pornographic. This may be a downside for some prospective readers. But the cliffhangers at the ends of the chapter end with exclamation points! And I get excited for that.
August 9, 2017
This is a fairly silly book, but when making allowances for the time and place (it's an oldie!) it's not exactly a bad read. The characters are unconvincing cardboard cutouts, the hero is dashing, the girl (and she's definitely the girl and no more) is lovely, the villain's very bad, and it's all rather racist and sexist and the plot's laughable and nobody would ever behave like that.
What is does have going for it is it's breathless pulp fiction quality, a certain swaggering bravado, but really it's no more deep than any of those 10 minute serialized movies that used to air before the big picture. I would have eaten this up as a tween, but now, I recognize it for what it was, and will move on to more satisfying fare.
Incidentally, despite appearances, this is a action-suspense-thriller, not a supernatural fantasy of any kind. I don't think that's really a spoiler--you should be able to know your genre going in!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
What is does have going for it is it's breathless pulp fiction quality, a certain swaggering bravado, but really it's no more deep than any of those 10 minute serialized movies that used to air before the big picture. I would have eaten this up as a tween, but now, I recognize it for what it was, and will move on to more satisfying fare.
Incidentally, despite appearances, this is a action-suspense-thriller, not a supernatural fantasy of any kind. I don't think that's really a spoiler--you should be able to know your genre going in!
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
June 2, 2024
This was a really fun book.. even if the title doesn't suggest that. The main character is a vet and an adventurer, and he gets the attention of Satan (or at least a very smart, wealthy man that says he's Satan). The foundation of his empire is his seven footprints.. basically a roulette wheel that his followers can use to wager their life and freedom against his empire.
Not surprisingly, its not that simple, and of course this is a pulp adventure novel so there's a girl involved to fight over. The plot is pretty simple. but Satan's castle is pretty amazing... like the craziest secret museum in history. It was also very interesting that more than anything else Merritt's Satan wanted to just possess beautiful things to look at... lots to mull over there as to why and what that means.
Of course, that didn't make him a nice guy, he was quite totally evil... but it was an interesting facet. I'm glad I finally figured out these books I have of Merritt's were not connected... fun stuff!
Not surprisingly, its not that simple, and of course this is a pulp adventure novel so there's a girl involved to fight over. The plot is pretty simple. but Satan's castle is pretty amazing... like the craziest secret museum in history. It was also very interesting that more than anything else Merritt's Satan wanted to just possess beautiful things to look at... lots to mull over there as to why and what that means.
Of course, that didn't make him a nice guy, he was quite totally evil... but it was an interesting facet. I'm glad I finally figured out these books I have of Merritt's were not connected... fun stuff!
October 10, 2024
Historically interesting, but not an especially compelling read in 2024. I hesitate to point out that, truly, the only compelling elements of this text are its orientalism and racism. It's remarkable to imagine a Satan figure who is "Buddha-pilled," but the idea isn't taken anywhere meaningful. At a few points, "Chinese" in the text is basically a synonym for "foreign and bad."
I suppose a racist text like Heart of Darkness is still a classic, in a way that this text will never be, because it is able to look squarely upon its own racism, and seems willing to follow the logic to a final and horrible conclusion. There is a sort of unflinching quality that lends the work aesthetic elevation.
This text is the opposite. In addition to everything else, Merritt seems to manifest all the worst authorial impulses, constantly undermining his own efforts at creating suspense and drama. I couldn't wait to be done with it.
I suppose a racist text like Heart of Darkness is still a classic, in a way that this text will never be, because it is able to look squarely upon its own racism, and seems willing to follow the logic to a final and horrible conclusion. There is a sort of unflinching quality that lends the work aesthetic elevation.
This text is the opposite. In addition to everything else, Merritt seems to manifest all the worst authorial impulses, constantly undermining his own efforts at creating suspense and drama. I couldn't wait to be done with it.
August 20, 2022
In "Seven Footprints to Satan," an adventurer and explorer meets his match, facing off against Satan himself in a risky game of chance. Satan's got these seven special footprints, and if you take him up on his offer, you get a chance to step on four good footprints, and you're rewarded with Satan granting your most desired wish. If you step on one of the bad footprints, though, you owe Satan a favor. If you step on two bad footprints, you find yourself in the dark one's service for a full year! And if you step on three of them, it's eternal torment for you. Satan is tricky, he doesn't leave much of up to chance.
This isn't a bad book. The characters are amusing but thin, and the story is clever enough. I didn't find myself drawn to it, desperate to read of the next development in this tale of caution and mystery, but it passed the time.
This isn't a bad book. The characters are amusing but thin, and the story is clever enough. I didn't find myself drawn to it, desperate to read of the next development in this tale of caution and mystery, but it passed the time.
October 31, 2025
I first read this occultish thriller when I was about 12 and loved it. I recently saw the 1929 silent film adaptation of it and went back and re-read this. The movie and book are, aside from the beginning setup, totally different. The book is a creepy thriller and the movie is much lighter in tone with a completely different ending. A seemingly mortal man who calls himself Satan kidnaps people to become his minions, subjecting them to the trial of the Seven Footprints which determines their fate: freedom, servitude, or death. Our narrator, James Kirkham, alternates between fearing Satan, admiring Satan, and fighting against Satan. The atmosphere is darkly effective, and the writing is straightforward pulp. It's short (my Avon paperback is just under 200 pages) and keeps moving at a good clip. A must for fans of 20th century pulp fiction.
July 2, 2021
Classic pulp adventure. A world adventurer returns to his home, a club for explorers, in NYC. He is kidnapped by as master criminal, Satan. Is Satan a man or is he truly a supernatural being? This is not fully resolved, while it is strongly implied Satan is a devil but not "the" devil.
After pulling off a heist that leaves 3 people dead, the protagonist, a buddy, and a beautiful woman who has fallen instantly in love with him, strive to escape Satan's mystery maze of a home. Filled with secret passages, a magic mirror, treasure, drugged out minions, and non-drugged heavily armed henchmen, this proves to be a challenge.
Written fast, meant to be read fast, it's better than most such pulp adventure, but not Merritt's best.
After pulling off a heist that leaves 3 people dead, the protagonist, a buddy, and a beautiful woman who has fallen instantly in love with him, strive to escape Satan's mystery maze of a home. Filled with secret passages, a magic mirror, treasure, drugged out minions, and non-drugged heavily armed henchmen, this proves to be a challenge.
Written fast, meant to be read fast, it's better than most such pulp adventure, but not Merritt's best.
May 28, 2017
A jungle explorer back home in New York gets kidnapped by a part-Chinese man claiming to be Satan. "Satan" has set up a complicated game of chance, which is played by some of the most wealthy and powerful people in the world. Some have come to suspect that the game might be rigged.
Seven Footprints to Satan, written in 1928, seems to be a weird metaphor for the stock market and is a commentary on mankind's compulsion to gamble. It is also an absolutely amazing and unique pulp fantasy full of vivid prose, lush exoticism, conspiracy and intrigue, and has a tough, hard boiled protagonist. There are images and scenes in the book that are unforgettable both because of their exotic beauty, as well as their terror.
Seven Footprints to Satan, written in 1928, seems to be a weird metaphor for the stock market and is a commentary on mankind's compulsion to gamble. It is also an absolutely amazing and unique pulp fantasy full of vivid prose, lush exoticism, conspiracy and intrigue, and has a tough, hard boiled protagonist. There are images and scenes in the book that are unforgettable both because of their exotic beauty, as well as their terror.
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