The Fantastic Pulps

by Peter Haining (Editor, Introduction), Stephen Crane (Contributor), Ray Cummings (Contributor)

CONTENTS

Introduction – Peter Haining

Stephen Crane – Manacled
Jack London – A Thousand Deaths
Upton Sinclair – Author’s Adventure
Edgar Rice Burroughs – The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw
Max Brand – John Ovington Returns
A. Merritt – The People of the Pit
George Allan England – The Man with the Glass Heart
H. Bedford-Jones – The Wolf Woman
Victor Rousseau – A Cry from Beyond
Ray Cummings – Madman’s Murder Melody
[Illustrated Section: The Pulp Artists]
Sinclair Lewis – The Ghost Patrol
Dashiell Hammett – The Sardonic Star of Tom Doody
MacKinlay Kantor – The Second Challenge
Hugo Gernsback – Baron Munchhausen’s Scientific Adventures
David H. Keller, M.D. – A Twentieth Century Homunculus
Edmond Hamilton – The Man Who Saw the Future
Seabury Quinn – Suicide Chapel
H. P. Lovecraft and William Lumley – The Diary of Alonzo Typer
C. L. Moore – The Tree of Life
Robert Bloch – Iron Mask
Ray Bradbury – The Sea Shell

Appendices

Genres: Anthologies, Short Stories, Fiction, Pulp, Fantasy

418 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Aaron Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up at a carboot for a quid which was great value for how packed out this anthology is concentrating on early contributors to the pulp magazines. For me it was a hit and miss anthology with many just not really hitting the mark but there were many which did and so will only list my standouts as always below.

(A Thousand Deaths 1899)- Jack London- A brutal tale of a mad scientist father who is experimenting with various scientific methods to cheat death on his son who is initially unaware of his father's identity. The protagonist son eventually realizes the cruel extent of his father's work and escapes by making a scientific breakthrough that allows him to overcome his father's experiments.

(Authors Adventure) By Upton Sinclair- A quirky 4 page turner about a budding pulp author who literally writes his own fate before his reluctant onlookers.

(The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw) By Edgar Rice Burroughs- When one thinks of Burroughs, one will instantly think (Tarzan) which I'm no particular fan, but Edgar wrote many intriguing and imaginative shorts too such as this excellent tale about a pair of explorers who discover a cave-man in Siberia while on an expedition encased and preserved in ice. He is resurrected and has to adapt to modern ways of life as it were. Very satirical in parts yet retains a message of unconditional love. Superb little pulp story and better than Tarzan in my opinion.

(The People of the Pit) By A. Merrit- The tale follows two Alaskan gold prospectors who are drawn to a mysterious light and accompanying sounds from a hand shaped mountain. The narration is told through an injured man who crawls into the gold prospectors camp recounting his terrifying experience within a gargantuan pit, where he was captured and tormented by ethereal, headless beings known as the "People of the Pit".

(The Man with a Glass Heart) By George Allan England- A combination of science fiction with slight subtle undertones of horror intermingled. This lost and forgotten story focuses on artificial heart transplants which weren't even being thought about and were ultimately the stuff of dreams when this tale was penned and so the very thought at that time was the stuff of science fiction. The story really shows how ahead of his time George Allan England was by entertaining such a notion and producing a real hidden gem here.

(Madman's Murder Melody) By Ray Cummings- A harrowing, bold and brave telling of torment and sexual possession. The protagonist is the killer of his wife's secret lover and narrates his steady decline into utter madness and turmoil. Without question one which hits you square between the eyes pulling no punches.

(Baron Munchhausen's Scientific Adventures) By Hugo Gernsback- 18th-century German folk hero, Baron Münchausen, is the protagonist in this classic pure science fiction pulp. Braving the depths of space to explore the moon and Mars, the Baron discovers that the Martians make use of a variety of devices such as telepathy machines and molecular disintegrators. Again this is one which was way ahead of it's time. A charming tale about ideas regarding past civilizations on the moon and mars and how far along the technological timeline they are from us.

(A Twentieth Century Homunculus) By David H. Keller- One of the longer stories included within the anthology and one which stuck with me. The story centers around a world where female reproduction is a thing of the past, basically women aren't producing children anymore and when John Reiswick meets a happy couple who've recently had a child, he becomes obsessed with becoming a dad and starts to artificially create babies on a secretly funded island. Keller was a psychiatrist and this shows in his story telling. There are numerous themes and ideas covered within this brave story and ultimately there's a broader message, one which will surely linger with the reader for a long time thereafter. Excellent stuff.

(The Man who saw the Future) By Edmond Hamilton- Easily one my favorites of the book. A time travel story where an early 14th Century Frenchman is transported to 1944. Cant say too much without giving the story away but please go and seek out this excellent hidden science fiction gem for yourself. Superb.

(The Diary of Alonzo Typer) By H.P. Lovecraft and William Lumley- Easily one of the strongest of the collection. The Diary of Alonzo Typer follows occult researcher Alonzo Typer as he investigates an abandoned, isolated manor house in upstate New York, a former home of a family with a suspected history of witchcraft and dark occult practices. His diary which is broken down into segments details his growing unease and terrifying experiences within the decaying house, where he perceives hostile, ancient presences linked to cosmic powers. All of this is captured perfectly and really invokes unease when reading. Insanely good and perfectly paced from start to finish.

(The Tree of Life) By C.L. Moore- An outstanding and atmospheric story and will seek out more C.L. Moore. Northwest Smith is a space rogue, who encounters a mysterious priestess in the ruins of an ancient Martian city. He follows her to the "Tree of Life," a monstrous entity that consumes people through an irresistible song. Smith, initially drawn to the priestess, confronts the entity and its ever increasing threat. I especially loved C.L. Moore's flowery writing style and the alluring power of her carefully built worlds. Outstanding piece of fiction.

(The Sea Shell) By Ray Bradbury- The final short of the extensive collection and a poignant conclusion to the book. A super short telling of a sick 11 year old boy in bed who is given a conch sea shell which invigorates him to seek out the ocean after hearing the echoes through the shell. If you follow my reviews on goodreads then you will know I have a love-hate relationship with Bradbury and usually can't seem to get on with his prose, however, loved this charming tale to conclude.

In closing, kudos to editor Peter Haining for preserving such a mixed bag of lost and forgotten pulp stories and whilst many didn't speak to me, there were plenty of diamonds to be found within the rough and that for me is the beauty of anthologies. This collection really is a mixed bag ranging from horror to science fiction and outright weird. Certainly something for everyone in here to be found no doubt.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A superb collection. Other than "The Tree of Life", I don't think I've seen any of them before (I am in fact shocked that there was a Lovecraft story in that category).

Strangely, Robert E. Howard is not represented.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a lot of the earlier stories to be weak, one dimensional, predictable.

The best story in the book was Lovecraft's The Diary of Alonzo Typer. C. L. Moore's The Tree of Life was not bad. Even Robert Bloch's Iron Mask was disappointing.

The part I liked best was Haining's nonfictional narration about the history of the pulps and the various writers. The afterward by Charles Beaumont was also pretty good.

[Michael Hatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a big fan of short stories and this book contained nothing but. However, the sampling of work trawled from many of the most popular pulp magazine authors was an interesting read. Lots of dated material was presented, but, of course. Peter Haining also gave an introduction to each story that included a quick biography of the author. Actually found the introduction to be the most interesting part of several of the stories. Edgar Rice Burroughs was also a represented with his short story, "The Resurrection of Jimber Jaw" Had never read the short story before and was mildly disappointed. Overall, have to say that I am ready to start a new read.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haining does a good job detailing the history of pulp magazines which began well over a century ago as a cheap source for reading entertainment. He also collects various stories including some by future literary giants (Stephen Crane, Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London) and many more by established pulp authors including Edmond Hamilton, Robert Bloch and A. Merritt. if you're into the pulps this is a fun collection to have (I read it years ago but acquired a copy for myself only recently.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of stories.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts intriguing history and creepy thrills.

[Nathan Shumate · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can cherry-pick stories from a couple of decades, you sure BETTER be able to come up with a good collection.

[Shawn]

Placeholder Review:

"The Second Challenge" by MacKinlay Kantor is a taught little bit of crime writing about an overnight security guard at a train station who gets a report to be on the lookout for a wanted fugitive, and then sees a figure leap from a passing train... While the very ending leaves a little to be desired (an unlikely "twist" is wedged in), everything else about this piece works a treat - the character is well sketched (a bit hard-bitten, pragmatic ex-police officer from Chicago, now retired in the sticks) as are his practices (I liked his logical approach to solving problems in the moment), the addition of a well-trained guard dog, and the overall illustration of a Depression-era small town, late at night. A solid read.

Victor Rousseau's "A Cry From Beyond" has Dr. Merrick and his associate Benson ("scientist spiritualists") interpret a clue from a seance and follow it to a remote fishing village named Milburn in Massachusetts where a deceased painter seems to be directing them to help a living painter named Alfred French, who appears (along with his second wife and child), to be under some kind of psychic attack from French's first wife. The reader can't help but chuckle at the bit herein where, suddenly taken aback by Merrick's order to get a spade (which he then assumes is going to be used at disinterring a body), Benson spends a paragraph wondering if the whole thing has been a deliberate set-up designed for this outrage — but it's just a minor moment. More problematic is the Chinese servant who doubles as the pair's medium, presented as nothing but a bland collection of stereotypes. On the other hand, you have to give it the author for envisioning a truly macabre ending scenario.

[TrumanCoyote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best story here Edmond Hamilton's "The Man Who Saw the Future"--a true classic.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read but some of it didn't age well.

[Ronald]

read some time in 1984