The Harbor-Master: Best Weird Stories of Robert W. Chambers

by Robert W. Chambers, S.T. Joshi (Editor)

n this dark story by Robert W. Chambers we are introduced to a detective, who is tasked to uncover a hoax in the Pacific Northwest. There he investigates the possible existence of a terrible porpoise-skinned humanoid with an insatiable hunger for human females. If you like reading dark and weird stories, then "The Harbor Master" from 1904 is the right one for you. Do not hesitate to embark on this journey and solve the mystery of the porpoise-skinned humanoid.

Robert William Chambers (1865 - 1933) was one of the most popular fiction writers in American. Born and educated in Brooklyn, Chambers joined the Art Students’ League at the age of twenty, where one of his fellow student was Charles Dana Gibson. Robert Chambers remains best known for his collection of short stories named "The King in Yellow" from 1895.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Gothic

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

Robert William Chambers was an American artist and writer.

Chambers was first educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute,and then entered the Art Students' League at around the age of twenty, where the artist Charles Dana Gibson was his fellow student. Chambers studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, and at Académie Julian, in Paris from 1886 to 1893, and his work was displayed at the Salon as early as 1889. On his return to New York, he succeeded in selling his illustrations to Life, Truth, and Vogue magazines. Then, for reasons unclear, he devoted his time to writing, producing his first novel, In the Quarter (written in 1887 in Munich). His most famous, and perhaps most meritorious, effort is The King in Yellow, a collection of weird short stories, connected by the theme of the fictitious drama The King in Yellow, which drives those who read it insane.

Chambers returned to the weird genre in his later short story collections The Maker of Moons and The Tree of Heaven, but neither earned him such success as The King in Yellow.

Chambers later turned to writing romantic fiction to earn a living. According to some estimates, Chambers was one of the most successful literary careers of his period, his later novels selling well and a handful achieving best-seller status. Many of his works were also serialized in magazines.

After 1924 he devoted himself solely to writing historical fiction.

Chambers for several years made Broadalbin his summer home. Some of his novels touch upon colonial life in Broadalbin and Johnstown.

On July 12, 1898, he married Elsa Vaughn Moller (1882-1939). They had a son, Robert Edward Stuart Chambers (later calling himself Robert Husted Chambers) who also gained some fame as an author.

Chambers died at his home in the village of Broadalbin, New York, on December 16th 1933.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐

[Olivia Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Style: ⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Character: ⭐️⭐️
Theme: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ann Schwader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is part of Hippocampus Press's The Classics of Gothic Horror series. As such, it does a real service to those wishing to read a bit more Robert W. Chambers -- without going too far into the weeds of his very mixed output.

An introductory essay by editor S.T. Joshi offers a biographical timeline & several insights about Chambers's weird fiction. Even those who don't usually read such pieces might want to make an exception: the essay itself is brief, & the information it provides is substantial. The tales themselves (arranged chronologically) vary greatly in theme & tone. Along with the cornerstone tales of the King In Yellow, there are subtly crafted ghost stories, fantasies with an Eastern flavor (yes, admittedly, these are dated), monster hunts, & historical horrors.

Chambers cannot seem to write women as actual human beings, & his male lead characters are very much of a type -- upper-class adventurers, or at least well-educated ones. His lyrical style holds up quite well, however. Those with an interest in the history of the American Gothic, or simply the King In Yellow, are likely to find this collection worthwhile.

[Interzonatron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our protagonist as general superintendent of the water fowl department is working for the Bronx park Zoological Society in NYC. His boss sends him up north to investigate the existence of an extinct bird.

The obscure character who claims to have possession of said extinct bird also claims to know of an amphibious bipedal creature that lurks just off the coast of his remote cabin in the Atlantic ocean . So the protagonist leaves from DC and heads there to give it a look.....

One can certainly see the impact this had on lovecraft. Many character elements are similar to "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Also the structure of the story itself mirrors the structure of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". I also feel there has to be a connection between this story and Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water", as both deal with bipedal amphibious semi humans who seemingly fall in love with humans..... Will have to investigate further.

[Orkun Yılmaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Güzel ve kısa bir hikaye. Keşke koca puntolarla ilkokul okuma formatında basılmasaymış.

[Murat Başaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

İşte su gibi akan bir kitap. Üç karakter etrafında şekillenen bir ada hikayesi. Bildik Universal Monsters miti aslında, en çok da Kara Gölün Canavarı’na ilham vermiş gibi (o da Shape of Water’a tersten işlenerek verdi). Hikayede adada inzivaya çekilmiş Halyard karakteri, kuşları incelemeye gelen bilim adamıyla bir yandan mantığın sınırlarını X-Files ana karakterlerine yaraşır biçimde tartışırken bir yandan da Fowles’te de göreceğimiz bakıcılık eden kadın yan temasıyla menage-a-trois’e göz kırpılır. Küçük Karanlık Kitaplar serisinden birkaç kitap daha ekledim istek listeme bu eserin lezzetinden sonra.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nesli tükenmekte olan Dalıcımartı kuşunu araştırması için bir kasabaya zoolog gönderilir. Araştırmacı, vardığı adada Liman Müdürü diye bir efsaneden bahsedildiğini duyar. Bir taraftan kuş hakkında bilgi almaya çalışırken, bir yandan da Liman Müdürü denen bu esrarengiz "şey" ile yüzleşecektir. Kitabın yazı puntosu büyük olduğu için biraz göz yorabiliyor ama sürükleyici ve merak uyandırıcı olması sebebiyle bu pek sorun olmuyor. Konusuyla Lovecraft'ı hatırlatan, gizem ve fantastik türünde bir öykü.

[Raleighhunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I confess, I listened to it while on a morning walk. It was extremely entertaining and the characters were relatable, in the sense that you can imagine people in your life like that. I love the description of the harbor master, it really made him sound like a fish, the way we expect a fish to be, yet somehow human.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. It was a short story from the early 1900's. The story revolves around the acquisition of a supposedly extinct bird. But diverts to include a mysterious water creature and a lonely man who wants nothing more than a verbal sparring partner. I thought the story was well written.

[Aaru · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ortaokulda/lisede sınırlı sayıda kelimeyle okuduğumuz kitaplar gibi. Başka kitabın yanında hediye geldiği için ve nostalji hissiyle severek okudum ama para versem pişman olurdum. Hiçbir derinliği olmayan bir kitap. Roman yazılmaya çalışılıp öykü bile olamamış.

[Klein Moretti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this story!!

The story revolves around the harbor master's daughter, she falls in love with a sailor their love is threatened by a dark secret from the sailor's past, which is slowly revealing sailor's dark past 💀

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.oldstyletales.com/single-...

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking to find some of the original Yellow Mythos stories alongside other influential weird fiction by Chambers, this is a great volume. Chambers was a great writer in his own right, and his work would go on to influence many other greats through the years, including HP Lovecraft himself. For an in-depth review of the title story, visit: https://miskatonicreview.wordpress.co...