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Acolyte, v. 2, issue 2, whole no. 6, Spring 1944
31858063101376_032
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Other Stories, Hugh Walpole thought worthy of inclusion in his monumental A Second Century of Creepy Stories; introducing it in these words: "Nearly all the stories in this collection are preoccupied with atmosphere. One of the most horrible is Mr. Metcalfe's Mortmain. This is the art of suspense created by the deliberate contrasting of matter-of-fact and charnel horror...There is little or no surprise here, because we know that catastrophe must follow since we are aware from the very first page that we are in the land of the dead. In the utterly bizarre Mr. Meldrum's Mania, also from the same collection, we see the Egyptian god Thoth reaching through the centuries to fasten on the mind and body of the unfortunate Mr. Meldrum. The slow, horrible transformation of the commonplace victim into something out of a nightmare almost beggars description. The closing scene, in which a gigantic bird dressed in Mr. Meldrum's clothes stalks out through the hotel lobby, leaving behind a hopelessly insane elevator attendent, will linger long in every reader's memory. A great part of Metcalfe's effect is achieved by the curious, almost apologetic manner in which he presents his horrors. The reader will not be annoyed by such common faults as the piling of adjective upon adjective, horror upon horror--rather, Metcalfe seems almost to say, "I know such things cannot be, should not happen--but look, here are the facts, judge for yourself." It is unfortunate that a writer of such singular power has not received wider recognition, and doubly unfortunate that he did not persist in the genre of which he is so great a master. [[illustration signed by Alva Rogers]] FASCINATING HORROR Oh darkened horror . . crawly thing, Why do you fascinate me so? Your curling talons press my flesh.. Your ogrish gaping is an undertow That beats with thunder in my blood. I turn my head, but still you wave Your brazenness, and when I hear Your blood-turned laugh...I am your slave! --Ruby Diehr
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Other Stories, Hugh Walpole thought worthy of inclusion in his monumental A Second Century of Creepy Stories; introducing it in these words: "Nearly all the stories in this collection are preoccupied with atmosphere. One of the most horrible is Mr. Metcalfe's Mortmain. This is the art of suspense created by the deliberate contrasting of matter-of-fact and charnel horror...There is little or no surprise here, because we know that catastrophe must follow since we are aware from the very first page that we are in the land of the dead. In the utterly bizarre Mr. Meldrum's Mania, also from the same collection, we see the Egyptian god Thoth reaching through the centuries to fasten on the mind and body of the unfortunate Mr. Meldrum. The slow, horrible transformation of the commonplace victim into something out of a nightmare almost beggars description. The closing scene, in which a gigantic bird dressed in Mr. Meldrum's clothes stalks out through the hotel lobby, leaving behind a hopelessly insane elevator attendent, will linger long in every reader's memory. A great part of Metcalfe's effect is achieved by the curious, almost apologetic manner in which he presents his horrors. The reader will not be annoyed by such common faults as the piling of adjective upon adjective, horror upon horror--rather, Metcalfe seems almost to say, "I know such things cannot be, should not happen--but look, here are the facts, judge for yourself." It is unfortunate that a writer of such singular power has not received wider recognition, and doubly unfortunate that he did not persist in the genre of which he is so great a master. [[illustration signed by Alva Rogers]] FASCINATING HORROR Oh darkened horror . . crawly thing, Why do you fascinate me so? Your curling talons press my flesh.. Your ogrish gaping is an undertow That beats with thunder in my blood. I turn my head, but still you wave Your brazenness, and when I hear Your blood-turned laugh...I am your slave! --Ruby Diehr
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