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Banshee, whole no. 4, March 1944
Page 11
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Banshee * * * 11 FANTASY BOOK REVIEW by Paul Spencer "ETIDORHPA; or, The End of Earth," The Strange History of a Mysterious Being and the Account of a Remarkable Journey, by John Uri Lloyd. With many illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp. Eleventh Edition, revised and enlarged. New York, Dodd Mead & Co., 1910. Thus runs the title-page of one of the most astonishing works of fnatasy ever writte; "Etidorhpa," one of those rare items that are a delight to the heart of the collector, is among the few old-time fantasyarns which still retain a flavor of the unusual. Written in a leisurely style, following every detail with utmost care, waxing rather grandiloquent at times, this book is, let me warn at the outset, pretty tough going in places; yet, and this too I wish to emphasize, it is well worth struggling with the story's slowness, for there are many quaint fancies and stimulating ideas embodied in the narrative. Nor is the style without a certain beauty. The story starts like many other ancient fantasyarns, but surprises are in store. The marrator is startled by the apparition of a strange, bearned man who leaves a manuscript behind him. This manuscript, the story of I-Am-The-Man-Who-Did-It, makes up the major portion of the book. I-Am-The-Man had been interested in alchemy and psychical research, and, in response to a certain letter, joins a secret mystical society, with the purpose of revealing to the world the higher science attained by the organization. As a punishment for his betrayal, I-Am-The-Man is made aged in appearance, and, for reasons hinted at but never clearly divulged, is made immortal and taken on a fantastic journey beneath the surface of the Earth. His guide in this Verne-esque journey is a superhuman man who has no eyes, but "sees" through higher senses. I-Am-The-Man is conducted through huge caverns under the Earth's crust, meeting strange life-forms and astonishng natural phenomena. High point of his journey is his meeting with Etidorhpa, whose nature is pretty well implied in her name if you interpret it correctly. There is very little plot in the story; it is nothing more than what it claims to be -- "the account of a remarkable journely." Each step of the way is discussed in minute scientific detail, and all sorts of surprising and thought-provoking theories are advanced; "Ethidorhpa" contains more ideas to the square inch than any other book I know of. These ideas are often quite mystical, verging on the supernature, but there is plenty of solid science as well. The author has carried his conception thought with the most astounding thoroughness and startling verisimilitude. Though the science is all straightforward enough (including countless curious experiments which the reader may be interested in trying out for himself). there is a good deal of very odd hidden meaning. The title itself, the cover, the name of the author, the artist (whose profuse illustrations are superb) -- these and other things seem to possess subtle significance. "Etidorhpa" is unique; there is nothing else to compare it with. If you like to meet strange ideas and quaint conceptions -- if it amuses you to play with unconventional experiments -- then "Etidorhpa" should thrill you profoundly. The basic idea of the book is embodied in this single sentence: "If scholars would cease to devote their entire energies to the development of the material ... many beauties and powers of Nature now unknown would be revelaed."
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Banshee * * * 11 FANTASY BOOK REVIEW by Paul Spencer "ETIDORHPA; or, The End of Earth," The Strange History of a Mysterious Being and the Account of a Remarkable Journey, by John Uri Lloyd. With many illustrations by J. Augustus Knapp. Eleventh Edition, revised and enlarged. New York, Dodd Mead & Co., 1910. Thus runs the title-page of one of the most astonishing works of fnatasy ever writte; "Etidorhpa," one of those rare items that are a delight to the heart of the collector, is among the few old-time fantasyarns which still retain a flavor of the unusual. Written in a leisurely style, following every detail with utmost care, waxing rather grandiloquent at times, this book is, let me warn at the outset, pretty tough going in places; yet, and this too I wish to emphasize, it is well worth struggling with the story's slowness, for there are many quaint fancies and stimulating ideas embodied in the narrative. Nor is the style without a certain beauty. The story starts like many other ancient fantasyarns, but surprises are in store. The marrator is startled by the apparition of a strange, bearned man who leaves a manuscript behind him. This manuscript, the story of I-Am-The-Man-Who-Did-It, makes up the major portion of the book. I-Am-The-Man had been interested in alchemy and psychical research, and, in response to a certain letter, joins a secret mystical society, with the purpose of revealing to the world the higher science attained by the organization. As a punishment for his betrayal, I-Am-The-Man is made aged in appearance, and, for reasons hinted at but never clearly divulged, is made immortal and taken on a fantastic journey beneath the surface of the Earth. His guide in this Verne-esque journey is a superhuman man who has no eyes, but "sees" through higher senses. I-Am-The-Man is conducted through huge caverns under the Earth's crust, meeting strange life-forms and astonishng natural phenomena. High point of his journey is his meeting with Etidorhpa, whose nature is pretty well implied in her name if you interpret it correctly. There is very little plot in the story; it is nothing more than what it claims to be -- "the account of a remarkable journely." Each step of the way is discussed in minute scientific detail, and all sorts of surprising and thought-provoking theories are advanced; "Ethidorhpa" contains more ideas to the square inch than any other book I know of. These ideas are often quite mystical, verging on the supernature, but there is plenty of solid science as well. The author has carried his conception thought with the most astounding thoroughness and startling verisimilitude. Though the science is all straightforward enough (including countless curious experiments which the reader may be interested in trying out for himself). there is a good deal of very odd hidden meaning. The title itself, the cover, the name of the author, the artist (whose profuse illustrations are superb) -- these and other things seem to possess subtle significance. "Etidorhpa" is unique; there is nothing else to compare it with. If you like to meet strange ideas and quaint conceptions -- if it amuses you to play with unconventional experiments -- then "Etidorhpa" should thrill you profoundly. The basic idea of the book is embodied in this single sentence: "If scholars would cease to devote their entire energies to the development of the material ... many beauties and powers of Nature now unknown would be revelaed."
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