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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 3, September 1944
Page 48
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48 FANTASY COMMENTATOR adept in the art of giving you the "creeps", and sees to it that you extract the last ounce of fearful delight from the thrill before he lets you down with a comfortable explanation. In "The Stone Ship," an excellent example of the author's skill, the crew of a windjammer, becalmed on a misty night a thousand miles from the nearest land, are astounded to hear the sound of a brook running down a hillside! Next, they become aware of a frightful stench and a strange, fitful glow; and the mystery culminates in the discovery of a ship built wholly of stone, manned by a stone crew, and to all appearance floating on the Atlantic in the defiance of the laws of buoyancy. And the explanation, while destroying none of the glamour of the mystery, is remarkably concise and satisfying. Hidden gold and rare sea monsters play important parts in many of the stories. In Captain Jat's quest for the island pearls, a mammoth man-eating crab figures prominently, while one of the biggest thrills in "The Stone Ship" is afforded by a giant sea-caterpillar. Another story tells of the ingenious ruse whereby Captain Gunbelt Charity smuggled "The Painted Lady" into the U. S. A. Ingenious too is the explanation of the ghostly ringing of the bell on the derelict Laughing Sally---a story noteworthy also for its amusing sketch of Dot-and-Carry-One Cargunka, ship owner and saloon keeper. The author spins his yarns cleverly and neatly, has a crisp, racy style, and a bold imagination with a flair for the macabre and horrific that will always appeal to a wide public. Hodgson followed The Luck of the Strong with yet a fourth collection of short stories, Captain Gault. In this latter volume, however, he abandoned the supernatural theme entirely, and therefore a detailed discussion of this work is outside the scope of this article. It may be noted in passing, however, that this venture into the realm of playful romance and detective-work proved, in the eyes of literary periodicals then current, as successful as his earlier attempts in the field of fantasy and the supernatural. The influence of the sea is still patent in this work, as might be guessed from inspection of its title. Besides his prose works, Hodgson had, over a period of the decade preceeding his death, dabbled frequenly in poetry. Examples of his poems had appeared in his other books as prefatory and epilogic additions, as well as in the three American-published works, Cargunka, and Poems and Anecdotes, Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder, and a Poem and "Poems" and "A Dream of X". The collected editions of his poetry appeared until the titles The Calling of the Sea (1920) and The Voice of the Ocean (1921). The influence of the author's years spent on shipboard on this phase of his work is patent throughout. Closer consideration of these two volumes is likewise beyond the pale of this discussion, but it may be mentioned that the former received a reasonably favorable review in The Bookman in which Hodgson was referred to as "a true poet as he is a true novelist of the sea." A complete bibliography of Hodgson's books is to be found on page 35 of this issue. Data on all editions printed is given in full, and a few (though minor) errors which have appeared in reference books are also noted. Unfortunately, I have not been able, as yet, to compile complete data on the places of original publication (i. e., in periodicals and/or magazines) of the author's short stories. I hope to be able to do so in time to include such data in the next article on Hodgson which I plan shortly to write. In the meantime, anyone who could help along these lines: please send me any information at hand.
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48 FANTASY COMMENTATOR adept in the art of giving you the "creeps", and sees to it that you extract the last ounce of fearful delight from the thrill before he lets you down with a comfortable explanation. In "The Stone Ship," an excellent example of the author's skill, the crew of a windjammer, becalmed on a misty night a thousand miles from the nearest land, are astounded to hear the sound of a brook running down a hillside! Next, they become aware of a frightful stench and a strange, fitful glow; and the mystery culminates in the discovery of a ship built wholly of stone, manned by a stone crew, and to all appearance floating on the Atlantic in the defiance of the laws of buoyancy. And the explanation, while destroying none of the glamour of the mystery, is remarkably concise and satisfying. Hidden gold and rare sea monsters play important parts in many of the stories. In Captain Jat's quest for the island pearls, a mammoth man-eating crab figures prominently, while one of the biggest thrills in "The Stone Ship" is afforded by a giant sea-caterpillar. Another story tells of the ingenious ruse whereby Captain Gunbelt Charity smuggled "The Painted Lady" into the U. S. A. Ingenious too is the explanation of the ghostly ringing of the bell on the derelict Laughing Sally---a story noteworthy also for its amusing sketch of Dot-and-Carry-One Cargunka, ship owner and saloon keeper. The author spins his yarns cleverly and neatly, has a crisp, racy style, and a bold imagination with a flair for the macabre and horrific that will always appeal to a wide public. Hodgson followed The Luck of the Strong with yet a fourth collection of short stories, Captain Gault. In this latter volume, however, he abandoned the supernatural theme entirely, and therefore a detailed discussion of this work is outside the scope of this article. It may be noted in passing, however, that this venture into the realm of playful romance and detective-work proved, in the eyes of literary periodicals then current, as successful as his earlier attempts in the field of fantasy and the supernatural. The influence of the sea is still patent in this work, as might be guessed from inspection of its title. Besides his prose works, Hodgson had, over a period of the decade preceeding his death, dabbled frequenly in poetry. Examples of his poems had appeared in his other books as prefatory and epilogic additions, as well as in the three American-published works, Cargunka, and Poems and Anecdotes, Carnacki, the Ghost-Finder, and a Poem and "Poems" and "A Dream of X". The collected editions of his poetry appeared until the titles The Calling of the Sea (1920) and The Voice of the Ocean (1921). The influence of the author's years spent on shipboard on this phase of his work is patent throughout. Closer consideration of these two volumes is likewise beyond the pale of this discussion, but it may be mentioned that the former received a reasonably favorable review in The Bookman in which Hodgson was referred to as "a true poet as he is a true novelist of the sea." A complete bibliography of Hodgson's books is to be found on page 35 of this issue. Data on all editions printed is given in full, and a few (though minor) errors which have appeared in reference books are also noted. Unfortunately, I have not been able, as yet, to compile complete data on the places of original publication (i. e., in periodicals and/or magazines) of the author's short stories. I hope to be able to do so in time to include such data in the next article on Hodgson which I plan shortly to write. In the meantime, anyone who could help along these lines: please send me any information at hand.
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