The Overman (Fantasy and Horror Classics)

A forgotten tale of madness, a dark island, and the limits of the human spirit.

From Upton Sinclair, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Jungle and champion of social realism, comes a rare excursion into the territory of psychological horror.

The Overman is a compelling early short story that delves into themes of isolation and the breakdown of civilization, echoing the dark fables of the era. A scientist named Edward desperately searches for his brother, Daniel, who was lost at sea. Years later, Edward encounters a mysterious survivor of the shipwreck--a man who claims to know Daniel's fate.

The survivor's story plunges into a nightmare narrative of an isolated island where men, stripped of social convention, devolve into a savage state, creating their own brutal, philosophical dictator. Is this a terrifying account of primal regression, or the delusion of a broken mind? This story is a fascinating departure from Sinclair's usual political themes, exploring the "survival of the fittest" in a context far removed from the Chicago stockyards.

Upton Sinclair was born in Baltimore in September 1878. His father moved the family to New York City in 1888. Although his own family was extremely poor, he spent periods of time living with his wealthy grandparents. He later argued that witnessing these extremes turned him into a socialist. Sinclair funded his college education by writing stories for newspapers and magazines. Sinclair s first novel was published in 1901. Sinclair was extremely active in socialist politics throughout his life. His novel "Dragon s Teeth" (1942) on the rise of Nazism won him the Pulitzer Prize. By the time Upton Sinclair died in 1968, he had published more than ninety books.