THE SHADOWY THING . With an Introduction by S. T. Joshi

Drake, H[enry] B[urgess]

ISBN 10: 0982429681 / ISBN 13: 9780982429686

Published by Hippocampus Press, New York, 2010

About this Item

Octavo, original gray cloth, front panel stamped in pink, spine panel stamped in pink and blind, top edge stained pink, fore edge untrimmed, bottom edge rough-trimmed. Later edition. First published in London in 1925 by John Long as THE REMEDY. ". Drake's reputation as a horror writer rests largely on THE REMEDY . a suspense thriller of black magic and possession, praised by Lovecraft for its 'strange and terrible vistas.' Granted, the book has the awkwardness of a first novel, particularly in the weak romantic subplot, but an atmosphere of brooding evil builds powerfully throughout, culminating in the climactic exorcism scene. THE REMEDY remains one of the better horror novels of the 1920s." - Sullivan, ed., The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 136-137. A fine copy. Trade paperback format. (#177538).

Seller Inventory # 177538

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE SHADOWY THING . With an Introduction by S. T. Joshi
• Publisher: Hippocampus Press, New York
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0982429681
• ISBN 13: 9780982429686
• Binding: Soft cover
• Seller catalogs:
  • Supernatural

About this title

Synopsis

"H. B. Drake's The Shadowy Thing summons up strange and terrible vistas." --H. P. Lovecraft. A weird supernatural thriller in which a character possesses the power of mind-transference, praised by Lovecraft in "Supernatural Horror in Literature" and believed to be influential on his stories "The Thing on the Doorstep" and "The Shadow Out of Time". The uncanny powers of young Avery Booth alarmed and frightened his friends. After coming under his influence it became clear to others that people were doing things against their wills. He implanted the dark fear of the unknown in the hearts of his acquaintances, weakening their conventional security of thought and troubling their minds with foolish shadows of doubt and dread and fantastic imaginings that worked like a subtle poison. Even his satellites moved in a maze of unpleasant and inexplicable shadows, for the very atmosphere they lived in seemed haunted. But in Dick Bellew, Avery met an antagonist worthy of his skill. The enthralling story of their conflict and its final dramatic conclusion is gripping and amazingly well done.