A. Merritt

From the vault of the master, a classic story of Witchcraft and Satanism. The man in the hospital room died a terrible death, slowly and in agony. His eyes were open, and on his face was an extraordinary expression of terror, a fear mixed with horror. There was nothing all the resources of medical science could do for him, not even to diagnose his disease. There was no wound, no mark, nothing—except little globes of phosphorescence in his blood. And suddenly, at the last moment, a low chuckling sound came from his throat, inhuman, the laughter of a devil.

The first scholarly edition of a classic science fiction novel. One of the most gripping fantasies ever written, The Moon Pool embodies all the romanticism and poetic nostalgia characteristic of A. Merritt's writings. Set on the island of Ponape, full of ruins from ancient civilizations, the novel chronicles the adventures of a party of explorers who discover a previously unknown underground world full of strange peoples and super-scientific wonders. From the depths of this world, the party unwittingly unleashes the Dweller, a monstrous terror that threatens the islands of the South Pacific. Although Merritt did not invent the lost world novel, following in the footsteps of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Burroughs and others, he greatly elaborated upon that tradition. This new edition includes a biography of the author, and an introduction detailing Merritt's many sources and influences, including the occult, mythological, and scientific discourses of his day.