The Editor’s Page
In his column this issue, Robert A.W. Lowndes explains why timeliness can only be detrimental to writing fiction. “I am convinced that the attempt to be timely is what was wrong with a very large percentage of the stories I have rejected over the course of some twenty-eight years of reading manuscripts. By ‘timeliness’ I do not mean setting a story in a current historical situation, providing that the canvas is large enough, but rather building a story upon such ephemeral matters as current jokes, latest sensational headlines, current slogans—political or otherwise… When I see a manuscript containing a story that is based upon current or more-or-less recent atrocities which made headlines in the papers, I can nearly always win a bet with myself that this will reveal an author with very little imagination, or an undeveloped imagination.” I can’t argue with his statements.

“Spawn of Inferno” by Hugh B. Cave
(first publication: Weird Tales, October 1932)
This tale begins (after an unnecessary framing device) with Dr. Bruce Moller encountering a mad pseudo-scientist who claims to have built a machine which can open a gateway to “the Dimension of Death.” “His talk was of mighty elementals—vicious monsters which were hovering within reach, black and hungry, separated only by what he termed ‘the walls of dimension’.” (This reminded me of HPL’s “From Beyond,” which, though written in 1920, was published two years after “Spawn of Inferno.”) After Moller and two of his colleagues receive anonymous death threats, the town is plunged into abyssal blackness. I found the narrative a little difficult to follow at times, but interesting enough to keep me reading. Cave succeeded in crafting a terrifying atmosphere.

“The Sword and the Eagle” by David H. Keller, M.D.
The second story in the “Cornwall” series takes place several decades after the first (which was published in the previous issue). The family that would be known as the Hubelaires, driven from their home in Jutland, has relocated to Armorica. The current lord of the family, Harold, is worried because his only son Edward has not yet taken a wife. Edward’s excuse is “The maidens liked my swordsmanship better than they did me. Besides, I met none who quickened my heart or roused any desire for her.” However, the family is visited by a little dark man (Pan the satyr from the previous tale) who offers his help. He presents to Edward an excessively sharp sword with a unicorn-horn handle on each end and advises him to travel eastward for five days. Edward does so, and encounters a cantankerous man sitting in a meadow with an eagle chained to his chair. Edward desires the eagle, and the man makes the following offer: “If you can excel me in sword-play you may have the eagle, but if I win the combat I will tie you to the other arm of the chair and, with you on one side and the eagle on the other, I will continue my brooding.” With his fabulous sword Edward earns the victory, and returns home with the eagle. The bird, as it turns out, provides the solution to the family’s problem. It all might seem a bit preposterous, but considering the fairy tale-esque nature of the story, I thought it worked well.

Inquisitions
Only one book is featured in this issue’s review column: Heinlein in Dimension by Alexi Panshin. I know nothing of Panshin, but Lowndes compares him to other science fiction critics James Blish and Damon Knight, so that does nothing for his credibility in my eyes. However, Lowndes, in recommending the book, points out “The worth of such a book of criticism does not depend upon whether you agree; it depends upon the opportunities it offers you to see things about an author and his work that you did not notice before, and to see why you accept or reject the critic’s evaluation.”

“The Horror Out of Lovecraft” by Donald A. Wollheim
As you might have guessed from the title, this is a satire of Lovecraft’s Mythos stories. Wollheim takes a subtle approach to humor, except for the ending, when the monstrous horror is revealed.

“The Last Work of Pietro of Apono” by Steffan B. Aletti
A chilling horror tale in the vein of Lovecraft, but not imitative of him. The unnamed narrator learns that Pietro of Apono, a writer and philosopher during the Renaissance, was translating a work from antiquity shortly before his death, but found it too blasphemous to continue. After unearthing the lost pages from the crypt in the Church of San Giuseppe, he discovers, too late, why Pietro refused to complete it…

“At the End of Days” by Robert Silverberg
(first publication: New Worlds, September 1965)
A short and insubstantial sci-fi piece. Earth’s aged population is dwindling due to sterility. However, there is a slight glimmer of hope.

The Reckoning
In the January 1969 issue, Clark Ashton Smith’s “The Colossus of Ylourgne” barely took first place over “There Shall Be No Darkness” by James Blish. Third place went to “The Writings of Elwin Adams” by Larry Eugene Meredith, followed by “When Dead Gods Wake” by Victor Rousseau, and “The Phantom Ship” by Captain Frederick Marryatt. Only one reader cast a “dislike” vote, and that was for “When Dead Gods Wake.”

“The Devil’s Bride” (part two of three) by Seabury Quinn
(first publication: Weird Tales, April and May 1932)
When Jules de Grandin began investigating the abduction of Alice Hume, he believed a cult of devil-worshiping Yezidees were responsible for the crime. Delving deeper, he deduces that the Yezidees are merely one component of an unholy coalition whose greater aims are unknown, but certainly nefarious. With the aid of the police and secret service agents from France and England, de Grandin infiltrates one of the cult’s Satanic rituals. The operation is a success, as Alice is rescued, but the demonolaters will not back down so easily. The story concludes next issue.

It is Written…
The most notable letter this issue comes from J.C. Henneberger, the original publisher of Weird Tales. He talks about “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs,” which was written by H.P. Lovecraft from an outline by Harry Houdini. Lovecraft asked not to have his name on the story, so when it was published in WT it was accredited solely to Houdini. Henneberger writes “I received scores of letters from readers for not giving due credit to Lovecraft. These letters I foolishly loaned to an acquaintance whom I accuse of selling them to a nationally known writer; and a nationally known magazine, ESQUIRE, sometime later published an article, The Cult of Lovecraft, which article not exactly demeaning Lovecraft would not have met his approval, I am sure.” I haven’t been able to find an article in Esquire by that title, but in the January 1946 issue there was a piece on Lovecraft entitled “The Ten-Cent Ivory Tower.” This might be what Henneberger was referring to.

Readers’ Preference Page
My ballot ranking the stories of the issue from best to worst:

(1) The Last Work of Pietro of Apono
(2) The Sword and the Eagle
(3) The Devil’s Bride (part two)
(4) Spawn of Inferno
(5) The Horror Out of Lovecraft
(6) At the End of Days

There were no duds this time around, a vast improvement over the previous issue. Next time around we’ll get the conclusion of “The Devil’s Bride,” another tale of Cornwall, “The Nameless Mummy” by Arlton Eadie, and more.

Previous issues reviewed on the DMR Blog:
Magazine of Horror No. 14 (Winter 1966/67)
Magazine of Horror No. 26 (March 1969)