The Black Friday weekend is behind us. It’s been nearly a month since DMR Books published the centennial edition of A. Merritt’s The Ship of Ishtar. Now seems a good time to do a round-up of reviews from across the ‘Net and see what our fellow Netizens have to say about this newest edition of a truly classic American fantasy.

A. Merritt's The Ship of Ishtar was first published in Argosy All-Story almost exactly a century ago. Since then, it has influenced countless authors, been published in a myriad of editions and has sold millions of copies. The DMR edition carries on this proud tradition. For those curious regarding my thoughts about it, here is the link.

Other than myself, there are still many other fans of Merritt's classic novel out there. Some of them write blogs. Those stalwart fans of American fantasy are the ones I will be spotlighting in this blog entry.

Ken Lizzi, barrister-at-large and author extraordinaire, has this to say about The Ship of Ishtar:

"Merritt jumps right into the action. We are introduced immediately to the protagonist being sucked from his own world onto the eponymous ship."

Ken is entirely right. Merritt does not eff around. 'Ishtar' maintains a well-nigh Howardian pace throughout.

Another excerpt:

"Then there is the glorious redhead Sharane. Another of Merrit’s priestesses or numinous avatars, possessed by gods, monsters, or aliens. Loa-ridden, if you will. Sharane is, on occasion, the vessel of Ishtar herself. Sharane’s reluctant, contemptuous, even spiteful early attraction to Kenton is drawn out to a satisfactory length. Her love for Kenton, and her resultant fate, are adumbrated by the loves and fates of two other women in the tale, a point which perhaps should be considered in light of the thesis of [The Ship of Ishtar]."

There is no question that Sharane is "glorious". She is one of the most captivating heroines in all of fantasy. When it came to 'bringing the sexy', Merritt had few equals.

Lizzi finishes his review with these words:

“The book is full of rousing fight scenes, heroics, and battles on sea and land. It does not, in short, lack for action. It’s just that there is more to it than straightforward, two-fisted action (not that there is anything wrong with straightforward, two-fisted action), and that’s what I concentrated my comments upon. I’d like to end this with a compliment directed toward Merritt’s descriptive gift. His work features beautifully limned pictures of light, form, and movement that he clearly had fully envisioned to the minutest detail. More importantly, he possessed the skill to masterfully convey his imagination on the page; a rare confluence of the skills of the technical writer and poet. Many are gifted with imagination. Few can impart those visions to others. Merritt could. (If I have previously downplayed his skill in the slightest, I hereby retract and beg your indulgence.)”

There you have it. A critique from an author who understands what it takes to write a tale of passion and fantastic high adventure. The entire review can be read here.

Let's move on to John Bullard, himself a barrister of note. He blogs for the worthy Adventures Fantastic website and is also a pivotal member of the Robert E. Howard Foundation. A gentleman and a scholar, indeed. In his review, along with one of the best summaries I've read, Bullard has this to say:

'The Ship of Ishtar was a massive success and ruled the American Fantasy market for decades. Merritt had an enormous impact on many writers. H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, E.E. “Doc” Smith, Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett and Michael Moorcock were and are huge fans. Robert E. Howard also liked Merritt’s work, and one can see the probable inspiration and influence this book had on Howard’s famous Conan story, “The Queen of the Black Coast”.

So, if you’re interested in reading The Ship of Ishtar, please take a look at the DMR book’s forthcoming edition. As Dave Ritzlin says in his announcement, the book will have Merritt’s preferred version of the text, all of the illustrations Virgil Finlay did for the first two times the book was published in the pulps, and other items from A. Merritt’s estate in it.

Abraham Merritt definitely needs to be re-examined by all lovers of fantasy if you haven’t read any of his stuff. So if you have never read The Ship of Ishtar, or it’s been years since you read it, get a copy of it at DMR books...'

There's little I can add to or disagree with there, except to point out that the mighty Virgil Finlay illustrated the fourth and fifth American publications of The Ship of Ishtar. Such minutiae is quite easy to get wrong. I've done so myself.

Bullard's post prompted some commentary. You can read it in full here. Now, I'll fisk it.

"[Merritt] often has his hero torn (but not really, he knows the right choice) between a bad girl and a good girl, and the good one must be precious in all ways and up on a pedestal upon a pedestal (think of the treacherous, oversexed Lur versus the brave, virginal Evalie in Dwellers in the Mirage)."

Talk about 'apples and oranges'. The commenter drags in examples from two other Merritt novels that have nothing to do with The Ship of Ishtar. One reason that Sharane is so compelling is that she's 'bad girl' and 'good girl' combined.

That is not to say that the Madonna/Whore option— which is totally a thing—-is without its own power. It does possess that. It has been utilized to good effect by great authors ranging from Dumas and Haggard to Burroughs and Howard...and Merritt.   

"In this one he can’t let Kenton and Sharane have sex for the first time without the doves of Ishtar fluttering overhead as the unseen goddess symbolically marries the couple."

If so, what of it? Before that, Kenton told Sharane that she was his by right of conquest. Also, Sigurd the Viking sang Nordic bridal lays outside their cabin door to consecrate the union. So, did Kenton, Odin or Ishtar "marry" Kenton and Sharane? Which one? Kenton never asked permission, not even from Ishtar.

"But then he throws in a chapter like “The Gods and Man’s Desire”, which could easily fit in a psychedelic poetry slam, where all the symbolism and imagery of the hero’s progress through the houses of the gods make the fable come vividly to life."

Indeed. That was a chapter singled out by Chris Hale, Brian Willhite and myself in a podcast fifteen years ago as being mythically powerful. The Ship of Ishtar is one of the few tales from the pulps that I would rate as being truly 'mythic'.

Well, that wraps up the first half my look at recent The Ship of Ishtar reviews across the Internet. There are several more to examine, as well as commenters to comment upon, but that will be covered in another post.

As always, raise a glass in honor of A. Merritt and his classic novel, The Ship of Ishtar.

The centennial edition, with the preferred text, Virgil Finlay illos and many extras, can be found here.