DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Chanticleer, v. 1, issue 3, December 1945

Transcribe
Translate

Chanticleer, v. 1, issue 3, December 1945

Page 25

pulsating mass, only to meet disaster.
THE CAPTAIN OF THE ONION BOAT is a curious story of an old sea Captain who was reported lost at sea. The Captain returns to find that his sweetheart has become a nun. How the lovers are finally re-united makes quite an interesting narrative.
In THROUGH THE VORTEX OF A CYCLONE we are shown the dread and terror and ferocity of a cyclonic storm at sea.
The terrible loneliness of a man and woman, doomed to spend the rest of their lives on a ship lost in the slimy, weed-choked vastness of the Sargasso Sea is passed on to the reader with amazing clarity while perusing FROM THE TIDELESS SEA. But the loneliness is but the lesser of the unearthly evils to be coped with. The stinking, putrid waters of the Sargasso Sea harbor creatures beyond human comprehension. The ship is attacked by gigantic octopi, killing all the crew except the man and the woman. At night weird noises surround the ship, and fear of the unknown takes command of the two lonely souls.
In the second story of this doomed couple, really a continuation of the first story, the ship is attacked by some sort of creature which inhabits the weed. I'll not spoil the story by telling you what it was. But I will say that these two yarns are two of the finest examples of the macabre I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
A VOICE IN THE NIGHT is a story that is amazingly similar to "fungus Isle" which appeared in the Famous Fantastic Mysteries.
THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT is a revolting yarn concerning a group of seamen who board an old derelict which, from all appearances, as it is surrounded by weed, must have drifted away from the Sargasso Sea. The men are attacked by gigantic rats. Their frantic escape through the sucking weed, with the rats swarming over the boat, presents the most godawful suspense imaginable.
In SHAMRAKEN HOMEWARD-BOUNDER we are allowed to peer into the minds of an aged crew on their last voyage. The Shamraken sails right into Heaven, or was it Heaven?
Upon re-reading the foregoing I find that I have overused such words as dreadful, terrible, horrible, revolting, and unearthly. But how else can one describe such a wonderful book? I'm going to have my copy rebound in the most Stygian black obtainable. Does that give you an idea?
-o-0-o-
THE BURNING COURT -- John Dickson Carr -- Popular Library -- 25[[cent symbol]].

A startling, macabreathtaking novel. Have you ever had the good fortune to read what you expected to be a conventional whodunit, only to discover one of the best weird yarns you'd ever read? Well, that's what happened when I read "Burning Court" The novel is Unknownish as all hell, with a But-Without-Hornsish ending. The author pulls a trick I've never seen duplicated in weird literature. He writes a conventional detective story, through to the last word of the last page of the book, then tags on an epilogue which changes the whole atmosphere of the story, thereby transforming a straight whodunit into a masterpiece of the weird. Don't pass this one up under any circumstances.

GREAT TALES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL--Edited by Fraser & Wise--Random House--$2.95
Here is a weird collection to end all weird collections. Contains practically all the old standbys of weird anthologists, and many new ones, plus two stories by Lovecraft. The book jacket is superb, and the book itself is one of the most attractice volumes I've ever seen. Over 1,000 pages of weird classics. A must for collectors.

OUT OF THIS WORLD--Edited by Julius Fast--Penguin Books No. 537--25[[cent symbol]].
Swell collection of the weird, fantastic, and unusual. Contains a novel by Jack London, stories by Benet,Wells,Arthur,Bond, etc. Well worth two bits.

Saving...

pulsating mass, only to meet disaster. THE CAPTAIN OF THE ONION BOAT is a curious story of an old sea Captain who was reported lost at sea. The Captain returns to find that his sweetheart has become a nun. How the lovers are finally re-united makes quite an interesting narrative. In THROUGH THE VORTEX OF A CYCLONE we are shown the dread and terror and ferocity of a cyclonic storm at sea. The terrible loneliness of a man and woman, doomed to spend the rest of their lives on a ship lost in the slimy, weed-choked vastness of the Sargasso Sea is passed on to the reader with amazing clarity while perusing FROM THE TIDELESS SEA. But the loneliness is but the lesser of the unearthly evils to be coped with. The stinking, putrid waters of the Sargasso Sea harbor creatures beyond human comprehension. The ship is attacked by gigantic octopi, killing all the crew except the man and the woman. At night weird noises surround the ship, and fear of the unknown takes command of the two lonely souls. In the second story of this doomed couple, really a continuation of the first story, the ship is attacked by some sort of creature which inhabits the weed. I'll not spoil the story by telling you what it was. But I will say that these two yarns are two of the finest examples of the macabre I've ever had the pleasure of reading. A VOICE IN THE NIGHT is a story that is amazingly similar to "fungus Isle" which appeared in the Famous Fantastic Mysteries. THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT is a revolting yarn concerning a group of seamen who board an old derelict which, from all appearances, as it is surrounded by weed, must have drifted away from the Sargasso Sea. The men are attacked by gigantic rats. Their frantic escape through the sucking weed, with the rats swarming over the boat, presents the most godawful suspense imaginable. In SHAMRAKEN HOMEWARD-BOUNDER we are allowed to peer into the minds of an aged crew on their last voyage. The Shamraken sails right into Heaven, or was it Heaven? Upon re-reading the foregoing I find that I have overused such words as dreadful, terrible, horrible, revolting, and unearthly. But how else can one describe such a wonderful book? I'm going to have my copy rebound in the most Stygian black obtainable. Does that give you an idea? -o-0-o- THE BURNING COURT -- John Dickson Carr -- Popular Library -- 25[[cent symbol]]. A startling, macabreathtaking novel. Have you ever had the good fortune to read what you expected to be a conventional whodunit, only to discover one of the best weird yarns you'd ever read? Well, that's what happened when I read "Burning Court" The novel is Unknownish as all hell, with a But-Without-Hornsish ending. The author pulls a trick I've never seen duplicated in weird literature. He writes a conventional detective story, through to the last word of the last page of the book, then tags on an epilogue which changes the whole atmosphere of the story, thereby transforming a straight whodunit into a masterpiece of the weird. Don't pass this one up under any circumstances. GREAT TALES OF TERROR AND THE SUPERNATURAL--Edited by Fraser & Wise--Random House--$2.95 Here is a weird collection to end all weird collections. Contains practically all the old standbys of weird anthologists, and many new ones, plus two stories by Lovecraft. The book jacket is superb, and the book itself is one of the most attractice volumes I've ever seen. Over 1,000 pages of weird classics. A must for collectors. OUT OF THIS WORLD--Edited by Julius Fast--Penguin Books No. 537--25[[cent symbol]]. Swell collection of the weird, fantastic, and unusual. Contains a novel by Jack London, stories by Benet,Wells,Arthur,Bond, etc. Well worth two bits.