Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
BOY BLUE, by Steve Rasnic Tem
TAP DANCING, by John Gregory Betancourt
TO BECOME A SORCERER, by Darrell Schweitzer
THE GOLGOTHA DANCERS, by Manly Wade Wellman
THE DEATH OF ILALOTHA, by Clark Ashton Smith
THE SALEM HORROR, by Henry Kuttner
THE DISINTERMENT, by H.P. Lovecraft and D.W. Rimel
THE SEA-WITCH, by Nictzin Dyalhis
VINE TERROR, by Howard Wandrei
THE PALE MAN, by Julius Long
WEREWOLF OF THE SAHARA, by G.G. Pendarves
TRAIN FOR FLUSHING, by Malcolm Jameson
THE DIARY OF PHILIP WESTERLY, by Paul Compton
MASK OF DEATH, by Paul Ernst
THE GIRL FROM SAMARCAND, by E. Hoffmann Price
THE MONKEY SPOONS, by Mary Elizabeth Counselman
THE VENGEANCE OF NITOCRIS, by Tennessee Williams
THE NINTH SKELETON, by Clark Ashton Smith
BIMINI, by Bassett Morgan
THE CURSE OF YIG, by H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop
THE HAUNTER OF THE RING, by Robert E. Howard
THE MEDICI BOOTS, by Pearl Norton Swet
THE LOST DOOR, by Dorothy Quick
DOOM OF THE HOUSE OF DURYEA, by Earl Peirce, Jr.
IN THE DARK, by Ronal Kayser
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
COPYRIGHT INFO
The Weird Fiction Megapack is copyright © 2014 by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved.
* * * *
“Boy Blue,” by Steve Rasnic Tem, originally appeared in Weird Tales #2, edited by Lin Carter. Copyright © 1980 by Steve Rasnic Tem. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Tap Dancing,” by John Gregory Betancourt, originally appeared in Weird Tales #300, Spring 1991. Copyright © 1991 by John Gregory Betancourt. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“To Become a Sorcerer,” by Darrell Schweitzer, originally appeared in Weird Tales #303. Copyright © 1991 by Darrell Schweitzer. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Golgotha Dancers,” by Many Wade Wellman, originally appeared in Weird Tales, October 1937.
“The Death of Ilalotha,” by Clark Ashton Smith, originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1937.
“The Salem Horror,” by Henry Kuttner, originally appeared in Weird Tales, May 1937.
“The Disinterment,” by H.P. Lovecraft and D.W. Rimel, originally appeared in September, 1935.
“The Sea-Witch,” by Nictzin Dyalhis, originally appeared in Weird Tales, December 1937.
“Vine Terror,” by Howard Wandrei, originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1934.
“The Pale Man,” by Julius Long, originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1934.
“Werewolf of the Sahara,” by G.G. Pendarves, originally appeared in Weird Tales, August-September 1936.
“Train for Flushing,” by Malcolm Jameson, originally appeared in Weird Tales, March-April 1940.
“The Diary of Philip Westerly,” by Paul Compton, originally appeared in Weird Tales, August-September 1936.
“Mask of Death,” by Paul Ernst, originally appeared in Weird Tales, August-September 1936.
“The Girl from Samarcand,” by E. Hoffmann Price, originally appeared in Weird Tales, March 1938.
“The Monkey Spoons,” by Mary Elizabeth, originally appeared in Weird Tales, May 1950.
“The Vengeance of Nitocris,” by Tennessee Williams, originally appeared in Weird Tales, August 1928.
“Bimini,” by Bassett Morgan, originally appeared in Weird Tales, January 1929.
“The Curse of Yig,” by H.P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop, originally appeared in Weird Tales, November 1929.
“The Haunter of the Ring,” by Robert E. Howard, originally appeare in Weird Tales, June 1934.
“The Medici Boots,” by Pearl Norton Swet, originally appeared in Weird Tales, August-September 1936.
“The Lost Door,” by Dorothy Quick, originally appeared in Weird Tales, October 1936.
“Doom of the House of Duryea,” by Earl Peirce, Jr., originally appeared in Weird Tales, October 1936.
“In the Dark,” by Ronal Kayser, originally appeared in Weird Tales, October 1936.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Weird fiction (a term coined by no less an expert than H.P. Lovecraft) has been around for hundreds of years…and it has expanded to include not just the ghost story, but all manner of horror stories, fantasy stories, and the just plain uncanny. Before the term came to be, pulp magazines billed tales of the supernatural as “different” stories (using the quotation marks) as a sort of code so readers would know ahead of time what they were going into.
Weird Tales magazine—founded in 1923—became a centerpoint for weird fiction throughout its original run (ending in 1954), then to varying degrees throughout its revivals. I was involved (along with George Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer) in the fourth—and most successful—of the Weird Tales revivals (starting in the late 1980s…and still continuing to this day, but now under the skilled editorship of Marvin Kaye).
For The Weird Fiction Megapack, I have selected tales both modern and classic from Weird Tales, ranging throughout the 20th Century, but focusing mainly on the classic era of the 1930s. I have tried to pick less-well-known stories (how many times have we seen the same few Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard stories anthologized?)
From the current incarnation, I’ve taken the liberty of including my own story “Tap Dancing”—one of the best supernatural stories I’ve written—along with Darrell Schweitzer’s “To Become a Sorcerer” (the first story from Weird Tales to be nominated for a World Fantasy Award). From the 4-volume Lin Carter-edited 1980s revival, I selected Steve Rasnic Tem’s “Boy Blue,” a truly chilling tale that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. From the classic run, I’ve picked some of the classic authors—Lovecraft, Smith, Howard, etc.—but rarer stories you may not have encountered before. And, of course, there are great stories from writers like Manly Wade Wellman, E. Hoffmann Price, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, Dorothy Quick, etc.
Enjoy. And if you want to see what’s currently happening with weird fiction and Weird Tales, just search the ebook store where you purchased this volume “Weird Tales”—you should find a healthy selection of back issues, plus the current one. (As I write this, the current issue is #361.)
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has grown to be among our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
A NOTE FOR KINDLE READERS
The Kindle versions of our Megapacks employ active tables of contents for easy navigation…please look for one before writing reviews on Amazon that complain about the lack! (They are sometimes at the ends of ebooks, depending on your reader.)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (t
here is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack*
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The First Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack
The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Horror Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
WESTERNS
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma Lagerlof Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
* Not available in the United States
** Not available in the European Union
*** Out of print.
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
BOY BLUE, by Steve Rasnic Tem
Alice worked the cigarette vigorously with quick, nervous puffs. The floors and walls seemed to whimper.
“You know, it’s okay if you’re not sure you love me anymore.”
She stirred, focused her enormous blue eyes on him, scowled. “Don’t you have any respect for yourself?”
He looked past her. “Maybe…I don’t know anymore. I do know…I’d do anything for you.”
“Oh, Morgan, you make me feel guilty all the time!”
His heart
wasn’t in the argument, but he reacted because he knew she wanted him to defend himself. He pulled out something from one of the many pop psychology books he had read; it was the only way he knew to program himself to argue. “I can’t make you feel guilty.”
He knew immediately he had made a mistake.
“That’s right, Morgan; you can’t make me feel.”
He could just stare at her now, the nimbus of yellow hair crowning the puffy, sleep-starved face, and listen for the noises. The noises were more persistent when they argued: the scrapings, tappings, wood creakings so like whimpers. He was getting another migraine.
She examined him slowly. “I’m sorry I said that. We did it again, didn’t we?”
“Yeah. We get weird every time we go to a party. Pretty nasty business tonight.”
The noises were getting louder. Alice looked around the walls, and stared at the cellar door. “I want you to go down there.”
“You know…it’s probably just a field mouse, or a gopher.”
He looked at the door. He had been avoiding it. He needed to know what was going on—if it was a mouse, perhaps a trapped cat, some small animal living in the crawl spaces. But he hadn’t checked it out.
“Morgan…please.”
His headache was getting worse. But he’d do anything for her.
Morgan stood silently on the first landing, wiping the sweat up off his forehead and into the thick black hair. Then he started down the long flight of steps. Like many other old handmade houses in this mountainous part of Virginia, this one had been built into the side of a hill. No ground had been leveled, and the floors were left staggered up and down the hill. The living room was six inches above the bedroom, the kitchen a good two feet below that. Alice insisted it was dangerous.
As he descended the steps, Morgan grabbed a flashlight off a slanting shelf attached to the railing, and played the light over the chaotic substructure of the house, where joints and floor braces came into each other at strange angles. Large crawlways and shelves were left between the separated walls. Down below he could see the mouth of a long tunnel off the cellar which led to a small coal outcropping mined out of the hill. The air was moist and cloying.
The noises seemed to have stopped. But Morgan could hear water dripping.
A large crevice behind the staircase was full of trash and fallen mud. Morgan’s great-uncle and the two families who had lived there after him had dumped their garbage there for an old underground stream, now diminished to a trickle, to dispose of. For most mountain dwellers the area streams had been their dishwasher, garbage collector, and sewer line. Someone had tried to bury the trash by hauling in dirt, but that had only made individual bits of trash stand out like jewels.