Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO 4
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER 5
THE MEGAPACK SERIES 7
A NOTE ABOUT HODGSON, by Darrell Schweitzer 13
NOTES ON HODGSON, by H. P. Lovecraft 17
THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT 20
A TROPICAL HORROR 33
OUT OF THE STORM 44
THE FINDING OF THE “GRAIKEN” 49
ELOI ELOI LAMA SABACHTHANI 71
THE TERROR OF THE WATER-TANK 89
THE ALBATROSS 105
THE HAUNTING OF THE LADY SHANNON 120
THE SHAMRAKEN HOMEWARD-BOUNDER 135
ON THE BRIDGE 148
THE CAPTAIN OF THE ONION BOAT 152
THE WEED MEN 165
THE SEA HORSES 176
MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED THE HOUSE OF PRAYER 200
FROM THE TIDELESS SEA 209
THROUGH THE VORTEX OF A CYCLONE 255
THE DERELICT 282
THE BAUMOFF EXPLOSIVE 309
DEMONS OF THE SEA 327
JACK GREY, SECOND MATE 338
THE STONE SHIP 378
THE THING IN THE WEEDS 409
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT 424
THE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 1) 438
THE HOUSE AMONG THE LAURELS (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 2) 459
THE WHISTLING ROOM (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 3) 479
THE HORSE OF THE INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 4) 497
THE SEARCHER OF THE END HOUSE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 5) 523
THE THING INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 6) 549
THE GHOST PIRATES 574
THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND 713
THE BOATS OF THE “GLEN CARRIG” 838
GREY SEAS ARE DREAMING OF MY DEATH (poem) 980
COPYRIGHT INFO
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack is copyright © 2014 by Wildside Press. Published by Wildside Press LLC. All rights reserved. Cover art copyright © 2014 by Saiheng / Fotolia.com
“A Note About Hodgson,” by Darrell Schweitzer, is copyright © 2005 by Wildside Press. “Notes on Hodgson,” by H. P. Lovecraft, is taken from Supernatural Horror in Literature, first published in 1927 in The Recluse and later revised circa 1933–1934.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Just a quick note for this volume; the essay on Hodgson by author Darrell Schweitzer and the introduction by H.P. Lovecraft (extracted from Supernatural Horror in Literature) are fairly definitely assesments of the author and his classic works.
Enjoy.
—John Betancourt, Publisher
Wildside Press LLC
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!)
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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.
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THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The First Mystery Megapack
The Second Mystery Megapack
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Bulldog Drummond Megapack*
The Carolyn Wells Mystery Megapack
The Charlie Chan Megapack*
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Second Girl Detective Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Red Finger Pulp Mystery Megapack, by Arthur Leo Zagat*
The Sherlock Holmes 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 Pirate Story Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION MEGAPACKS
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
4. Clifford D. Simak
5. Lester del Rey
6. Charles L. Fontenay
7. H.B. Fyfe
8. Milton Lesser (Stephen Marlowe)
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The First Science Fiction 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 Ninth Science Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The First Theodore Cogswell Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Dragon 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 Jack London Science Fiction Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack R
eynolds Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Space Opera Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Second Time Travel Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The First Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Willam P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Horror Megapack
The Second Horror Megapack
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 Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Third Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Weird Fiction Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
WESTERNS
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Third Western Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Bobbsey Twins Megapack
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Dare Boys Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Second Carolyn Wells Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Henri Bergson Megapack
The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Second Fredric Brown Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Stephen Crane Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Frederick Douglass Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman 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 Harold Lamb Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jonas Lie Megapack
The Katherine Mansfield Megapack
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The William P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The First William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The E. Nesbit 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
The Bram Stoker Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The Virginia Woolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson 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
Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
A NOTE ABOUT HODGSON, by Darrell Schweitzer
NOTES ON HODGSON, by H. P. Lovecraft
THE MYSTERY OF THE DERELICT
A TROPICAL HORROR
OUT OF THE STORM
THE FINDING OF THE “GRAIKEN”
ELOI ELOI LAMA SABACHTHANI
THE TERROR OF THE WATER-TANK
THE ALBATROSS
THE HAUNTING OF THE LADY SHANNON
THE SHAMRAKEN HOMEWARD-BOUNDER
ON THE BRIDGE
THE CAPTAIN OF THE ONION BOAT
THE WEED MEN
THE SEA HORSES
MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED THE HOUSE OF PRAYER
FROM THE TIDELESS SEA
THROUGH THE VORTEX OF A CYCLONE
THE DERELICT
THE BAUMOFF EXPLOSIVE
DEMONS OF THE SEA
JACK GREY, SECOND MATE
THE STONE SHIP
THE THING IN THE WEEDS
THE VOICE IN THE NIGHT
THE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 1)
THE HOUSE AMONG THE LAURELS (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 2)
THE WHISTLING ROOM (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 3)
THE HORSE OF THE INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 4)
THE SEARCHER OF THE END HOUSE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 5)
THE THING INVISIBLE (Carnacki the Ghost Finder No. 6)
THE GHOST PIRATES
THE HOUSE ON THE BORDERLAND
THE BOATS OF THE “GLEN CARRIG”
GREY SEAS ARE DREAMING OF MY DEATH (poem)
A NOTE ABOUT HODGSON, by D
arrell Schweitzer
Among those fiction writers who have elected to deal with the shadowlands and borderlands of human existence, William Hope Hodgson surely merits a place with the very few that inform their treatment of such themes with a sense of authenticity. His writing itself, as Mr. Lovecraft justly says, is far from equal in stylistic merit: but it would be impossible to withhold the rank of master from an author who has achieved so authoritatively, in volume after volume, a quality that one might term the realism of the unreal. In some ways, Hodgson’s work is no doubt most readily comparable to that of Algernon Blackwood. But I am not sure that even Blackwood has managed to intimate a feeling of such profound and pervasive familiarity with the occult as one finds in The house on the Borderland. Hideous phantoms and unknown monsters from the nightward gulf are adumbrated in all their terror, with no dispelling of their native mystery; and surely such things could be described only by a seer who has dwelt overlong on the perilous verges and has peered too deeply into the regions veiled by invisibility from normal sight.
—Clark Ashton Smith
William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) was an Englishman who went to sea for several years as a young man and seems to have had a thoroughly unpleasant time of it, and later argued in print that the British Merchant Marine was not worth joining. He also became a body-builder, and, according to his biographer Sam Moskowitz, took a certain delight in beating up sailors who had mistreated him. Despite this, the sea gave Hodgson the formative experience of his life, and surely contributed to the sense of vastness, solitude, and cosmic strangeness found in his best work. More overtly, it provided him with much of his subject matter, many of his settings, and any number of tentacular monstrosities which bedevil his characters. Hodgson has no peer, or even a serious challenger, as an author of creepy sea stories. Perhaps his prose is not as graceful as that of Joseph Conrad, and he does not delve far into character, but when it comes to haunted derelicts and hideous, fungoid transformations, there is no one else like him.
Hodgson’s earlier work centers on four novels, which, subsequent research seems to indicate, were actually written in reverse of the order in which they were published. But as this is still uncertain, the dates given are those of publication.
The Boats of “The Glen Carrig” (1907) tells how survivors of a sunken ship encounter numerous monsters and undergo strange adventures in a seaweed-choked Sargasso Sea.
The House on the Borderland (1908) drew some of its inspiration from H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine (1895), but is a terrific creation in its own right, a novel told in the form of a manuscript found in a crumbling ruin, tell how the hapless protagonist was besieged by a series of horrific monstrosities swarming out of a dimensional rift. Amid the novel’s potent sense of terror and inevitable doom, there is also a vision of the far future, of a remote, post-human Earth.