Barry Pain departs from his typical [humorous] themes with An Exchange of Souls. In this novel, respected doctor Daniel Myas is a scientist who has developed a machine which allows for the exchange of his “personality”' with that of another. However when his attempt at “exchanging souls” occurs with an individual very close to him, only a form of horror can be the result, and the reader is led down a path of deterioration and fear. Undoubtedly, this novel, published in 1911, influenced H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of personality exchange across gender lines in “The Thing on the Doorstep”, published in 1937.
(—Summary by Roger Melin at Librivox)
=============
Barry Eric Odell Pain (28 Sep. 1864 – 05 May 1928) was an English journalist, poet, humorist and writer. During his lifetime, he was perhaps best known as a writer of parody and lightly humorous stories, but now is also noted for his tales touched with fantasy, horror, and the supernatural. He also wrote stories of mystery and suspense. His humor has been characterized by some modern critics as “a surreal forerunner to Monty Python.”
=============
An Exchange of Souls was first published in 1911.
This book is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+90” or less, and in the USA.
.
This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws.
If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.
To report a copyright violation you can
contact us here.