Fantasy Stevens, Francis: Claimed! .v1. 12 June 07

[Dr. Drib]

Another wonderful macabre horror novel from the first woman of fantasy: Francis Stevens.

Here's what a reviewer wrote about Claimed! :

"Claimed opens with the recovery of a mysterious artifact — a strange green box bearing an undecipherable inscription — from an uncharted island following an undersea volcanic explosion that nearly dooms the ship that discovers it. Brought back to civilization, the box is purchased by a crochety old millionaire who very quickly comes to regret it. Horrible apparitions of the sea appear at night, and frightening dreams plague the old man as well as his niece and the noble young doctor who's serving him. While the doctor does what he can to learn of the box's origin and the meaning of the strange writing (which always appears on the bottom of the box no matter how you set it down), the nonstop macabre visions (and occasional deaths) that have appeared in the box's wake eventually lead to the abduction of the old man and his niece by persons unknown. In pursuit of his employer across the high seas, the doctor learns of the box's evil origins from the mad sailor who originally found it.

Veteran readers of Lovecraft will notice more than the occasional similarity to his themes in Claimed, although nothing I've read indicates Stevens was a protegé or collaborator of Lovecraft's. But Lovecraft certainly knew of her, as there is a blurb on this book's cover by him. Stevens' tale is more a macabre dark fantasy, and not the full-bore excursion into cosmic horror that was Lovecraft's stock in trade. But such story elements as the mysterious artifact and the use of the ocean setting as a backdrop for terror will strike a familiar chord with Lovecraft devoteés."

I hope you like it.

Don

P.S.: I have one more novel by her (if I can find it on the web) and a few short stories, then that will be everything by Francis Stevens.

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[HarryT]

This sounds excellent. Must give it a go! So much to read, so little time...

[Lobolover]

Ive read this and its a marvelous bok,truly a masterpiece of "The Weird".