Dwellers in the Mirage is a fantasy novel by American writer A. Merritt. It was first published in book form in 1932 by Horace Liveright. The novel was originally serialized in six parts in the magazine Argosy beginning with the January 23, 1932 issue.
Dust-jacket from the first edition | |
| Author | A. Merritt |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Horace Liveright |
Publication date | 1932 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 295 |
| OCLC | 1929358 |
Plot introduction
editThe novel concerns American Leif Langdon who discovers a warm valley in Alaska. Two races inhabit the valley, the Little People and a branch of an ancient Mongolian race; they worship the evil Kraken named Khalk'ru which they summon from another dimension to offer human sacrifice. The inhabitants recognize Langdon as the reincarnation of their long dead hero, Dwayanu. Dwayanu's spirit possesses Langdon and starts a war with the Little People. Langdon eventually fights off the presence of Dwayanu and destroys the Kraken.
There are variant endings of the work. In the original, Leif's love dies, but the publisher inartistically has her survive. The original tragic ending has been reinstated in some recent reprints.
Reception
editAnthony Boucher and J. Francis McComas described Dwellers in the Mirage as attractive to "those who love wild adventure even when shallowly written."[1]
References
editSources
edit- Chalker, Jack L.; Mark Owings (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 316.
- Crawford, Jr., Joseph H.; James J. Donahue; Donald M. Grant (1953). "333", A Bibliography of the Science-Fantasy Novel. Providence, RI: The Grandon Company. p. 45. OCLC 3924496.
- Tuck, Donald H. (1978). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 309. ISBN 0-911682-22-8.
External links
edit- Dwellers in the Mirage at the Australian Project Gutenberg site.
- Dwellers in the Mirage title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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