This is the first volume of three, collecting for the first time all of the horror and supernatural works of the Irish-American author whose life was tragically cut short by the Civil War. I was fortunate to receive review copies, which was a very pleasant surprise. The books are things of beauty. The enchanting cover art is by Brian Coldrick.
The introduction to the first book, by John P. Irish, gives an excellent overview of O'Brien's early life and times. I learned in school about the horrendous Irish famine - the 'Great Hunger' - that began in the mid-1840s and was exacerbated by chronic misrule. Had it not been for the potato blight, O'Brien might well have remained in the UK and lived to a ripe old age. But, as it is, we have a considerable body of work from a man with such a relatively short career.
Of the stories, the title tale still manages to entertain. It also reminds us of how often Arabic myth and legend featured in early Gothic literature. The story tells of a Muslim merchant in old Muscovy and the strange vision he has of Eblis. The Islamic version of Satan presides over his court of demons not in hell within the earth, but at the North Pole. O'Brien's imaginative power is evident here. His descriptions of the polar waste with its pinnacles of ice shining with unholy radiance is first-rate.
Lighter in tone is 'The Wonderful Adventures of Mr. Popplewick'. If that sounds a bit like a hybrid of Dickens and Poe at their most whimsical, you're not far out. Mr. Popplewick, feeling a bit queasy, sends a servant to get some Magnesia pills. Unfortunately, the hapless skivvy brings back Magnetic Pills (stocked by all good pharmacists back then) and the now magnetised gentleman finds life increasingly difficult as he attracts ferrous metals. It is quite silly but (again) features some interesting Arctic adventures, complete with newspaper-reading Dodos.
'The Old Boy' is another flight of fancy, this time featuring a protagonist who dreams ten years of life in one night. (The Japanese mangaka Junji Ito used the same idea, albeit to very different effect.) Essentially a teenage schoolboy gets a decade's worth of life experience in his dream, experiencing young adulthood and worldly success as a writer. Upon waking he starts acting as a grown man, which causes complications, but he finds success - and love - when he escapes his boarding school and puts his newfound skills and knowledge to use.
'A Voyage in My Bed' takes a similar notion but runs in a different direction. Here the narrator imagines an odd excursion onto the snowbound streets to witness a very Victorian melodrama. It's a slighter piece than 'The Old Boy', but not bad. By contrast, 'One Event' has not aged well. A wealthy man brings home an impoverished teenage girl and - with the help of an old female servant - moulds her into a suitable bride. However, the arrival of a smooth-talking Englishman cad throws a spanner in the works and - predictably enough - the girl is 'ruined'.
Overall, this first volume shows O'Brien working hard at refining his style and exploring ideas, some weird, some very mainstream for his time. There are more hits than misses, and the best stories hint at the remarkable achievements yet to come.
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