Frank Belknap Long "The Horror from the Hills"

A rare and interesting collection from the master of weird fiction. In the US it was strangely titled "Odd Science Fiction", published in an obscure paperback without mentioning that the title novella originally appeared in 1931 "Weird Tales"; at least in England it was properly titled "The Horror from the Hills". Frank Belknap Long - The member of the Lovecraftian school of the weird and macabre tales, highly visual and entertaining writer, though the quality of his output declined with the demise of the pulps. During the pulp era, however, his stories were highly entertaining, thrilling pieces. ---------------------------------------------- Frank Belknap Long "The Horror from the Hills" © Weird Tales, Jan-Feb 1931 Odd Science Fiction, Belmont 1964 Night Fear, 1979 --/ third place sf novella --/ adventure award --/ wonder award --/ awesome scale --/ rare find When I started to read "The Horror from the Hills" I was expecting a great deal of vintage Lovecraft-ian atmosphere, vintage "Weird Tales" action and wide-eyed sense of wonder. The paperback edition did not specify exact year of copyright (it was published first in "Weird Tales" in 1931), but the story lived to all expectations for the best pulp weird fantasy. Technically, it's science fiction too, as it deals with travel between multiple dimensions inside some intimidating machine. Unspeakables and unmentionables in the great H. P. Lovecraft style abound in this novella, with their blob-like, octopus-like and living hills-like manifestations - all wrapped up in a greatly entertaining mix. A blob-buster from the golden period of "Weird Tales". I loved the epic action & wonder-packed style of this story and sometimes emitted guttural satisfying "umphs" and little squeaks of delight on how the story was unfolding. Ancient mysteries, horror in the museum, mad scientist with his multi-dimensional machine, spectral "Others" haunting past and present, hills come alive... A classic. review: 11-Nov-07 (read in 2007) ---------------------------------------------- Frank Belknap Long "The Flame of Life" © Future, June 1959 Odd Science Fiction, Belmont 1964 --/ fourth place sf story --/ romance award --/ wonder award --/ rare find Very cool story, very romantic - a flame of love versus the kind of radioactive mysterious glow from space, enveloping the ex-astronaut. Frank Belknap Long is a ticket to solid, highly visual pulp entertainment. An unexpected and rare treat from the sadly declining days of good old "Future" pulp magazine. review: 11-Nov-07 (read in 2007) ---------------------------------------------- Frank Belknap Long "Giant in the Forest" © Science Fiction Quarterly, Feb 1955 Odd Science Fiction, Belmont 1964 ---------------------------------------------- READ OTHER REVIEWS FOR THIS WRITER

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