From Wikipedia: Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884 – August 21, 1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was an American Sunday magazine editor and a writer of fantastic fiction.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999, its fourth class of two deceased and two living writers.
His fiction, eight complete novels and a number of short stories, was only a sideline to his journalism career. One of the best-paid journalists of his era, Merritt made $25,000 per year by 1919, and at the end of his life was earning $100,000 yearly—exceptional sums for the period. His financial success allowed him to pursue world travel—he invested in real estate in Jamaica and Ecuador—and exotic hobbies, like cultivating orchids and plants linked to witchcraft and magic (monkshood, wolfbane, blue datura, peyote, and cannabis).
Merritt's writings were heavily influenced by H. Rider Haggard, Robert W. Chambers, Helena Blavatsky and Gertrude Barrows Bennett (writing as Francis Stevens), with Merritt having "emulated Bennett's earlier style and themes."Merritt's stories typically revolve around conventional pulp magazine themes: lost civilizations, hideous monsters, etc. His heroes are gallant Irishmen or Scandinavians, his villains treacherous Germans or Russians and his heroines often virginal, mysterious and scantily clad.
The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt dives into the realms of science fiction and fantasy with a thrilling tale of ancient civilizations and mysterious powers. The story opens with Dr. Walter T. Goodwin embarking on an expedition to the South Seas, where he uncovers an ancient temple and its supernatural secret. Merritt crafts a narrative filled with atmospheric tension, introducing readers to an underground world where otherworldly forces rule. … Read More
The Metal Monster is the seventh release in the Book.io Classics: Monster Editions. The Metal Monster is a fantasy novel first published in 1920. In this epic adventure, Dr. Goodwin, who is on a botanical expedition in the Himalayas, joins a group saved by a magnificent woman who commands metal animate Things, leading them to a hidden valley occupied by what they name “The Metal Monster.” Read More
