E. Hoffmann Price (1898–1988)

This Carcosa doorstop really isn't that good. The stories are terribly dated with lots of racial and gender stereotypes. They are mainly what would be called Eastern adventure weird menace stories, some WWII exotic adventure stuff. More than a few have the earmarks of having been tossed off in a hurry with a kind of make it up as you go feel based on some formulaic outline. Price's opinion of himself is way overrated, although interestingly he did manage to make a pretty good living unlike other, better pulp writers. Presented roughly chronologically the stories do improve as you go. The George Evans illustrations didn't do it for me either and are often funnily inaccurate as though he didn't actually read the stories.

Strictly for pulp nostalgia. Easily the weakest of the four Carcosa Press offerings.… (més)