The next story is The Challenge from Beyond
This story was written in the mid-30s as part of a anniversary issue for Fantasy magazine in late 1935. The five writers they lined up were pretty special, and I talked about this before. Each writer writes a section of the story and then passes it to the next.
The first writer is CL Moore, one of the first female writers in the Pulp Era for sci fi, horror and fantasy. Her impact in the genre is significant, both as a pioneer and in her writing. You’ll find her bit, which begins it, to be one of the clearest writing styles of the group. She was married to writer Henry Kuttner for years, and the two wrote together a lot. They met as people corresponding with Lovcraft’s circle
The next writer is A Merritt. Abraham wrote many major pulps and stories, and was one of the bigger names of the era. His Gen 0 story, The Moon Pool, will be one of the first we’ll read when we hit that Gen. His most famous work is likely The Ship of Ishtar. Here is a quote by Gygax from a DM’s Guide:
The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp & Pratt, R. E. Howard, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, H. P. Lovecraft, and A. Merritt
Merrit is a major player, no question.
The third section is Lovecraft’s. This dynasty needs no introduction to his work.
The fourth chapter is Robert E Howard, and he needs no introduction either.
And finally, chapter 5 is Frank Belknap Long’s, who we’ve already looked at
This story is a project that attempts to do something different. Here’s the story!
"The Challenge from Beyond" by H. P. Lovecraft