Wardon Allan Curtis

The Strange Adventures of Mr. Middleton (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

A collection of 15 fantasy short stories, similar to the "Arabian Nights", set in Chicago.

Excerpt: 

The Manner in Which Mr. Edward Middleton Encounters the Emir Achmed Ben Daoud.

It was a lowering and gloomy night in the early part of the present century. Mr. Edward Middleton, a gallant youth, who had but lately passed his twenty-third year, was faring northward along the southern part of that famous avenue of commerce, Clark Street, in the city of Chicago, wending his way toward the emporium of Mr. Marks Cohen. Suddenly the rain which the cloudy heaven had been promising for many hours, began to descend in great scattered drops that presaged a heavy shower. Mr. Middleton hastened his steps. It was possible that if the dress-suit he wore, hired for the occasion of the wedding of his friend, Mr. Chauncey Stackelberg, should become imbued with moisture in the shower that now seemed imminent, Mr. Cohen, of whom he had hired the suit, would not add to the modicum  agreed upon, a charge for pressing it. But if his own suit for everyday wear, which he was carrying under his arm with the purpose of putting it on at good Mr. Cohen's establishment, should become wet, that would be a serious matter. It was, in fact, his only suit and that will explain the anxiety with which he scanned the heavens. Suddenly, Pluvius unloosed all the fountains of the sky, and with scarcely a thought whither he was going, Mr. Middleton darted into the first haven of refuge, a little shop he happened to be just passing. As the door closed behind him with the tinkle of a bell in some remote recess, for the first time he realized that the place he had entered was utterly dark. His ears, straining to their uttermost to make compensation for the inability of his eyes to be of service to him in this juncture, could no more than inform him that the place was utterly silent. But to his nose came the powerful fragrance of strange foreign aromas such as he had never had experience of before,-which, heavy and oppressive in their cloying perfume, seemed the very breath of mystery. All traffic had ceased without, as the night was well advanced and the rain beat so heavily that the few whom  business or pleasure had called abroad at that hour, had sought shelter. But though the rain now fell with a steady roar, Mr. Middleton, perturbed by a nameless disquiet, was about to rush forth into the tempest and seek other shelter, when a door burst open and, outlined against a glare of light, stood a gigantic man who said in a deep, low voice that seemed to pervade every corner of the room and cause the air to shake in slow vibrations...

About Wardon Allan Curtis: (1867-1940) US author, a contributor to several pre-sf fiction magazines. His most important sf is a short Identity Transfer story about a brain transplant, "The Monster of Lake LaMetrie" (September 1899 Pearson's), in which the brain is human and the recipient body that of a prehistoric survival - an elasmosaurus (see Dinosaurs) - from a bottomless lake that may lead into a Symmesian Hollow Earth. Curtis also wrote an Arabian Nights fantasy, "The Seal of Solomon the Great" (February 1901 Argosy) and The Strange Adventures of Mr Middleton (coll 1903), which contains a mixture of Oriental fantasy and bizarre mystery.  (from Science Fiction Encyclopedia)

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Midwest Journal Press NPD
• Seitenzahl: 183
• Erscheinungstermin: 15. August 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781387094301
• Artikelnr.: 51223043

Autorenporträt

Wardon Allan Curtis remains a relatively obscure figure in the landscape of early 20th-century American literature. Primarily known for his work 'The Strange Adventures of Mr. Middleton' (1903), Curtis's contribution to the genre of humorous and fantastical tales is often overshadowed by his contemporaries. The novel blends satire with a whimsical narrative, showcasing Curtis's unique literary style characterized by a blend of humor and adventure, akin to the works of Mark Twain and P. G. Wodehouse. Although there is limited biographical information available on Curtis, his penchant for creating amusing escapades set against the backdrop of Edwardian society is evident through his narration and character development in 'The Strange Adventures of Mr. Middleton.' His storytelling has been described as having a light-hearted and surreal approach, delighting readers with the unexpected twists that befell his genteel protagonist. Curtis's literary work is a testament to the diverse array of novelistic forms that were burgeoning at the turn of the century, embodying the playful and sometimes absurd sensibilities that would eventually become more prominent in American literature. Despite the scarcity of details about his life and potential other works, 'The Strange Adventures of Mr. Middleton' remains a cult classic for those who enjoy a blend of comedy and supernatural situations in their reading.