The Moon Pool Book

I wanted to rate this one higher, but it was something of a chore to finish. Better than three stars, but not four (3 1/2 stars). Oh, it's crammed with great descriptive writing, which is Merritt's strength. And the good stuff includes giant frog people, a dragon, two beautiful women at war, wild weapons, dwarves, an evil Bolshevik scientist (keep in mind this was written in 1919!), and a hidden world beneath the earth's surface. But at its heart the novel is a vampire story -- but with a take I've not encountered before (and I've read a bunch of vampire novels). And there's a not-to-be-missed creation story that gives you a good example of Merritt's wonderful imagination. What didn't I like? A major character named O'Keefe, who is an America-Irish British pilot! This guy switches from tough-guy American slang into a thick Irish brogue per sentence. This got to be annoying in a 400 page book, and reminded me a bit of Kevin Costner (gag) in Robin Hood, though clearly O'Keefe, unlike Costner, is quite good at it. And then there's the whole "Irish" thing (you'll see if you read the book). Hey, I've got Irish ancestors, so it has nothing to do with that. If you're a fantasy fan (as in the history of fantasy and pulp writing), you should read this book, but keep in mind, even though it's Merritt's best known book, it's also his first novel, and to my mind not his best.