The Temple by HP LovecraftPublished
This story is in the form of a letter found in a bottle. During World War I a German U boat becomes damaged and loses control, alighting upon the ocean floor somewhere in the Atlantic. They've almost forgotten the strange dead youth they found clinging to the outside, with the intricately carven ivory disc in his pocket, or the testimony of a witness that says once in the water the young man came back to life and swam away with great speed. No, the captain is more concerned with the sunken city with it's mighty temple in the depths, and the unearthly glow coming from it...
The Temple, an early story by Lovecraft, has the feeling of an adventure horror story rather than the traditional slow burn, creepy tale he normally writes. None of his other works include vivid descriptions of naval battles or savage Prussian discipline aboard a submarine. Our German captain (we are reminded he is German very often - he constantly tells us) is alone quite quickly on the submarine and suffers his fate with only his journal as company. I found myself reacting to the extreme isolation of the situation more so that the captain. He is a tough, emotionless guy and seems, in his bottled note at least, to be almost nonplussed by what will be his ultimate fate in what must only be Atlantis.
I liked this story a lot - didn't love it but it was a strange little journey story written before Lovecraft entered into Cthulhu country or the Dreamlands.
Oh and a note about Atlantis. Many years ago I read the submission requirements in the small print of an issue of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine. One of the first things it said was "No, and we mean no, stories about Atlantis. If you send us a story about Atlantis we will commission a dozen short stories by today's greatest writers to write long, detailed accounts of how you were slowly and brutally killed. Don't even mention Atlantis in passing, or any variation (Lemuria, Mu, etc.) Seriously enough with the Atlantis." In the 60's and 70's the theories and fiction about Atlantis was at a fever pitch and one can only imagine the sf mags at the time had reams of watery manuscripts. I for one kinda like Atlantean stuff and wouldn't mid a bit more.
~~ My book stack is shrinking (though it's still Cyclopean, don't worry!) Last night it was late so I started reading it in bed through Stanza, an iPhone app. It's a little like a Kindle app but for free or more obscure books. Thousands of free books, stories, poems, plays, everything is available from several free sites, accessible and downloadable through the app, as well as more current books for a fee. For a fan of Victorian ghost yarns, Gothic horror stories and Pulp-era weird tales - stuff that's in the public domain! - Stanza is quite literally your best friend. I say buy the books at the used bookstores but keep the digital copy handy as well. Love my Stanza!
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