William Sloane (1906–1974)
Autor(a) de The Rim of Morning
About the Author
Obras de William Sloane
Space Space Space: Stories About the Time When Men Will Be Adventuring to the Stars (1953) 19 cópias
The value of humanistic, particularly classical, studies as a training for men of affairs 1 exemplar(es)
Credo 1 exemplar(es)
Letters to a Young Doubter 1 exemplar(es)
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Outros nomes
- Milligan, William
- Data de nascimento
- 1906-08-15
- Data de falecimento
- 1974-09-25
- Sexo
- male
- Nacionalidade
- USA
- Local de nascimento
- Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
- Local de falecimento
- New City, New York, USA
Membros
Discussions
Paranormal novel from the 1930s (I think) em Name that Book (Outubro 2015)
Resenhas
Listas
1930s (2)
ScaredyKIT 2018 (1)
Prêmios
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Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 13
- Membros
- 647
- Popularidade
- #39,006
- Avaliação
- 3.8
- Resenhas
- 25
- ISBNs
- 17
- Idiomas
- 2
- Favorito
- 2
"To Walk the Night" features a couple of mathematics geniuses working on a theory that if true would fundamentally upend an Einsteinian understanding of the universe, and it's made clear at the start that both of them are now dead - one mysteriously set aflame as he worked at his desk, the other by suicide (Max Born may have felt uneasy here in the unlikely event he ever read this story). After the first man's death his friend and protégé Jerry discovered to his shock that his mentor was recently married, to a very unusual woman (with the suggestive name of Selena). Jerry then fell in love with her and married her himself, and despite her urging him to leave it alone, continued the theoretical work that no one else in the scientific/mathematical community believes can be true. After suddenly reaching a new understanding of Selena while they're together in the presence of his best friend Barkley, he immediately shot himself in the head.
The story is told in the format of Barkley trying to explain to Jerry's father, a highly rational and scientific man, events in their lives that suggest and explain his indeterminate fear of Selena, despite his fear that if he ever solves the mystery of her and these deaths, his own death will somehow immediately follow. This frame is effective as a method of slowly ratcheting up the tension and horror, despite the reader knowing Jerry's fate from the start, as we fear for Barkley's own safety. When he inevitably has his Eureka moment near the end of the story, the description is a pretty good description of a panic attack:
The writing in general is only somewhat accomplished; it does sometimes read like a clunky debut novel written by a white dude in the 1930s. But it also has surprising accomplishments like moments of real humor, which certainly puts him up on Lovecraft! An interesting story especially in the context of the development of cosmic horror.… (mais)