Serapion and Other Stories

Description

Serapion and Other Stories (1920) is a collection of stories by Francis Stevens. Using her well-known pseudonym, Gertrude Barrows Bennett published some of the twentieth century's greatest science fiction stories and novels. "Serapion" been recognized as a powerful tale of dark fantasy for investigation of demonic possession and the occult, and remains central to Stevens' reputation as a pioneering author of fantasy and science fiction. "'Get! Get out!' adjured that brutally vulgar voice. Then it changed to a whining, female treble: 'You are young, Clayton Barbour; young and soft to the soft, cruel hand that would mold you. You are easy to mold as clay-clay-Clayton-clay! Evil hangs over you--black evil! Flee from the damned Clayton Barbour. Go home--you!'" Against his better judgment, Clay Barbour ignores the advice of his friend Nils Berquist and attends a seance at the home of well-known spiritualists James and Alicia Moore. In the dim, candlelit room, a "fifth presence" named Serapion reveals himself to Barbour, claiming to offer happiness and success to the young man. Terrified at first, Barbour soon welcomes Serapion into his life, unwittingly opening the door to disaster for himself and his loved ones. Presented alongside some of Stevens' lesser known tales of science fiction and occult inquiry, "Serapion" is a masterpiece of dark fantasy and a cautionary tale that continues to haunt a century after it appeared in print. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Francis Stevens' Serapion and Other Stories is a classic work of American science fiction reimagined for modern readers.

Francis Stevens was the pseudonym of Gertrude Barrows Bennett (1884-1948), an American writer of science fiction and fantasy novels. Born in Minneapolis, Stevens wrote her first story at 17, finding publication in popular pulp magazine Argosy. Believed to be one of the first American women to publish a work of science fiction, Bennett gained a nationwide reputation as a leading short story writer with such tales as "The Nightmare" (1917), "Friend Island" (1918), and "Serapion" (1920). Additionally, Bennett published several novels throughout her career, including The Citadel of Fear (1918), The Heads of Cerberus (1919), and Claimed! (1920). To supplement her writing, Stevens-who was widowed in 1910 when her husband Stewart Bennett died at sea-worked as a stenographer to support herself, her daughter, and her invalid mother. Credited with influencing H. P. Lovecraft and A. Merritt, Bennett is recognized as a pioneering figure in the history of science fiction.