Sea Monsters and Other Beasts of the Oceans - A Fine Selection of Short Stories About Fantastical Creatures of the Deep (Cryptofiction Classics)

Book excerpt: These early works by various authors were originally published in the late 19th century and early 20th century and we are now republishing them with a brand new introduction as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'Sea Monsters and Other Beasts of the Oceans' contains a collection of short stories that include 'A Matter of Fact' by Rudyard Kipling, 'The Monster of Lake LaMetrie' by Wardon Allan Curtis, 'A Tropical Horror' by William Hope Hodgson, and many other classic tales in the genre. Sea monsters hold a special place in the human imagination. Virtually every culture has at some point feared a creature of the deep, and to this day such tales have an enduring affect. True or not, these and other tales of creatures of the deep carry an almost irresistible allure. Short of taking a search party to Loch Ness, the stories which follow may well be the best method we have for getting to grips with how the symbol of the sea monster intersects with the human imagination, and even for envisioning oneself at the moment of encounter.