The Abyss of Wonders

The Abyss of Wonders is a science fiction novel by American writer Perley Poore Sheehan. It was first published in book form in 1953 by Polaris Press in an edition of 990 copies (though the actual book says 1500). It was the second and final book published by Polaris Press and included an introduction by P. Schuyler Miller. The novel originally appeared in the magazine Argosy in 1915.

The Abyss of Wonders
Dust-jacket from the first edition
AuthorPerley Poore Sheehan
Cover artistJohn T. Brooks
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherPolaris Press
Publication date
1953
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages191
OCLC6510284

Plot introduction

The novel concerns a group of people from the US, a young boy along with a Chinese man and an old Russian, who make a spiritual quest to a city of lost race in the Gobi Desert that is technologically advanced through a combination of theosophy and superscience.

Reception

Groff Conklin, reviewing the 1953 edition, called it "a fairy tale for youngsters . . . written in a kindergarten style that is irritating to most modern readers."[1] Miller recommended the novel to collectors, but noted that "casual readers will probably be disappointed."[2]

Everett F. Bleiler dismissed the novel as "a curiosity only," describing it as "curiously imprecise and wavery, with a fairytale atmosphere; weakly planned, with many unsatisfactory elements."[3]

References
  1. "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf", Galaxy Science Fiction, December 1953, p.87
  2. "The Reference Library," Astounding Science Fiction, January 1954, pp.148
  3. Everett F. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction, Kent State University Press, 1983, p.453

Sources
  • Chalker, Jack L.; Owings, Mark (1998). The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998. Westminster, MD and Baltimore: Mirage Press, Ltd. p. 524.
  • Clute, John; Peter Nicholls (1995). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 1098. ISBN 0-312-13486-X.
  • Tuck, Donald H. (1978). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 386. ISBN 0-911682-22-8.


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