Eyes of the God: The Weird Fiction and Poetry of R. H. Barlow

R. H. Barlow (1918-1951) was in every way a remarkable individual. An enthusiast of fantasy and horror fiction since childhood, he came in touch with H. P. Lovecraft when he was only 13. He was already attempting to write short fantasy tales, and Lovecraft took considerable pains to tutor Barlow in the principles of fiction writing. This volume, which for the first time gathers Barlow’s substantial body of weird fiction and poetry, contains all six of Barlow’s collaborations with Lovecraft, including such celebrated works as "The Battle That Ended the Century" and "The Night Ocean" (which new research has shown to be almost entirely Barlow’s work). Barlow went on to write superb short stories without Lovecraft’s assistance, including "A Dim-Remembered Story," "The Root-Gatherers," and "Return by Sunset." In the 1940s, when Barlow moved to Mexico (where he became a noted anthropologist), he turned to poetry, producing such scintillating volumes as Poems for a Competition (1942) and View from a Hill (1947). Barlow’s life was tragically cut short by suicide, but this volume shows that he had already fulfilled the promise of his early work by producing tales of a substance, maturity, and depth that few of Lovecraft’s colleagues could match. The gathering together of his collected weird fiction and poetry is an event that should be welcomed by all lovers of the weird and fantastic.

Reviews

News