Fitz-James O'Brien capitalised on the success of his predecessor
Edgar Allan Poe in writing disturbing stories with demented
protagonists. This collection of three tales shows his mastery of
the macabre. 'The Diamond Lens' tells the tale of a lone
scientist's discovery of a microcosmic world within a drop of
water, and his growing obsession in particular with the beautiful
Animula, a fair maiden within this world which he can see but never
enter. The insights O'Brien gives us to the scientist's
uncompromising pursuit of knowledge at any cost foreshadow the mad
scientist familiar to science fiction readers in a multitude of
works. In 'What Was It?' an invisible man is discovered by
residents of a boarding house. Predating H.G. Wells' 'The Invisible
Man' by nearly four decades, the residents' capture and
investigation of the creature blends the fantastic with the
scientific as they seek rational explanations for this
extraordinary phenomenon. 'The Wondersmith' is a macabre tale of an
embittered toymaker who seeks revenge upon the society that has
persecuted him by creating demonic mannequins (a precursor of
robots) and imbuing them with life in order to slaughter the
masses. The tale is a fantastic melodrama in which the dominating
and cunning Wondersmith is offset by the unassuming and unlikely
hero Solon the hunchback, who is in love with the villain's
daughter.
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