The Metal Monster

The Metal Monster features the return of Dr. Walter T. Goodwin who, after the amazing adventures he had experienced in the South Pacific the previous year, (published in The Moon Pool) had embarked on what he had hoped would be a quiet and healing expedition to study the flora of the Himalayas. There he comes across The Metal Monster.

Mr. A. Merritt is asked to publicize Dr. Goodwin’s report to The International Association of Science in hopes of warning explorers in the wild regions of our planet to be aware of the possibilities of the discoveries of other similar monsters.

The Metal Monster (1920)
Chapter I. The Return Of Dr. Goodwin.
Chapter II. The Thing.
Chapter III. On The Out Trail.
Chapter IV. Mysteries In The Sky.
Chapter V. The Mark On The Breast.
Chapter VI. Ruth Ventnor.
Chapter VII. From The Past.
Chapter VIII. Metal With A Brain.

Part 2 Preceding Chapters Briefly Retold
Chapter IX. Power Of Persia.
Chapter X. The Smiting Thing.
Chapter XI. The Greater Path.
Chapter XII. Norhala Of The Lightnings!
Chapter XIII. Prelude To Mysteries.
Chapter XIV. The Shapes In The Mist.

Part 3 Preceding Chapters Briefly Retold
Chapter XV. The Thing That Followed.
Chapter XVI. The Drums Of Thunder.
Chapter XVII. The Portal Of Flame.
Chapter XVIII. “Witch! Give Back My Sister.”
Chapter XIX. The Metal Emperor.

Part 4 Preceding Chapters Briefly Retold
Chapter XX. “I Will Give You Peace.”
Chapter XXI. “A Voice From The Void!”
Chapter XXII. “Free! But A Monster!”
Chapter XXIII. The House Of Norhala.
Chapter XXIV. Some Certainties.
Chapter XXV. Conscious Metal!

Part 5 Preceding Chapters Briefly Retold
Chapter XXVI. Yuruk.
Chapter XXVII. Preparation.
Chapter XXVIII. Into The Pit.
Chapter XXIX. The City That Was Alive!
Chapter XXX. The Vampires Of The Sun!

Part 6
Chapter XXXI. The Feeding Of The Hordes.
Chapter XXXII. Back From Oblivion.
Chapter XXXIII. Phantasmagorie Metallique.
Chapter XXXIV. The Ensorcelled Chamber.
Chapter XXXV. The Treachery Of Yuruk.

Part 7
Chapter XXXVI. Norhala Vows.
Chapter XXXVII. Ruszark.
Chapter XXXVIII. Cherkis.
Chapter XXXIX. The Vengeance Of Norhala!
Chapter XL. “The Drums Of Destiny!”
Chapter XLI. The Gathering Storm.

Part 8
Chapter XLII. The Frenzy Of Ruth.
Chapter XLIII. Armageddon Metallique.
Chapter XLIV. The Passing Of Norhala.
Chapter XLV. Burned Out.
Chapter XLVI. Slag.

This book was a favorite of H. P. Lovecraft. According to his March 6, 1934 letter to James F. Morton:

Other recent items on my calendar are … A. Merritt’s old yarn The Metal Monster, which I had never read before because Eddy told me it was dull. The damn’d fool! (nephew — not our late bibliophilick friend) Actually, the book contains the most remarkable presentation of the utterly alien and non-human that I have ever seen. I don’t wonder that Merritt calls it his “best and worst” production. The human characters are commonplace and wooden – just pulp hokum – but the scenes and phaenomena… oh, boy!
H.P. Lovecraft March 6, 1934

Abraham Grace Merritt (1884–1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was born in Beverly, New Jersey.

Although he only wrote eight novels and a handful of short stories in his career, he is considered one of the giants of imaginative fiction.

The Metal Monster contains 5 illustrations.