Michel Parry - The Rivals Of Frankenstein

[dem]

Michel Parry (ed.) - The Rivals of Frankenstein: A Gallery of Monsters (Corgi, 1977)

John Holmes

Introduction - Michel Parry


Clark Ashton Smith - The Colossus Of Ylourgne
Arnold Harvey - The Last Of The Daubeny-Fitzalans
Jerome K. Jerome - The Dancing Partner
Ambrose Bierce - Moxon's Master
Donald F. Glut - Dr. Karnstein's Creation
Robert Bloch - Almost Human
D. Scott-Moncrieff - Count Szolnok's Robots
H. p. Lovecraft - Herbert West: Reanimator
Manly Wade Wellman - Pithecanthropus Rejectus
Fritz Leiber - The Dead Man
Eando Binder - The Iron Man

Includes:

Donald F. Glut - Count Karnstein's Creation: (Tales of Frankenstein, 1976) Transylvanian Alps, 1931. A descendant of Viktor Frankenstein takes up where his illustrious ancestor left off and, assisted by Carl Schreck, creates a new monster from the bits and bobs of several corpses collected on nocturnal body-snatching sprees. The cadavers are strangely well preserved ...

As a bunch of Shepperton-style peasants storm the castle, the monster rises from the slab, Karnstein winds up half the man he used to be, really takes it in the neck, etc., etc.

Unutterably brilliant.

Arnold Harvey - The Last Of The Daubeny-Fitzalans: "There were the usual rumours that they built a strange man-like creature, but of course that has no truth in it." This from the Vicar over-seeing the temporary removal Sir Forbes' remains during renovation work at the church. Yes, that Sir Forbes: all 7 ft. 4" of him, the fellow who died of a bad case of eczema (he decomposed alive) and whose coffin it took twelve men to lift ....

Robert Bloch - Almost Human: Philanthropist Professor Blasserman has devoted his life to raising Junior, six feet of robot with a "blank chemical brain". The old guy keeps his metal man hidden away from the world in an underground nursery (Disney wallpaper, the works) and patiently teaches him right from wrong, etc. As far as Blassingham knows, only one other person is aware of Junior's existence - Lola, the pretty young thing he's hired as his faithful nurse. Lola, of course, has been planted in the house by her crooked boyfriend Duke for the sole purpose of casing the joint. But when she tells him about rust-bucket features he's not slow to see the criminal potential. Duke forces his way into the house and holds Blasserman off with a pistol while he takes over Junior's education. Where once it was all tricky sums and being nice now it's guns, robbery and murder. But two things Duke didn't take into account prove fatal. One, Junior is a fast learner. Two, he's developed an insanely jealous crush on Lola.

Jerome K. Jerome - The Dancing Partner: Furtwangen, Black Forest. On hearing his daughter Olga and her friends complaining about the clumsiness of the local young men, Herr Geibel, a toymaker of genius is inspired to create his masterpiece: Lieutenant Fritz, the mechanical dancing partner. Annette, “a bright, saucy little girl fond of frolic” is the first to put Fritz through his paces and, were she still capable of submitting a report when their waltz is eventually terminated, it’s certain she’d have mentioned his one, fatal flaw. He doesn’t know when to stop …

[redbrain]

I thought that the cover of "The Rivals of Dracula" was significantly better than that of the Frankenstein volume.

[Calenture]

I can tell you a little about "Eando Binder" though I regret it will probably prejudice you towards the story. I have two Eando Binder books, Menace of the Saucers and Anton York: Immortal, lovely pulps both of them.

Here is a quote from this Wikipedia page.

Eando Binder is a pseudonym for two brothers, Earl Andrew Binder (1904-1965) and Otto Binder (1911-1974), who were science fiction authors in the mid-20th century. The name is derived from their first initials ("E and O Binder") and should perhaps be regarded as a "parapseudonym". In practice, many of the works of Eando Binder were written by Otto alone.

Under the Eando name, the Binders wrote some published science fiction, including stories featuring a heroic robot named Adam Link. The first Adam Link story, published in 1939, is titled "I, Robot". Isaac Asimov was said to have been distraught upon learning that his prelude to the Robot Series was also going to be released under this title; he supposedly preferred Mind and Iron.

Otto Binder is perhaps best known as a writer for the Captain Marvel line of comic books published by Fawcett Comics (1941-1953).

I think the Binders' I, Robot story was filmed for Outer Limits. Need to check this. I have it on tape.

admin said:

Jerome K. Jerome - The Dancing Partner:...a toymaker of genius is inspired to create his masterpiece: Lieutenant Fritz, the mechanical dancing partner. Annette, “a bright, saucy little girl fond of frolic” is the first to put Fritz through his paces and, were she still capable of submitting a report when their waltz is eventually terminated, it’s certain she’d have mentioned his one, fatal flaw. He doesn’t know when to stop …

Why has no-one rewritten this one as a Naughty Noughties epic?

[andydecker]

After reading this and the rest of the Rivals series I have to say that I thought this the weakest.

I was surprised that nearly half of the content were stories about robots. While I recognize the Frankenstein topic, the master and his artificial creation, yada, yada,yada, I expected (a lot) more stories about grave-robbing and stitched together or grown in vats monsters. This was too much Asimov and not enough Gothic.  Rivals of Dracula is hands down the best of the bunch.

[Middoth]

Is it not enough for you the brilliant " Count Szolnok Robots"?

In my opinion this story tops all content in "Dracula's Rivals".

[andydecker]

Jan 31, 2021 13:47:20 GMT Middoth said:

Is it not enough for you the brilliant " Count Szolnok Robots"?

In my opinion this story tops all content in "Dracula's Rivals".

I liked the story you mentioned, and a few of the others were fun, taken for themselves. How can one not like Smith's The Colossus of Ylourgne or Lovecraft's Herbert West. But I still think this was weak selection, too many stories had at best a fleetingly connection to the topic. Worst offenders were the Leiber story, which even the editor had to acknowledge was a bit too much "inspired" by Poe (and not at all by Shelley), and Otto Binder, which was even worse and shouldn't have been included at all. (In any anthology).