Cyril Donson - Draco The Dragon Man

[dem bones]

Cyril Donson - Draco The Dragon Man (NEL, Oct. 1974)

Blurb:
Damon Draycot had won world renown as a historian and archeologist. He made many television appearances and his athletic exploits were no less eagerly followed. He was well-known and respected on all sides.

His latest nine-month expedition was potholing in Texas. There were many miles of underground passages to explore for mineralogical, medical and historical facts — and simply to conquer. This proposed feat captures the public imagination, and many are there to wish Draycot luck.

What happens to him underground would not be wished on any other man. Thereafter his life was never to be the same; dogged by an unfathomable curse that led him to shun his fellow creatures, this innocent expedi­tion brought a nightmare of horror and evil into the light of day.


DERBYSHIRE's HIGH PEAKS COUNTRY MENACED BY HIDEOUS MONSTER

As slaughtered by Mr. Marriott in Paperback Fanatic and, while it's neither the most pacey nor plausible of the early '70's NEL horrors, leading players apart, can't say I found much to dislike. Sir Damon Draycot's discovery of a new pothole in Bend County near Houston, is the cause of global media excitement, especially when he accepts smarmy TV host Mike Duffy's challenge to attempt the world record for remaining underground or some such nonsense. As it works out, Damon isn't down there for very long at all. A fall into a second chamber brings him into contact with a forgotten species, the Dragonmen, whose leader telepathically communicates a thumbnail history of their dying race, doomed to keep moving through subterranean caverns until they've lived out their phenomenally extended life-spans. More bad news: the Dragonman suggests Draycot is among their number - he can tell by his name.

Damon broke both legs in the fall, and it is only with the kind assistance of the dragonmen that he makes it back to the surface. He mends well and Elga Andersen, Swedish hotel receptionist and nymphomaniac, who, on the eve of his adventure, offered him a good luck shag, compliments the great man on being "even bigger" than he was before the ill-fated descent into the pit. This is very flattering, because what Elga doesn't know about big ones isn't worth knowing. But - something's wrong.

"His latest [nightmare] had been in some ways worse than the others. He had dreamt that the dragonmen had captured him, carried him off to some deep underground cave. There he was held down, a screaming, wildly struggling, petrified human - on top of a large flat rock.
AS HE WAS HELD THEIR HELPLESS ONE OF THE BEASTS HAD PERFORMED SOME WEIRD OPERATION ON HIM ....
And when they finally released him .... to flee in holy horror, HE WAS TRANSFORMED INTO A FEARSOME, HORRIBLE, OBSCENE MUTATION ..."

Jake and Macey, experienced hikers, make a gruesome discovery, namely the charred, mutilated corpse of a young woman. A short distance on, a second body, that of her lover, and to crown it all, the torn up remains of a grizzly bear. Who or what could have caused such carnage? Naturally, the local police chief is too smart to fall for their 'monster' story. Elga, who can't help herself, runs off with the hikers on the promise of an orgy, only to become the next victim.

Meanwhile, a revitalised Sir Daymon Draycot returns home to England and the Peak District ....

[killercrab]

Sounds pretty awesome actually. It's one of the fabled Nels I've not run across yet. Last one I read was The Odour of Decay which was as good as I recall FM saying it was.

KC

[dem bones]

Jun 7, 2014 19:45:12 GMT killercrab said:

Sounds pretty awesome actually. It's one of the fabled Nels I've not run across yet. Last one I read was The Odour of Decay which was as good as I recall FM saying it was.

KC

Found the opening chapters a bit ponderous and feared another Dracula And The Virgins Of The Undead, but Draco ... perks up once Sir Damon Draycot has met with the half-men, half-dragons, and, while the subsequent horror sequences are hardly explicit, they are nasty. On his return to "civilisation", every fifth night Draycot metamorphoses into Drago, whose only thought is to molest, rip, devour and scorch human flesh. Even the striking cover photo is entirely appropriate to the action. That Cyril gets his business done in 128 pages is, of course, another huge point in his favour.

Agree that Odour Of Decay is excellent, but you might find that Mr. Jenson's Village Of Fear is even better!

[killercrab]

Totally agree on VILLAGE OF FEAR - one of the first Nel horrors I read!

[andydecker]

This was published as a Heftroman in 1980.

It is cut for length, but also edited. I don't have the original so couldn't compare, but it is obvious as it is very bloodless. Also some of above mentioned scenes are missing. At least they choose a nice cover which for once fits the content.

[dem bones]

The painting is by Les Edwards, as previously sighted on the cover of Marc Ronson's Ghoul. In his Worst Horror Novels of all Time survey (Scream Factory #10, 1992), Don D'Ammassa fingers Draco, the Dragon Man as 'Worst 'Man into Beast" Novel.'