The Golden Age of Weird Fiction MEGAPACK ™, Vol. 3: Emil Petaja Read online

  Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

  MEET THE AUTHOR: EMIL PETAJA

  MONSIEUR BLUEBEARD

  LIVE EVIL

  SKYDRIFT

  THE DARK BALCONY

  THE HUNGRY GHOST

  THE INSISTENT GHOST

  THE JONAH

  THE MUSIC-BOX FROM HELL

  VOTARESS

  THE INTRUDER

  MARMOK

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Golden Age of Pulp Fiction MEGAPACK™, Vol. 2: Emil Petaja is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  “Monsieur Bluebeard” originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1944.

  “Live Evil” originally appeared in Weird Tales, July 1952.

  “Skydrift” originally appeared in Weird Tales, November, 1949.

  “The Dark Balcony” originally appeared in Fantastic Adventures, February, 1951.

  “The Hungry Ghost” originally appeared in Weird Tales, March, 1950.

  “The Insistent Ghost” originally appeared in Weird Tales, September, 1950.

  “The Jonah” originally appeared in Weird Tales, March 1946.

  “The Music-Box From Hell” originally appeared in Weird Tales, May 1945.

  “Votaress” originally appeared in Weird Tales, September 1945.

  “The Intruder” originally appeared in Futuria Fantasia, Winter 1940.

  “Marmok” originally appeared in Future Fantasia, Winter 1940.

  A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

  Emil Petaja [pronounced peh-TIE-yuh] (1915–2000) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer whose career spanned seven decades. He was the author of 13 published novels, nearly 150 short stories, numerous poems, and a handful of books and articles on various subjects. Though he wrote science fiction, fantasy, horror stories, detective fiction, and poetry, Petaja considered his work part of an older tradition of “weird fiction.” You can find echoes not only of H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard in his work, but previous generations of weird authors such as Poe, Blackwood, and E.F. Benson.

  In 1995, Petaja was named the first ever Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction Writers of America. I hope you enjoy this visit to some of his best weird fiction. We already have one future Petaja volume in the works, which will contain a selection of science fiction, western, and mystery stories,

  We are also including a self-written “About the Author” piece from 1943. Enjoy!

  —John Betancourt

  Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidepress.com

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  THE GOLDEN AGE OF WEIRD FICTION
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  1. Henry S. Whitehead

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  3. Emil Petaja

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  MEET THE AUTHOR: EMIL PETAJA

  Originally published in Amazing Stories, June 1943.

  In the early part of my existence, I looked around me at blue Western Montana skies above evergreens whispering in a gentle April breeze; then up at the wickedly winking Evening Star, and quoth: “Venus, what have you got that we ain’t got?”

  Later on, somewhere in the wilds of my early teens, I discovered science fiction. I found out!