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| Locations of the stories in John Russell’s collection “Where the Pavement Ends”, from where this story is taken |
This short story by John Russell is about an explorer who becomes a god. A standard pulp trope, you might say, and yet this has an unexpected ending. Or is it a beginning? This was made into a movie with Fay Wray and Richard Arlen.
Download the story here, and if you like it, there’s more like it from the same author. Ebook only , I’m afraid. Still, it’s free and you can read it in your browser of choice if you so desire.
In my opinion "The Lost God" is one of the best short stories ever written. I have an old copy and read it often.
I never knew about the film. Thanks for the tip. I'll try to look out for it and give it a view.
It's surprisingly modern for a story written in 1917. The elements of the story – the multiple viewpoints, fragments of narrative pieced together, the protagonist we never see but hear about – all of these are very well put together by the author.
I enjoyed it very much and plan to read all stories I can find by this author. As I find more, I will share them here.
Re: the movie, I hear the plot is significantly different from the short story (and that is not an improvement, apparently). Anyhow, do let us know what you think of it if you manage to see it.
I also have the paperback THE LOST GOD. But there is a great collection of John Russell's work titled SOUTH SEA ISLAND OMNIBUS. It reprints the collections: WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, IN DARK PLACES, and FAR WANDERING MEN.
Thanks for the information. I'll try to get that collection if I can.