INTRODUCTION

The Man Who Returned originally appeared in Weird Tales , in February, 1934.

By 1934, Edmond Hamilton was a seasoned pulp veteran who was not only popular with readers, but also able to be very prolific without sacrificing quality (according to Jack Williamson, in his biography Wonder's Child, Hamilton sent 40 stories to Farnsworth Wright at Weird Tales without a single rejection or request for revision.). Classified as a "pulp" wordsmith, Hamilton was a much better writer than many of those who wrote for the slicks or book publication. His ability to take what we would consider a stock horror or science fiction situation and turn it on its ear is remarkable in itself, but it is also his ability to add a depth of character and feeling to his prose that puts his work far above his contemporaries. A case in point: The Man Who Returned.

Death has long been a staple of horror fiction. Whether in the form of a moldering corpse or premature burial, our fear of the last, great unknown has been the stuff of many a nightmare. Yet, Hamilton, in his usual style, does not resort to the usual horror trappings in "The Man Who Returned." Once the initial shivers have been encountered in the opening sequences, the tale takes a decidedly different turn (and it is interesting to point out that the reader never really finds out if John Woodford is really dead or simply cataleptic, since this is not important to the tale). Woodford is not a rotting corpse, nor is he a ghoulish figure after revenge. No blood, no gore, but a subtler form of horror, for Hamilton focuses on perception: the difference in the way we perceive ourselves and the way others perceive us.

The result is a poignant and gentle horror tale that may not scare you, but will definitely stay with you long after you have finished it.