Xenograffiti by Robert Reginald

the human beings left to reassemble their disrupted lives. Courage and sacrifice, Ingram seems to be saying, are not enough to fight off the despoiler; one must also have faith in God the Almighty.
    In its tone, style of writing, and theme, The Thing from the Lake presages the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, particularly his Cthulhu Mythos stories. The presence of horribly malevolent and indescribable creatures from a dimension beyond man’s ken has become almost a stereotype in American supernatural writing of the twentieth century; its presence here, however, may be the first developed writing on that theme, and as such, the novel is a landmark of horror literature. It is indeed unfortunate that Ingram never had the chance to develop the kind of following gathered by Lovecraft; her early death not only deprived supernatural fiction of a major talent, but also caused her one major contribution to the genre to be eclipsed by the Weird Tales school.

11. THE DEVIL TOOK HER!
    CHARLOTTE HALDANE’S MELUSINE (1983)
    Charlotte Haldane came from a distinguished English family which included such luminaries as J. B. S. Haldane, the noted scientist (her brother), and she added to their luster with a distinguished career of her own as a journalist and writer. A pioneering feminist, she wrote a dystopian novel of the future, Man’s World , which was published in 1926 to great acclaim; serious mainstream novels; and nonfiction of all kinds, including articles, commentary, and reviews. Melusine; or, Devil Take Her! (1936), however, was her only fantasy novel. It is a rich, full-bodied work, loosely adapted from the medieval legend fashioned by Jean d’Arras for his master, Prince Jean, son of King Jean II of France.
    One must not confuse the legend with the real history of the region: there was a Lusignan family in Poitiers from an early date, and Geoffroy de Lusignan did burn the Abbey of Maillezais in 1232; the family later gained prominence b0079 participating in the Crusades, its members becoming Kings of Jerusalem and Cyprus. The tale constructed by Jean d’Arras wove elements of this real-life history together with the legend of Melusine, which was inextricably linked with the rounding of the castle of Lusignan. Charlotte Haldane took this raw material and used it to construct a different kind of story, one which emphasized characterization, particularly that of Melusine, and the motivations of the “devil cult” working to destroy the “evil” influences of Christianity. The result reads as well today as it did when it was first published in 1936.
    Emery, Earl of Poitiers, invites his brother-in-law, Henry, Earl de Forests (a small and impoverished realm), to his castle for a celebration. Henry brings his three young sons, the youngest of whom, Raymond, captivates everyone with his charm, intelligence, and good looks. Emery had been urged to invite his relatives by Owain Wanderer, the castle wise man and philosopher. Owain, of Welsh origin, is the head of a secret cult which outwardly worships the Devil but actually seeks to restore a more humanistic philosophy of government and religion to a land oppressed by monks, corrupt functionaries, and religious taxation to support the privileged few. The long-term political aims of this religion/cult involve manipulating the Earldom of Poitiers to ensure the succession of someone sympathetic to its aims.
    Within days, Raymond has been adopted by his uncle, and he soon becomes good friends with Bertrand, Emery’s only son and heir. Owain, meanwhile, gradually convinces Earl Emery, who is tiring of his position after decades in power, that Raymond is his true successor and that the transfer of power must be symbolic, according to the old forms. Emery and Raymond go on a boar hunt, where Raymond accidentally kills his “father”; unbeknown to Raymond, Emery has arranged the killing, acquiescing to his own murder. Bertrand succeeds to the earldom, and Raymond requests of his cousin the