The Most Underrated Tales of Poe (Part 3 of 3): 10 Best, Forgotten Fantasy Stories
In this three-part series we will explore the forgotten tales of Poe: stories of Gothic horror, black humor, and fantasy/suspense that are often overlooked (even at times by stalwart fans of his writing). Ever since he rose to literary prominence in the 1830s and 1840s, Edgar Allan Poe's body of work has always been noted for its stand-out fan favorites: "Usher," "Amontillado," "Tell-Tale Heart," "Pit and the Pendulum," "Masque of the Red Death," and "The Black Cat." Some might toss in there "A Descent into a Maelstrom," "Ligeia," "Murders in the Rue Morgue," or "The Gold-Bug," but the majority of Poe's readers rarely venture beyond these unquestionably powerful pieces.
There is no doubt that they have earned their place, and there is little wonder why others have not enjoyed the same celebrity: naturally, "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Cask of Amontillado" are going to more easily draw in readers and linger in their imaginations than, say, "Landor's Cottage" or "X-ing a Paragrab." However, some of his lesser-known works are stunningly unique and chilling when you actually sit down with them, and will easily make you wonder why they don't enjoy wider acclaim. Some, of course, lack this because they have genuine problems with their structure, pacing, or overall conception, and are undeniably held back by weaknesses, but even those featured in this series with such deficiencies make up for it with some other strength (usually mood, creativity, or sheer creepiness). So, without further ado, let's plunge into the final part of our exploration of Poe's tales: ten of his most underrated tales of dark fantasies and science fiction...
10. THE COLLOQUY OF MONOS AND UNA
This strange story details a conversation had between two spirits who had been in love in life. Exploring Poe’s infamous fixations on both obsessive love and live (or in this case conscious) burial, he has Monos – who died first – describe how he died but was still aware of his surroundings as he was lowered into the ground and buried. As his body decomposed – he can feel the worms moving through his corpse and eating it – he feels the then-still-living Una’s spirit laying beside him until she too died and they were finally fully reunited in the spiritual plane…
9. THE CONVERSATION OF EIROS AND CHARMION
This is another ghostly dialogue between two spirits. After the apocalypse, two spirits – Eiros, who died in the cataclysm, and Charmion, who died a decade prior – discuss how the world ended. An unknown comet had been detected heading to earth, which initially fails to concern astronomers, and in fact it causes nearly all civilization to become enamored with it and obsessed with its arrival. As it draws nearer, humanity becomes strangely euphoric, but this is followed shortly by a horrifying pain and terror as the comet evaporates the nitrogen in the air, leaving pure oxygen which spontaneously turns to fire upon the comet’s impact…
8. MESMERIC REVELATION
Using a similar conceit as “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar,” Poe tells us of a Mr. Vankirk, who is hypnotized while he lies dying on his bed. The narrator conducts the hypnosis, which goes in a strangely philosophical direction: far from the "nearly liquid mass of loathsome—of detestable putrescence" that M. Valdemar became, Vankirk's vision of the afterlife is far more mysterious, spiritual, and oddly comforting (for Poe). He describes his impressions of human spirituality, the afterlife, God, and what Ralph Waldo Emerson would call the Oversoul that envelops and connects all mankind. It is, however, not without its darker moments, and ending is fittingly ambiguous...
7. VON KLEMPELN AND HIS DISCOVERY
One of Poe's six sardonic literary hoaxes, this story was written in a journalistic style during the peak of the '49 Gold Rush, when Americans -- and indeed the world -- seemed to become utterly obsessed with striking it rich in California by finding gold nuggets. Poe viewed the fixation as hardly more enlightened than the alchemists' determination to transform lead into gold, and wrote this "report" about a German scientist who finally succeeds in solving the centuries' old riddle. The twist of the dagger, of course, is that the price of lead in Europe has now increased by 200%. Poe delighted in the satire, writing to a friend: "My sincere opinion is that nine persons out of ten (even among the best informed) will believe the quiz (provided the design does not leak out before publication) and that thus, acting as a sudden, although of course a very temporary, check to the gold-fever, it will create a stir to some purpose..."
6. MELLONTA TAUTA: AN IMAGINARY JOURNEY
One of Poe’s final published stories, this science fiction tale is set in the 29th century, where a philosopher-explorer named Pundit has launched a sort of dirigible which he intends to fly deep into space and time: he is both an astronaut and a time traveller. He writes his observations which are peppered with intentionally humorous comments about the “bigoted” scientists and philosophers of old (referring to the “Hindoo” thinker, “Aries Tottle”), but also contains some intriguing descriptions of telecommunications and an H. G. Wells-esque take on a future society which has become so utterly communal and anti-individualistic, that he stoically shrugs off the shocking death of one of the passengers on the ship as a natural happenstance by which earlier generations would have been naively disturbed. The story ends in a cataclysm intentionally like that in “MS. Found in a Bottle” (his first published story), so much so that they both end with the manuscript being bottled and thrown overboard...
5. THE ISLAND OF THE FAY