Contents
COPYRIGHT INFO
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSHKIN, by David V. Reed
A LIGHT THAT SHAMED THE SUN, by C. J. Henderson
INCOMPLETE DATA, by H.B. Fyfe
THE CORPSE ON THE GRATING, by Hugh B. Cave
COSMIC TELETYPE, by Carl Jacobi
MONSTER KIDNAPS GIRL AT MAD SCIENTIST’S COMMAND!, by Lawrence Watt-Evans
GREAT MINDS, by Edward M. Lerner
THE MAN WHO EVOLVED, by Edmond Hamilton
NO GUTS, NO GLORY, by Edward M. Lerner
THE DEVOTEE OF EVIL, by Clark Ashton Smith
SONG OF DEATH, by Ed Earl Repp
STATUS: COMPLETE, by Leslie J. Furlong
FOOD FOR THOUGHT, by Jack Dolphin
DR. VARSAG’S EXPERIMENT, by Craig Ellis
PUBLIC SAFETY, by Matthew Johnson
THE WORLD IN A BOX, by Carl Jacobi
MACHINE RECORD, by Theodore R. Cogswell
THE BIRTHMARK, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
HERBERT WEST—REANIMATOR, by H.P. Lovecraft
ZAPT’S REPULSIVE PASTE, by J.U. Giesy
THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, by Robert Louis Stevenson
THE MAN WHO STOPPED THE EARTH, by Henry J. Kostkos
SYMPATHY FOR MAD SCIENTISTS, by John Gregory Betancourt
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
COPYRIGHT INFO
The Mad Scientists Megapack is copyright © 2014 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved. Cover copyright © 2014 by Thinkstock.
* * * *
“Myshkin,” by David V. Reed, originally appeared in Other Worlds Science Fiction, April 1953.
“A Light That Shamed the Sun,” by C.J. Henderson, originally appeared in Sir Walter’s Salon. Copyright © 2009 by C.J. Henderson. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Incomplete Data,” by H.B. Fyfe, is original to this publication (but was written in the 1940s). Copyright © 2014 by Wildside Press LLC. (Wildside owns the Literary Estate of H.B. Fyfe.)
“The Corpse on the Grating,” by Hugh B. Cave, originally appeared in Astounding Stories, February 1930.
“The Cosmic Teletype,” by Carl Jacobi, originally appeared in Thrilling Wonder Stories, October 1938. Copyright renewed 1964 by Popular Library, Inc. (renewal # R368250). Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
“Monster Kidnaps Girl at Mad Scientist’s Command!” by Lawrence Watt-Evans, originally appeared in Crosstime Traffic. Copyright © 1992 by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Great Minds,” by Edward M. Lerner, originally appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe, October 2006. Copyright © 2006 by Edward M. Lerner. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Man Who Evolved,” by Edmond Hamilton, originally appeared in Wonder Stories, April 1931.
“No GUTs, No Glory,” by Edward M. Lerneroriginally appeared in Jim Baen’s Universe, August 2009. Copyright © 2009 by Edward M. Lerner. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Devotee of Evil,” by Clark Ashton Smith, originally appeared in The Double Shadow and Other Fantasies (1933).
“Song of Death,” by Ed Earl Repp, originally appeared in Amazing Stories, November 1938.
“Status: Complete,” by Leslie J. Furlong, originally appeared in Shadows Realms #5, May/June 2005. Copyright © 2005 by Leslie J. Furlong. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Dr. Varsag’s Experiment” originally appeared in Amazing Stories, January 1940.
“Public Safety,” by Matthew Johnson, originally appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, March 2007. Copyright © 2007 by Matthew Johnson. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Machine Record,” by Theodore R. Cogswell, originally appeared in Science Fiction Adventures, No. 20, May 1961. Copyright © 1961 by Theodore R. Cogswell. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
“The Birthmark,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, originally appeared in The Pioneer, March 1843.
“Herbert West—Reanimator,” by H.P. Lovecraft, originally appeared in 1922.
“Zapt’s Repulsive Pace,” by J.U. Giesy, originally appeared in All-Story, November 19, 1929. No record of copyright renewal found.
“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde,” by Robert Louis Stevenson, originally appaered in 1886.
“The Man Who Stopped by Earth,” by Henry J. Kostkos, originally appeared in Amazing Stories, March 1934.
“Sympathy for Mad Scientists,” by John Gregory Betancourt, originally appeared in Horrors! 365 Scary Stories. Copyright © 2001 by John Gregory Betancourt. Reprinted by permission of the editor of this ebook, who happened to write this story and really, really hopes you enjoy it.
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Who doesn’t love a Mad Scientist?
From Victor Frankenstein to Doctor Moreau to Herbert West, the Mad Scientist has been a staple of science fiction for generations. I have always been fascinated by them, and I’m pleased to present a selection of Mad Scientist stories from the classics like H.P. Lovecraft’s “Herbert West—Reanimator” and The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde to modern and classic tales you probably haven’t heard of before (including an original tale by H.B. Fyfe, discovered among his papers after Wildside Press purchased his literary estate).
Enjoy!
—John Betancourt
Publisher, Wildside Press LLC
www.wildsidepress.com
ABOUT THE MEGAPACKS
Over the last few years, our “Megapack” series of ebook anthologies has grown to be among our most popular endeavors. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”
The Megapacks (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)
RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?
Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the Megapack series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).
Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.
TYPOS
Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.
If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@yahoo.com or use the message boards above.
THE MEGAPACK SERIES
MYSTERY
The First Mystery Megapack
The Second Mystery Megapack
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Bulldog Drummond Megapack*
The Carolyn Wells Mystery Megapack
The Craig Kennedy Scientific Detective Megapack
The Detective Megapack
The Father Brown Megapack
The Girl Detective Megapack
The Second Girl Detective Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Mystery Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Philo Vance Megapack*
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Raffles Megapack
The Red Finger Pulp Mystery Megapack, by Arthur Leo Zagat*
The Sherlock Holmes Megapack
The Victorian Mystery Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
GENERAL INTEREST
The Adventure Megapack
The Baseball Megapack
The Cat Story Megapack
The Second Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Third Cat Story Megapack
The Christmas Megapack
The Second Christmas Megapack
The Classic American Short Stories Megapack, Vol. 1.
The Classic Humor Megapack
The Dog Story Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The Horse Story Megapack
The Military Megapack
The Pirate Story Megapack
The Sea-Story Megapack
THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION MEGAPACKS
1. Winston K. Marks
2. Mark Clifton
3. Poul Anderson
4. Clifford D. Simak
5. Lester del Rey
6. Charles L. Fontenay
7. H.B. Fyfe
8. Milton Lesser (Stephen Marlowe)
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The First Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Science Fiction Megapack
The Third Science Fiction Megapack
The Fourth Science Fiction Megapack
The Fifth Science Fiction Megapack
The Sixth Science Fiction Megapack
The Seventh Science Fiction Megapack
The Eighth Science Fiction Megapack
The Ninth Science Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Fred M. White Disaster Megapack
The First Theodore Cogswell Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Dragon Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jack London Science Fiction Megapack
The Mad Scientist Megapack
The Martian Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Science-Fantasy Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Space Opera Megapack
The Space Patrol Megapack
The Steampunk Megapack
The Time Travel Megapack
The Second Time Travel Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The First Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second Willam P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Willam P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
HORROR
The Horror Megapack
The Second Horror Megapack
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The Second Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The Ghost Story Megapack
The Second Ghost Story Megapack
The Third Ghost Story Megapack
The Haunts & Horrors Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Macabre Megapack
The Second Macabre Megapack
The Third Macabre Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Mummy Megapack
The Occult Detective Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Vampire Megapack
The Weird Fiction Megapack
The Werewolf Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
WESTERNS
The Western Megapack
The Second Western Megapack
The Third Western Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The Buffalo Bill Megapack
The Cowboy Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
YOUNG ADULT
The Bobbsey Twins Megapack
The Boys’ Adventure Megapack
The Dan Carter, Cub Scout Megapack
The Dare Boys Megapack
The Doll Story Megapack
The G.A. Henty Megapack
The Girl Detectives Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Penny Parker Megapack
The Pinocchio Megapack
The Rover Boys Megapack
The Second Carolyn Wells Megapack
The Space Patrol Megapack
The Tom Corbett, Space Cadet Megapack
The Tom Swift Megapack
The Wizard of Oz Megapack
AUTHOR MEGAPACKS
The Achmed Abdullah Megapack
The H. Bedford-Jones Pulp Fiction Megapack
The Edward Bellamy Megapack
The E.F. Benson Megapack
The Second E.F. Benson Megapack
The Henri Bergson Megapack
The Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson Megapack
The Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The Second Algernon Blackwood Megapack
The B.M. Bower Megapack
The Max Brand Megapack
The First Reginald Bretnor Megapack
The Fredric Brown Megapack
The Second Fredric Brown Megapack
The Wilkie Collins Megapack
The Stephen Crane Megapack
The Ray Cummings Megapack
The Guy de Maupassant Megapack
The Philip K. Dick Megapack
The Frederick Douglass Megapack
The Erckmann-Chatrian Megapack
The F. Scott Fitzgerald Megapack
The First R. Austin Freeman Megapack
The Second R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Third R. Austin Freeman Megapack*
The Jacques Futrelle Megapack
The Randall Garrett Megapack
The Second Randall Garrett Megapack
The Anna Katharine Green Megapack
The Zane Grey Megapack
The Edmond Hamilton Megapack
The Dashiell Hammett Megapack
The C.J. Henderson Megapack
The William Hope Hodgson Megapack
The M.R. James Megapack
The Selma L
agerlof Megapack
The Harold Lamb Megapack
The Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Second Murray Leinster Megapack***
The Jonas Lie Megapack
The Arthur Machen Megapack**
The Katherine Mansfield Megapack
The George Barr McCutcheon Megapack
The William P. McGivern Fantasy Megapack
The First William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The Second William P. McGivern Science Fiction Megapack
The A. Merritt Megapack*
The Talbot Mundy Megapack
The E. Nesbit Megapack
The Andre Norton Megapack
The H. Beam Piper Megapack
The Mack Reynolds Megapack
The Rafael Sabatini Megapack
The Saki Megapack
The Darrell Schweitzer Megapack
The Robert Sheckley Megapack
The Bram Stoker Megapack
The Fred M. White Disaster Megapack
The Lon Williams Weird Western Megapack
The Virginia Woolf Megapack
The Arthur Leo Zagat Science Fiction Megapack
* Not available in the United States
** Not available in the European Union
***Out of print.
OTHER COLLECTIONS YOU MAY ENJOY
The Great Book of Wonder, by Lord Dunsany (it should have been called “The Lord Dunsany Megapack”)
The Wildside Book of Fantasy
The Wildside Book of Science Fiction
Yondering: The First Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
To the Stars—And Beyond! The Second Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Once Upon a Future: The Third Borgo Press Book of Science Fiction Stories
Whodunit?—The First Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
More Whodunits—The Second Borgo Press Book of Crime and Mystery Stories
X is for Xmas: Christmas Mysteries
MYSHKIN, by David V. Reed
Since it became known that I was mixed up in what Time called, “The Mad Myshkin Affair,” I’ve been bothered so much I decided to put it down, get it printed, and the hell with it. My life has become too complicated. Day and night, my telephone’s at the mercy of jerks, ghouls, crackpots and people with out-of-town accents. My mail’s so heavy, by the time I find the bills, they’re overdue. And nobody believes it anyway, so the hell with it.
But one thing I’d like understood from the start: I don’t expect to be believed. By now I’m just a little weary of telling people I mean it, even if I can’t explain it. Aren’t scientists working on it? They had me down at the Institute again last week, and there were dozens of them in white coats, waving pince-nez at me. It may take them a long time to figure it out but when it happens—and it’ll happen!—everybody’ll realize I meant it. Remember, I wasn’t alone in this. Meanwhile I’m reconciled. I know it’s wild. I knew it all the time it was happening, but that was no reason not to believe it.…