The Dark Heart of Africa - Short Stories of Horror, Black Magic and Hunting from the Searing Desert to the Darkest Jungle (Fantasy and Horror Classics - Paperback

Beyond the map's edge, ancient power and primal fear hold dominion.

This expansive collection plunges into the imagined and historical terrors of Africa and its surrounding mythologies, exploring themes of occult power, colonial times, primal horror, and the chilling legacy of Egyptology. These tales, penned by masters of weird fiction and Gothic horror, capture the era's fascination with (and fear of) the unknown continent.

Rider Haggard: Master of African Adventure and the Occult

Four tales from H. Rider Haggard, whose works like King Solomon's Mines defined the adventure genre, anchor the collection with a unique blend of hunting, ancient mystery, and the supernatural:

• The Kiss of Fate, The Tale of Philo, Smith and the Pharaohs, and Hunter Quartermain's Story: These stories explore hidden civilisations, reincarnation, cursed artifacts, and the enduring life force of the African wilderness, often featuring his legendary hunter, Allan Quatermain.

Egyptian and Desert Terrors:

• The Nameless City and Imprisoned with the Pharaohs by H. P. Lovecraft (and Houdini): Lovecraft's quintessential cosmic horror connects the deserts of Africa to cyclopean ruins and entities older than time, while the collaboration with Houdini traps the reader beneath the Giza plateau in a nightmare of existential dread.

• A Professor of Egyptology by Guy Boothby and My New Year's Eve Among the Mummies by Grant Allen: Tales that explore the cursed consequences of disturbing the ancient Egyptian dead.

Black Magic and Primal Horror:

• The Magician by Lord Lytton: A rare piece of occult fiction from a major Victorian figure, reflecting the period's interest in arcane ritual and the dangerous power of hidden knowledge.

• Monkeys by E. F. Benson: A chilling, ambiguous tale of subtle supernatural terror, where the animal world or a simian-like spirit may be linked to a profound, unsettling evil.

• Eyes of Terror by Mrs. L. T. Meade: A thrilling, suspenseful story that focuses on dark local magic and psychological fear.

• The Fate of the 'Senegambian Queen' by Wardon Allan Curtis: A maritime horror tale that links the perils of the sea with the eerie, possibly cursed, cargo or fate of a ship near the African coast.

• White Zombie by Vivian Meik: This story uses the classic zombie myth, derived from African and Haitian folklore, to explore the horrifying possibilities of black magic and the control of the living dead.

This collection is a harrowing literary safari into a landscape of terror, where adventure often ends in madness or oblivion.