The Face in the Abyss
An Andean Lost-Race Adventure of Hidden Kingdoms, Serpent-Women, Occult Science, and Ancient PowersBy Abraham Merritt
Length10h 42m
About this audiobook
Abraham Merritt's *The Face in the Abyss* is a sumptuous work of lost-world fantasy in which American adventurer Nicholas Gray is drawn into the remote Andes and a conflict involving Suarra, an ancient civilization, serpentlike powers, and the monstrous, quasi-divine entity concealed within the abyss. First published in 1923 and later expanded from an earlier novella, the novel combines archaeological adventure, occult romance, grotesque horror, and speculative mythmaking. Its luxuriant descriptions, melodramatic scale, and dreamlike transitions place it squarely within the tradition of early twentieth-century "weird" fiction, while its fascination with forgotten races and forbidden knowledge anticipates later sword-and-sorcery and cosmic fantasy. The book's imaginative excess is inseparable from the colonial assumptions and racial typologies of its period, which modern readers may approach critically rather than uncritically. Merritt (1884–1943), an American journalist, editor, and influential popular fantasist, wrote during the flourishing era of pulp magazines, when adventure fiction increasingly absorbed ideas from archaeology, Theosophy, spiritualism, and evolutionary speculation. His professional experience in journalism helped foster a talent for vivid scene-setting and rapid narrative movement, while his lifelong interest in the occult and the unknown encouraged him to imagine civilizations existing beyond the boundaries of accepted history. Like his other romances, *The Face in the Abyss* reflects Merritt's conviction that wonder could be generated through the collision of modern skepticism with archaic, terrifying powers. This novel is especially recommended to readers interested in the development of fantastic literature, pulp-era world-building, and the literary genealogy of cosmic and dark fantasy. Its ornate prose and sensational plot will appeal to those who value atmosphere as much as realism, while its cultural assumptions invite productive historical and ethical discussion. Read as both an adventure romance and a document of its age, *The Face in the Abyss* remains a striking example of how early popular fiction transformed occult speculation and imperial exploration into grand mythology.
Audiobook details
GenreFantasy, Horror
Length10 hrs 42 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 13, 2018
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Treasure and Vengeance - Complete Trilogy (Annotated)
21 SUARRA
32 THE UNSEEN WATCHERS
43 THE WHITE LLAMA
54 THE THING THAT FLED
Show all chaptersShow less
65 THE ELFIN HORNS
76 THE FACE IN THE ABYSS
87 THE GUARDED FRONTIER
98 THE LIZARD MEN
109 IN THE LAIR OF HUON
1110 OUTLAWS OF YU-ATLANCHI
1211 THE DEATHLESS PEOPLE
1312 THE SECRET ANCIENT CITY
1413 CAVERN OF THE FROG-WOMAN
1514 SHADOW OF THE LIZARD MASK
1615 “LEND ME YOUR BODY, GRAYDON!”
1716 THE PAINTED CHAMBER
1817 TAKING OF HUON’S LAIR
1918 THE ARENA OF THE DINOSAURS
2019 THE SNAKE MOTHER
2120 WISDOM OF THE SERPENT MOTHER
2221 THE CAVERN OF THE LOST WISDOM
2322 THE FEAST OF THE DREAM MAKERS
2423 THE TAKING OF SUARRA
2524 BRIDE OF THE LIZARD-MAN
2625 THE COLLAR OF NIMIR
2726 RAGNAROK IN YU-ATLANCHI
2827 FAREWELL OF THE SNAKE MOTHER
More from Abraham Merritt
Seven Footprints to SatanAbraham Merritt8h 6m$0.99 · $0.00
The Women of the WoodAbraham Merritt1h 57m$2 · $0.00
Tales of Time Warps: 20 Sci-Fi ClassicsAbraham Merritt, Edward Bellamy, H. G. Wells, William Hope Hodgson, Mark Twain, Frederic W. Farrar, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett, Edmond About, Henry Holt, Robert Hugh Benson, Edith Nesbit, Edwin Lester Arnold, Jane C. Loudon, William Henry Hudson, Gertrude Barrows Bennett, Francis Stevens, William Morris220h 54m$0.99
Der MondseeAbraham Merritt13h 17m$2 · $0.00
El Estanque de la LunaAbraham Merritt12h 10m$2 · $0.00
The Lost World Novels: Dwellers in the Mirage & The Moon PoolAbraham Merritt20h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Metal MonsterAbraham Merritt10h 17m$2 · $0.00
The Women of the WoodAbraham Merritt1h 56m$2 · $0.00
Dwellers in the MirageAbraham Merritt9h 10m$2 · $0.00
THE SHIP OF ISHTAR: Sci-Fi ClassicAbraham Merritt9h 26m$1 · $0.00
The Moon Pool & Dwellers in the MirageAbraham Merritt21h 35m$2 · $0.00
The Metal Monster & The Moon PoolAbraham Merritt22h 43m$2 · $0.00
DWELLERS IN THE MIRAGE: Sci-Fi ClassicAbraham Merritt9h 51m$2 · $0.00
THE METAL MONSTERAbraham Merritt11h$2 · $0.00
The Ship of IshtarAbraham Merritt8h 57m$0.99 · $0.00
The Moon PoolAbraham Merritt12h 18m$16
Rumo & His Miraculous AdventuresWalter Moers24h 6m$35
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m5.0 (1)$46 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m$33 · $0.00
Hell to PayMichael Anderle7h 50m$20
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m$8 · $0.00
Conan the Barbarian - The Complete SeriesRobert E. Howard42h 26m$2 · $0.00
The Assassins of ThasalonLois McMaster Bujold9h 59m$20
Lola in the MirrorTrent Dalton13h 40m$33 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m$33 · $0.00
The Leo Tolstoy CollectionLeo Tolstoy9h 1m$12 · $0.00
Sword and ShadowMichelle Sagara16h 51m$40 · $0.00
The Skull of the WorldKate Forsyth10h 28m5.0 (1)$20
The Story of a New NameElena Ferrante19h 3m$25
Scars of RebellionAnthony J. Melchiorri12h 56m$25
A Tree Grows in BrooklynBetty Smith14h 55m$33 · $0.00
Dark GuardianChristine Feehan12h 32m$33 · $0.00
The Neil Gaiman ReaderNeil Gaiman27h 3m$53 · $0.00
Reign Of AngelsBen Reeder8h 54m5.0 (1)$20
The HobbitJ. R. R. Tolkien10h 51m$12 · $0.00
Bad HabitAlana S. Portero5h 37m$24 · $0.00
The Skull of the WorldKate Forsyth10h 28m5.0 (1)$20
Reign Of AngelsBen Reeder8h 54m5.0 (1)$20
We’re AliveKc Wayland5h 10m$15
The Undead PoolKim Harrison16h 13m$33 · $0.00
Glacier's EdgeR. A. Salvatore13h 44m$33 · $0.00
Haint BlueStephanie Alexander11h 55m$23
The King in Yellow (Annotated)Robert W. Chambers8h 53m$0.99 · $0.00
Good OmensNeil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett12h 33m$33 · $0.00
Dark of NightJonathan Maberry, Rachael Lavin4h 59m2.0 (1)$20 · $0.00
The Renegade HunterLynsay Sands10h 7m$29 · $0.00
The Fall of the House of CabalJonathan L. Howard14h 54m$23
Lost GodsBrom14h 50m$33 · $0.00
The Complete Works of E. F. Benson (Illustrated)E. F. Benson335h 9m$1 · $0.00
The AccusedJana DeLeon6h 32m5.0 (1)$12 · $0.00
Corpus HermeticumHermes Trismegistus3h 43m$7 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.0 (1)$33 · $0.00
CARMILLA (Gothic Classic) (Annotated)Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu4h 2m$0.99 · $0.00
The ExorcistWilliam Peter Blatty12h 52m5.0 (2)$8 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Mary ShelleyMary Shelley128h 25m$2 · $0.00
Twice TemptedJeaniene Frost8h 17m$26 · $0.00
You may also like
Fantastical Tales - The Ultimate Collection of Sword & Sorcery Action-Adventures, Time Travel & Mythical WorldsRobert E. Howard68h 45m$1 · $0.00
Fantastical Tales - The Ultimate Collection of Sword & Sorcery Action-Adventures, Time Travel & Mythical Worlds (Annotated)Robert E. Howard70h 1m$2 · $0.00
Heu-HeuH Rider Haggard8h 35m$2 · $0.00
The Fantasy Collection of Robert E. Howard (Annotated)Robert E. Howard69h 59m$0.99 · $0.00
Conan The Barbarian - All 20 Books in One Edition (Annotated)Robert E. Howard42h 45m$2 · $0.00
Spawn of DagonHenry Kuttner44m$1 · $0.00
Seven Wonders Book 5: The Legend of the RiftPeter Lerangis9h 43m3.0 (1)$29 · $0.00
The Jade BonesLani Forbes11h 8m$20
The People of the CraterAndre Norton1h 46m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Robert E. Howard: 300+ Titles in One EditionRobert E. Howard177h 9m$2 · $0.00
Conan The Barbarian - All 20 Books in One EditionRobert E. Howard42h 24m$1 · $0.00
Conan The Barbarian - All 20 Books in One EditionRobert E. Howard42h 43m$2 · $0.00
The Devil in IronRobert E. Howard1h 29m$1
Beasts of the Uncanny WildCindy Lin10h 37m$29 · $0.00
Weird Tales Magazine No. 366: Sword & Sorcery Issuevarious authors7h 14m$17
Darkmouth #2: Worlds ExplodeShane Hegarty7h 50m$26 · $0.00
Conan the Barbarian - The Complete Series (Annotated)Robert E. Howard42h 46m$2 · $0.00
The Lost World Novels: Dwellers in the Mirage & The Moon PoolAbraham Merritt20h 59m$2 · $0.00
Conan the Barbarian - The Complete SeriesRobert E. Howard42h 26m$2 · $0.00
The Whithering of Willoughby and the Professor: Their Ways in the Worlds, Vol. 2Joe Bevilacqua, Robert J. Cirasa, Pedro Pablo Sacristán5h 11m$14