Diamond Lens and Other Stories

Fitz-James O'Brien capitalized on thesuccess of his predecessor Edgar Allan Poein writing disturbing stories with dementedprotagonists. This collection of three talesshows his mastery of the macabre. 'TheDiamond Lens' tells the tale of a loneprotagonist's discovery of a microcosmicworld within a drop of water, and hisgrowing obsession in particular with thebeautiful Animula, a fair maiden withinthis world which he can see but never enter. The insights O'Brien gives us to thescientist's uncompromising pursuit ofknowledge at any cost foreshadow the madscientist familiar to science fiction readersin a multitude of works. In 'What Was It?' an invisible man isdiscovered by residents of a boarding house. Pre-dating H.G. Wells' 'The Invisible Man'by nearly four decades, the residents' captureand investigation of the creature blendsthe fantastic with the scientific as they seekrational explanations for this extraordinaryphenomenon. 'The Wondersmith' is amacabre tale of an embittered toymakerwho seeks revenge upon the society thathas persecuted him by creating demonicmannequins (a precursor of robots) andimbuing them with life in order to slaughterthe masses. The tale is a fantastic melodramain which the dominating and cunningWondersmith is offset by the unassumingand unlikely hero Solon the hunchback,who is in love with the villain's daughter.