"Out of the Earth" (1925) by Flavia Richardson

"Out of the Earth" (1925) by Flavia Richardson [Christine Campbell Thomson] can be heard here, read by Jim Moon. The story also appeared in the April 1927 issue of Weird Tales, which can be viewed here.

It is not a story I was aware of before Mr. Moon posted it. The story begins with a promising situation and arresting atmosphere. (Alas, recent binges of "A History of Ancient Britain" and "Time Team" have left me a little too superficially knowledgeable about tumuli and barrows to suspend disbelief to the extent "Out of the Earth" requires.)

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As a title, "Out of the Earth" has been used by half a dozen writers.

Like Clute's use of APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA, ATTEMPTED RESCUE, and ANSWERED PRAYER, Out of the Earth could certainly serve as a term of art for a type of horror story.

Flavia Richardson's "Out of the Earth" bears a slight resemblance to "Man-Size in Marble" by E. Nesbit: A young husband and wife, hungry to live on their own terms with limited income, move to the country. But there the similarities end. 

The Wayre's encounter is with a prehistoric supernatural entity, not a hidden degenerate race spurred to action by modern human war-making, as in Machen's "Out of the Earth" and "The Croquet Player" by H. G. Wells.

G. W. Thomas discusses "Out of the Earth" here.

Jay

20 February 2022