The Moon Pool by A. Merritt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Abraham Grace Merritt, a science fiction writer and also a journalist by profession from Philadelphia USA has gone to the depths of fantasizing a science fiction in this work of his.

An scientific adventure taken up by a family of young scientists at the mysterious islands of Papua, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, results in the disappearance of the entire family into a abysss of a strange opening in one of islands. Later investigation and expedition carried out by Dr Goodwin with the help of a war pilot Larry O’Keefe and seaman Olaf Huldrickson to find the whereabouts of the missing family. The team enter the aperture in the island and realize that there is a whole world of strange living beings beneath the ocean, who adapted to the subterranean living centuries ago when a large piece of rock separated from the Earth and became the Moon, centuries ago. There they discover that these people down there are planning an attack on the Earth and its living things soon to re-claim their original land. The team somehow learn their tricks by mingling with them and foil their attempt to come back to the surface by destroying their wicked leader and priestess Yolara with the help of Lakla, a beautiful daughter of ancient Gods (The Silent One). The Silent Ones (God of the Good ones) ultimately destroy The Shining One (God of the Wicked) in a fierceful war between the two armies in the abyss, thus permanently closing the portal of the underground world and sealing the chances of their attack and destruction of the present world.

Positives: Existence of another world beneath the surface of the Earth and their plans to capture the land above them with their latest weapon system much advanced to those above is the best part of the story. The reader is taken through the heights of fantasy in this beautiful book. It is quite interesting to those who are interested in nuclear physics, atomic behaviour, space science etc wherein many scientific principles and processes have been cleverly explained by the author through a fantasy story. A book which generates further interest in knowing about secrets of the evolution of Earth and other space related bodies. The powerful influence of Moon and its rays over some phenomenon on Earth is well explained scientifically.

Negatives: A person who is a layman to science and its wonderful creations will find this book to be absolutely Greek and Latin. Too much description of the so-called beauty of the other world has slightly over burdened the story. More clarity on the Shining One and Silent One could have been emphasized.

My rating is 2.75 out of 5


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