A look at the occult detective

One type of heroic character that I enjoy is the “occult detective.” They can also be called an investigator. Or the terms paranormal or supernatural may be used instead of occult.

There are variants, but most of these characters dealt with occult or supernatural matters (real or not). A few dealt with more mundane cases, but used occult means (those I find less interesting).

Most of the characters have knowledge of the occult (useful in dealing with the occult), but very few of them actually have occult (or psychic) powers of some sort.

For the pulps and proto-pulps, some of the outstanding occult detectives include:

• John Silence, by Algernon Blackwood (1908): Blackwood is a well-known author of supernatural fiction (usually called “ghost stories” at the time) and much admired by H.P. Lovecraft. His character, John Silence, is considered the first occult detective. He was called a “psychic doctor” and appeared in six stories. Dover Publications has a complete collection of his stories edited by S.T. Joshi.

• Carnacki, by William Hope Hodgson (1910-12): Hodgson is another author of supernatural fiction who was well regarded by Lovecraft. His character Thomas Carnacki (most just refer to him as Carnacki) is an interesting occult detective, who seemed to mix both occult knowledge and science in dealing with the supernatural, as witness his “electric pentacle.” Though sadly the stories are a bit formulaic in how they are presented. Interestingly, in about half the stories, the cause of what he was investigating was found not to be supernatural. There are several collections of the Carnacki stories, and I understand another new complete collection is coming (there are only nine original stories). He has also appeared in a few new stories by other authors in recent years, including a recent collection of new stories.

• Semi Dual, by J.U. Giesy and Junius Smith (1912-34): The first true pulp occult detective is considered Semi-Dual, who appeared in 32 stories from 1912-34 in various pulps, mainly published by Munsey. “Semi Dual” is the nickname for Prince Omar of Persia, though he is usually referred to as Semi Dual, Semi or Dual. The name comes from the fact that he solves problems using two methods: one material and one occult. Altus Press is reprinting the whole series, which will probably take nine volumes. One is out so far, with the first three stories.

• Dr. Morris Klaw, by Sax Rohmer (1912-13): Rohmer is mostly known for creating Fu Manchu. Less known is Morris Klaw, the “dream detective,” who appeared in a small number of stories. If you look around, you can find collections of the stories.

• Simon Iff, by Aleister Crowley (1916-18): Strangely enough, Crowley, who was the inspiration for some opponents of occult detectives, himself wrote stories of an occult detective, Simon Iff. Iff was written as a sort of idealized version of himself, older and wiser. Wordsworth Editions has recently come out with a complete set of the stories.

• Dr. Jules de Grandin, by Seabury Quinn (1925-51): Probably one of the best known occult detectives (I think he was the first one I knew of) is Quinn’s Dr. Jules de Grandin, who ran for over 90 stories in Weird Tales from 1925 to 1951. De Grandin is both a medical doctor and a former agent of the French Surete. Similar to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, he lives in semi-retirement with his friend Dr. Trowbridge in Harrisville, N.J., where most stories are set. Often they find that the cases are not supernatural, but are caused by evil, depraved humans. I discovered him when I obtained the six paperback collections published by Popular Library and edited by Robert Weinberg. I would later learn that he had planned for a further six, but poor sales prevented that. The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box has published a complete set, but it’s a bit pricey. As to new stories, I’ve only seen him appear in a few stories in the “Tales of the Shadowmen” collections. I’d certainly love to see more new stories with him.

• Ravenwood, by Frederick C. Davis (1936): Ravenwood was a short-lived (five stories) occult detective who ran in the back of the Secret Agent X pulp. Orphaned at a young age and schooled in Tibetan mysticism (sound familiar?), he solved with his mystical insights cases that turned out not to have supernatural causes. Altus Press has reprinted the originals, and Airship 27 has done two collections of new stories. See my previous posting on him for more info.

• Judge Pursivant and John Thunstone, by Manly Wade Wellman: Wellman wrote several occult detectives over the years. His first was Judge Pursivant, who had four stories from 1938-41 in Weird Tales. A former judge, he confronted evil with a special silver sword cane. He was replaced by John Thunstone, who had 15 stories in Weird Tales from 1943-51. A younger and tougher character than Pursivant, Thunstone soon had the silver sword cane given to him by Pursivant. A rich playboy, he confronted evil that included the ancient Shonokin race who claim America before the coming of humans and the sorcerer Rowley Thorne (supposedly based on Aleister Crowley). Thunstone would later be brought back by in the 1980s and even got two novels. Haffner Press has recently come out with a complete collection of all the Thunstone stories, including the novels.

• Silver John, by Wellman (1960s, 1980s): But Wellman’s most well-known occult detective is Silver John, or sometimes called John the Balladeer. Set in the mid-20th century, John (no last name is ever given) wanders the Appalachians with his silver-stringed guitar, learning and sharing folk songs, and confronting evil. He also deals with the Shonokins and other mythic beasts (I’m not sure if they are from Appalachian folklore or Wellman’s imagination or a mix of both). He appeared in a dozen or so stories in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction from 1951 to 1963, then came back in more short stories in the 1980s and in five novels. While there are a couple of collections of the short stories out there, the novels have not been reprinted (the last only appeared in hardcover). But I’ve heard a publisher is going to come out with a complete collection that will include the novels.

I’ll be doing separate postings on many of the above characters and a few more, as they are worth of a deeper look. But this should whet your appetites. While all the above come from the pulps, there are other occult detectives who have appeared in comic books and more recent books and stories. I’ll be looking at a few of those whom I feel are somewhat pulp-like. If you have suggestions of ones to take a look at, let me know.