Poe Must Die [Paperback]

Marc Olden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1978

Against a backdrop of New York City in the 1840’s, a hellhole of crime and squalor, Edgar Allan Poe plays out a deadly game, fighting not only the demonic forces waged against him, but also his personal demons, the memory of his beloved wife and the alcohol he consumes in order to forget her. Pierce James Figg, a renowned ex-bare knuckle fighter, has arrived in New York from London carrying with him a letter of introduction from Charles Dickens to Edgar Allan Poe. Figg is pursuing Jonathan the sorcerer and spiritualist. The man who brutally murdered his wife. Jonathan seeks the Throne of Solomon which will grant him immortality and dominion over Lucifer, Asmodeus and all the demons of the upper air. His search has led him to New York. Frail, gallant Edgar Allan Poe and the grieving, brilliant boxer unite in a perilous mission to find and destroy Jonathan before he can achieve his goal of controlling Lucifer and thereby change the destiny of the world. i."...a provocative, emotionally charged portrait ... full of ominous impulses ... let's have more of them!"i. -- Baltimore Sun

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The author of forty published books, most in the suspense-thriller category, Marc Olden was recognized since the beginning of his career as a masterful crime novelist, acclaimed as “superior to just about all thriller writers for knockout characterizations and superbly whimsical dialogue…” and “a master of intrigue and adventure”. Kirkus Reviews and Publisher’s Weekly have described his books as “unfailingly readable”, and “difficult to put down”, "whose menace and tension flatten the reader's nose to the page while snapping his fingers", with writing that is “razor-sharp but oh-so-lyrical …” Olden’s novels have always reflected his diversity of interests and experience. His study of the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe resulted in one of his most well known and highly regarded mysteries, POE MUST DIE. Many of Olden’s books, such as the eastern influenced GIRI, DAI-SHO, GAIJIN, ONI, TE, KISAENG and KRAIT, reflect his life-long passions for justice and eastern culture and philosophy. Clive Custler said that “no one has plumbed the secrets of the Orient with near the imagination”. And about GAIJIN Tom Clancy wrote “...everything a thriller needs is right here …” with “fascinating characters, an intricate plot, and a blistering pace.” Early in his career Olden was nominated for the coveted Edgar Award for THEY’VE KILLED ANNA, from his popular HARKER FILE series about an investigative reporter, and in 2000 Olden was presented with the Literary Fiction Honor Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association for his crime novel, THE GHOST. ~~~ --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Littlehampton Book Services Ltd (November 15, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 060037209X
• ISBN-13: 978-0600372097
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,887,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Much Beter Than I Expected, January 23, 2006

By 

Chris Ward (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poe Must Die (Mass Market Paperback)

Fans of historical pastiches like Doctorow's "Ragtime" or Hjortsberg's "Nevermore" will enjoy this clever and action-packed yarn about Edgar Allan Poe and an adventure that embroils him toward the end of his short life. He gets to use all of his deductive powers in a nasty and occult-tinged case that would have challenged his immortal detective, C. Auguste Dupin.

It helps to have a knowledge of Poe and his works, but Olden provides plenty if biographical info along the way, so it's not necessary to be a Poe nut to enjoy it. Along the way, we meet Charles Dickens and P.T Barnum among other historical figures well known in the 1840s, and we see the seamy hell-hole that was New York in those days, as limned so well in Martin Scorsese's movie "Gangs of New York." I'd call this a tasty entertainment for a cold night-- not as conceptually gratifying as Rudy Rucker's Poe pastiche "The Hollow Earth," but worth seeking out if Poe is to your taste.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, July 15, 2008

By 

A. Tindell "ajtlawyer" (Richland, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Poe Must Die (Mass Market Paperback)

"Poe Must Die" is one of my favorite books and I've read it several times. Marc Olden takes Poe, the father of the detective story, on a dangerous journey into New York's seamy underworld on the hunt for a necromancer. Joining Poe on the hunt is a powerful Englishman, Pierce James Figg, who is a boxer and equally skilled with the pistol, cudgel, short sword and knife. The necromancer, Jonathan, has brutally killed Figg's family and Figg is going to have his revenge. Figg provides the brawn and Poe the brains as they pursue their quarry.

The book is set in the 1840s, the same era as "Gangs of New York" and it evokes the squalor and danger of the city at that time. Other historical figures like P.T. Barnum and Charles Dickens appear in the story. The character of Poe is richly drawn and you only wish that there could be a sequel to the book. Unfortunately, in real life Poe dies only a couple of years after this story would take place. But he would've enjoyed "Poe Must Die", no doubt about it. And so will you.

5.0 out of 5 stars IT STILL HOLDS UP IN SPITE OF CRAPPY COVER, June 23, 2011

By 

M. R. ZOGLIO - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Poe Must Die (Paperback)

I originally read this book while sitting poolside in the summer of '79. I enjoyed the story so much that I've mentioned and/or recommended it to several friends over the years but no one I know has ever heard of it. With summer again upon us, I bought it again in order to experience it once more. The good news? The story still holds up after all these years. I enjoyed it just as much if not more. It is just as vivid now as it was then. How has a clueless Hollywood not stumbled over this gem between remaking remakes, unending prequels & sequels, and the usual CGI fare? If you thought Robert Downey Jr. was a good choice for Tony Stark/Iron Man and/or Sherlock Holmes, can you imagine him as Edgar Allan Poe? I can. The only negative thing that I have to say about this book deals with this edition. It appears to be a print on demand copy with no original copywrite information, spotty printing, a couple of typos, and a really crappy cover. It looks like they found John Wayne Gacy's pillowcase after he fell asleep in his Pogo The Clown makeup. Please tell me that they don't think that its supposed to look like Poe because it doesn't. My original paperback (which I still have boxed up somewhere) had an eerie painting of Poe on the cover and a clear title emblazoned on it. How could a Poe fan resist? This one? Not so much. A minor quibble to an otherwise awesome book. Read for yourself. Mr E. A. Poe awaits you. A quick note on widdershins : while it means to go counterclockwise and to keep the object you are circling to your left side, to do so, one moves to the right and not to the left as the author would lead you to believe.