The mark of the monster: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The mark of the monster: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.

The mark of the monster is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Williamson, Jack (1908–2006).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The mark of the monster by Jack Williamson" is a pulp horror short story written in the early 20th century. Set in a decaying Appalachian town steeped in occult lore, it follows a young man’s return to a place of brooding superstition, where whispered talk of a monstrous twin, a blood-smeared cellar, and a hilltop altar entwine love, fear, and the suggestion of inhuman inheritance. Claiborne Coe comes back to Creston to marry Valyne, despite a dire warning from his foster father, Doctor Kyle. After a brutish encounter with Jud Geer and glimpses of a chained “creature” in the cellar, Kyle convinces Clay he is half-demon with a monstrous twin. When the “monster” escapes and abducts Valyne to the forest altar, Clay fights it; Kyle’s rifle shot fells the beast. Valyne then reveals the ticking of Jud’s watch, exposing the “monster” as Jud in a mask. Kyle confesses a plot—abetted by his household—to terrorize Clay into suicide and seize his fortune, and when he turns his gun on them, Clay kills him in self-defense. Clay and Valyne leave Creston for good.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The mark of the monster
- Author credits: Williamson, Jack (1908–2006)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Horror tales
- Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
- Villages -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: American Literature
- Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery
- Category: Short Stories
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.


