ARK MATTER: THE MACABRE MYSTERIES OF SIMON ARK
Readers of this blog will not need to be introduced to Edward D. Hoch. He was one of the greatest and most inventive mystery writers of the 20th century. The fact that he wrote almost exclusively short stories is a fantastic anomaly in the field of crime fiction. A frequently-cited axiom attributed to the mighty John Dickson Carr states: “Satan himself would be proud of [Hoch’s] ingenuity.” What greater tribute could a mystery writer receive than that? But the satanic reference is apropos because I have chosen to focus this
post on a particular creation of Hoch’s: the riddle wrapped in an enigma that is Simon Ark. Ark is a 2,000-year-old Coptic priest who espouses beliefs in the supernatural and the tangible nature of evil, and who is on a never-ending quest to vanquish the devil himself. It sounds more like a premise for high fantasy than a series of mystery stories. And yet he solves fiendish puzzles with a cool logical eye.
The first Simon Ark story—and Hoch’s first published work— is called “Village of the Dead,” a suitably macabre title which boasts a flawless opening line: “Perhaps, if you’re old enough, you remember the Gidaz Horror.” It appeared in Famous Mystery Stories in December of 1955 and kick-started Hoch’s career. There are upwards of 45 Simon Ark stories in total: that includes novelettes and novellas, of which there are a handful. Every single one is dazzling in the originality of its premise and the astute craftsmanship of its writing. Hoch crams in so much macabre esoterica and spine-tingling atmosphere that these stories seem to exist in a “twilight zone” all of their own.
Perhaps the best way to introduce the series to a reader who has yet to sample its delights is to examine a few of the stories themselves.
“The Man from Nowhere” retells the true (and fascinating) mystery surrounding Kasper Hauser, coupling it with a neat impossible crime in which the titular man from nowhere is killed by an invisible agent in a field of untouched snow. “The Treasure of Jack the Ripper” is a remarkable piece of work which manages in the space of a few pages to tie the mythos surrounding the infamous serial killer to the Druidic history of Stonehenge. Meanwhile “The Mummy from the Sea” throws in a dash of South American exoticism with the appearance of a mummified corpse on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The resurgence of the corpse coincides with a festival in celebration of the water-spirit Yemanja, which serves as a backdrop to the deadly intrigue.
Edward D. Hoch was a true master of his craft, and nowhere is his ingenuity and creative flair more evident than in this dazzling sequence of stories. I am envious of anyone who has not yet sampled the exploits of Simon Ark: I only wish I could have the pleasure of discovering them for myself all over again.
Tom Mead is an author and translator. He is an active member of the UK Crime Writers’ Association, and has written for Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Mystery Weekly, Lighthouse and numerous others. His story “Heatwave” was recently selected by Lee Child and Otto Penzler for inclusion in their Best Mystery Stories of the Year anthology.