The House That Stood Still

Once again I was seduced into buying an A. E. Van Vogt book by the awesome cover. How could I resist this? The House That Stood Still was originally published in the 1950s, and it should be no surprise to you that this printing came out in 1971. Totally psychedelic, man!

As you may remember, I was not totally wowed by the only other Van Vogt book I've read (which I apparently read last February -- February is Van Vogt month in Spacebeer-land!), although I still thought it (and its cover) were worthwhile. The House That Stood Still was a much more enjoyable story and I give it an enthusiastic recommendation that goes beyond the awesomeness of the crazy rainbow-colored woman-house with an eye-bridge on the cover.

The most interesting thing about this book is that it is hardly a science fiction book at all, even though Van Vogt is one of the best known science fiction writers of the 40s and 50s. Instead, the book reads like a noir-y California detective novel. I have no problem with this since I happen to love noir-y California detective novels.

Our hero, Allison Stephens, is a lawyer for one of the oldest families in Almirante, California, whose ancestral home is an imposing marble structure that looks over the town and the ocean from a high hill. The head of the family dies and an unknown nephew takes his place -- but as soon as the new guy gets to town, strange things start happening to Allison. First he is confronted with an anonymous note claiming that the uncle's grave is empty. Then he comes across a strange Ancient-Mexican cult in one of the offices in the family-owned office building where he works -- he overhears some cryptic conversation and bursts in to stop them from whipping a beautiful woman. This woman ends up popping up unexpectedly into Allison's life over and over again and sleeping with him (in some of the truly vaguest and yet somehow salacious sex scenes ever). His desire for the mysterious woman, and his obligation to protect the interests of his client, lead him deeper and deeper into the secrets of the house, and into the world of a group of dozens of immortals that have lived in and near the house since the days when ancient Mexican civilizations ruled the California coast.

Oh, and there is also a thwarted nuclear attack and a robot spaceship, but I wouldn't want to give away too much.

Here is the back cover (with a rather misleading description of the book that makes it sound way more traditionally science-fiction-y than it really is). And here is the quite awesome personalized embossing I found in my copy. I would love one of those things. You better believe I'd be embossing everything in sight.