I picked up 'Of Stegner's Folly' expecting a classic lost-world adventure, but Richard S. Shaver had other plans. This book is a strange and potent blend of science fiction, archaeological mystery, and outright horror that has stuck with me.

The Story

The plot follows a team of scientists and engineers led by the determined Stegner. They're on a remote Pacific island to survey for mineral deposits. What they find, however, is far more valuable and infinitely more dangerous: evidence of the 'Elder Race.' This wasn't just an advanced society; they mastered technology to record thoughts and memories directly into stone. As the team plays back these 'rock records,' they don't hear tales of glory. They hear panic, terror, and final warnings. The Elder Race didn't just die out—they were driven mad and destroyed by sinister, sub-terrestrial beings they called the 'Deros' (Detrimental Robots). These creatures are described as degenerate remnants of an even older time, living in vast caverns and using strange rays to torment those on the surface. Stegner's team soon realizes their drilling and exploring might be attracting the same attention.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a slick, modern thriller. The charm—and the chill—comes from Shaver's raw, almost feverish imagination. He builds a sense of dread not with jump scares, but with the idea that our planet's past is a locked room full of nightmares. The 'rock records' are a fantastic, creepy device. Imagine finding a DVD that isn't a movie, but the actual dying fears of a person from a million years ago. The characters are driven by a compelling mix of scientific curiosity and mounting terror, which makes their choices feel urgent and real. Shaver asks a question that still resonates: what if the greatest threat to humanity isn't ahead of us in space, but below us in the dark?

Final Verdict

'Of Stegner's Folly' is a must-read for fans of pulp-era science fiction who love big, weird ideas. If you enjoy the paranoid, cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft but wish it had more rivets and ray-guns, this is your book. It's also perfect for anyone who likes their adventure stories with a heavy dose of the uncanny. Be warned: the prose is of its time and the concepts are wildly unscientific, but that's part of its gritty, hypnotic appeal. You don't just read this story; you feel the weight of all that ancient, malevolent stone pressing down from the page.