Mr. Alfrey's cover for THE HARBOR-MASTER Best Weird Stories of Robert W. Chambers is a damn good piece of weird art. One of the most serious efforts I've ever seen in the field I believe. So much thought gone into the details of that monster. You even sense it's strange soul. Even though humanoid, completely deviating from human path of intelligence. Truly horrific in its anatomical adaptation to underwater life. I don't think the mouth could express words, possibly a bellowing or mewling sound; mainly occupied with taking in water, filtering and passing out through the holes in the chest. Those primitive hands can hardly be useable for any humanlike tasks. And the arms! Elbow joints rotated some 90 degrees forward compared to humans; working like docile paddles. And other creepy subaqueous anatomical abnormalities. I sense its tranquil movements underwater among the weeds, busy with strange activites and incomprehensible motivations. I think this illustration is a weird masterpiece. Convincing and gripping.
