Notes
The Volcano Ogre, a Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown novel by Lin Carter.

Part 3 of Zarkon, Lord of the Unknown series.

Publisher's Blurb – Front Jacket Flap
Fresh from their last adventure – in which the Omega team faced the master of death himself, the Grim Reaper – Prince Zarkon and his top-secret organization of super-crime fighters are summoned halfway around the world to stalk the forces of evil in the South Seas. . . .

On a tiny Polynesian island, a hideous lava-covered troll is bringing death and destruction to the populace. Legend has it that an angry fire devil is claiming sacrificial victims, but Prince Zarkon believes that some twentieth-century wizardry is being used to arouse ancient superstitions and that perhaps money is the root of this particular evil.

As Zarkon and his band of lieutenant adventurers – "Scorchy" Muldoon, Nick Naldini, "Ace" Harrigan, "Doc" Jenkins, and "Menlo" Parker – search out the demon, they are finally led where even angels fear to tread – into the volcano itself to uncover the monster's fiery lair. . . .

Publisher's Blurb – Rear Jacket Flap
Lin Carter, until recently the Fantasy Editor for Ballantine Books, has been responsible for bringing to light many long-lost science fiction authors and stories. He is the author/editor of more than twenty-five books of fantasy, including Kingdoms of Sorcery and two previous Prince Zarkon adventurers: The Nemesis of Evil and Invisible Death. In 1972 he received the Nova Award for his contributions to fantasy. Mr. Carter currently lives in Hollis, Long Island.

Extract – Lower Cover
"I saw it myself!"

Johnny's feeble, quavering tones sharpened with shrill fear. His wasted, worn features convulsed; his wide blue eyes clouded with the shadow of horrible memories.

"Saw what?" demanded Zarkon, leaning closer. "What did you see?"

"I . . . I saw the volcano monster . . . coming up out of the crater . . . walking unharmed through live steam that would scald a man to death in minutes, wading through molten lava whose temperature was over one thousand degrees Fahrenheit . . .

"It was horrible. Like a crude stone idol brought to life by some evil magician. It had no face, no eyes. But it could feel that I was there, and it came after me . . . red-hot and smoking, it climbed up out of the lava lake and came lumbering after me . . . slow, dragging steps, like it weighed tons . . . and all the time, rivulets of molten lava were running down over its face and chest and shoulders – streams of liquid rock that would sear you or me to the bone in a tenth of a second . . . so I ran . . . into the swamp . . . and kept on running . . ."

His voice, weak and shaky, faded. His head lolled loosely on one shoulder; he had passed out again. But at least he had survived – at least the hapless young geologist had ecaped alive from the burning death the volcano ogre had dealt to its other victims. But would the Omega men survive? Because they and Zarkon were not in the habit of running away . . .