# The Moon Pool — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Moon Pool by A. Merritt.

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/dedication.md): The author dedicates the book to Robert H. Davis, acknowledging his appreciation for Larry O'Keefe's belief in the fairies.
- [The Moon Pool](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/the-moon-pool.md): Dr. David Throckmartin recounts his terrifying experiences on the island of Ponape, where he and his team discovered a mysterious moon pool that leads to a hidden world. The pool, illuminated by a strange green light, is
- [The Thing on the Moon Path](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/i-the-thing-on-the-moon-path.md): Dr. Walter Goodwin, returning from botanical research in the d'Entrecasteaux Islands, encounters his old friend Dr. David Throckmartin at Port Moresby. Throckmartin appears profoundly changed, his face marked by a distur
- [II: “Dead! All Dead!”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/ii-dead-all-dead.md): Dr. Throckmartin recounts his expedition to the Nan-Matal ruins on Ponape, describing the cyclopean megalithic structures and the superstitious fear of the native workers. He reveals that his wife Edith, Stanton, and Tho
- [III: The Moon Rock](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/iii-the-moon-rock.md): Throckmartin recounts the events leading to the discovery of the Moon Rock on Nan-Tauach. After their native laborers leave during the full moon, strange crystalline sounds emanate from the island, unsettling the party. 
- [IV: The First Vanishings](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/iv-the-first-vanishings.md): Throckmartin recounts the first night on Nan-Tauach, where Thora is taken by the grey rock slab, and the following night Stanton vanishes into a supernatural light.
- [V: Into the Moon Pool](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/v-into-the-moon-pool.md): Throckmartin describes the terrifying emergence of the Dweller from the Moon Pool—a radiant, androgynous being formed from seven colored beams and opalescent mist. He recounts his failed attempt to destroy it with gunfir
- [VI: “The Shining Devil Took Them!”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/vi-the-shining-devil-took-them.md): Goodwin recounts his decision to keep silent about Throckmartin's disappearance to avoid disbelief or suspicion, then travels to Melbourne and Sydney to procure equipment for a return to Nan-Matal. He and Da Costa rescue
- [VII: Larry O'Keefe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/vii-larry-o-keefe.md): Goodwin meets Larry O'Keefe, an Irish-American aviator rescued from a downed hydroairplane. O'Keefe joins the Suwarna's voyage to Ponape, and Goodwin learns of his background and mystical Irish heritage. Meanwhile, Olaf 
- [VIII: Olaf's Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/viii-olaf-s-story.md): Dr. Goodwin and Larry O'Keefe listen to Olaf Huldricksson's harrowing account of how a 'sparkling devil' abducted his wife Helma and daughter Freda from his ship, the Brunhilda. After Olaf wakes from a drugged sleep and 
- [IX: A Lost Page of Earth](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/ix-a-lost-page-of-earth.md): Goodwin awakens to a bright, sunny day aboard the Suwarna, and he and O'Keefe discuss the nature of the Dweller. Goodwin theorizes that a lost ancient race, possibly the Chamats, survived in subterranean caverns and deve
- [The Moon Pool](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/x-the-moon-pool.md): Goodwin, O'Keefe, and Huldricksson set up a vigil at the moon door on Nan-Tauach, using Becquerel ray-condensers to focus moonlight on the stone bosses. The door opens, but Olaf is pulled inside; O'Keefe fights off an at
- [XI: The Flame-Tipped Shadows](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xi-the-flame-tipped-shadows.md): Marakinoff reveals he witnessed the entity take Throckmartin and the child, and proposes a truce and alliance with Goodwin, O'Keefe, and Olaf. After a tense negotiation, they agree to share knowledge and resources. The g
- [XII: The End of the Journey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xii-the-end-of-the-journey.md): The group finally arrives in the underground city of Muria, witnessing its breathtaking gardens, opalescent lake, and luminous cliffs. Larry O'Keefe tries to keep everyone grounded, dismissing Olaf's talk of 'Trolldom' a
- [XIII: Yolara, Priestess of the Shining One](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xiii-yolara-priestess-of-the-shining-one.md): The group descends into the subterranean city of Muria, where they are met by a dwarf named Rador and brought before the priestess Yolara. Yolara is described as a woman of terrifying beauty and sinister allure, embodyin
- [XIV: The Justice of Lora](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xiv-the-justice-of-lora.md): Goodwin, O'Keefe, Olaf, and Marakinoff are brought before Yolara and Lugur in the garden of Lora. Yolara demonstrates the deadly power of the Shining One by disintegrating Songar with a green ray. She interrogates the st
- [XV: The Angry, Whispering Globe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xv-the-angry-whispering-globe.md): Larry and Goodwin are hosted by Rador in a pavilion, where they learn about Murian society's caste system—the fair-haired rulers, the soldier class, and the oppressed 'mayia ladala.' Rador warns them not to mention Lakla
- [XVI: Yolara of Muria vs. the O’Keefe](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xvi-yolara-of-muria-vs-the-o-keefe.md): Goodwin awakens refreshed and joins O'Keefe and Rador in a swim. They are summoned to breakfast with Yolara, who tests O'Keefe's claims of superior surface-world power. O'Keefe demonstrates his pistol's speed against the
- [The Leprechaun](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xvii-the-leprechaun.md): Larry and Goodwin are interrogated by Yolara, Lugur, and the Murian council about the surface world, the World War, and the ruins. Larry later recounts a vision of a leprechaun warning him against Yolara and encouraging 
- [XVIII: The Amphitheatre of Jet](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xviii-the-amphitheatre-of-jet.md): Goodwin and O'Keefe are led to a colossal amphitheatre of jet where the Murian populace gathers to witness the dance of the Shining One. They are given protective robes and placed in alcoves overlooking the platform. Yol
- [The Madness of Olaf](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xix-the-madness-of-olaf.md): Olaf Huldricksson, driven mad by the Shining One's dance and the memory of his lost Helma, hurls a dwarf at the Dweller and then charges it himself. Larry O'Keefe intervenes, shooting the Shining One and threatening Lugu
- [XX: The Tempting of Larry](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xx-the-tempting-of-larry.md): In a grand feasting hall, Larry O'Keefe is tempted by the priestess Yolara, who attempts to claim him as her mate. After drinking an enchanted beverage, Larry becomes intoxicated and recites a haunting Irish curse. Yolar
- [XXI: Larry’s Defiance](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxi-larry-s-defiance.md): Larry O'Keefe defiantly rejects Yolara's control and declares his intention to follow Lakla, while Goodwin is haunted by apocalyptic visions of the Shining One's potential to destroy the world. Rador reveals a plot by Lu
- [XXII: The Casting of the Shadow](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxii-the-casting-of-the-shadow.md): Rador tricks Serku into lifting the Shadow, allowing the group to escape through the portal. Serku is killed, and Rador, Larry, Olaf, and Dr. Goodwin flee in a damaged corial, pursued by Lugur. They reach a dead end but 
- [XXIII: Dragon Worm and Moss Death](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxiii-dragon-worm-and-moss-death.md): Rador leads the group through perilous paths to escape Lugur, encountering a dragon worm and a deadly fungus that instantly transforms soldiers into moss-like heaps. After surviving these dangers, Larry is struck by a my
- [The Crimson Sea](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxiv-the-crimson-sea.md): Goodwin awakens in the arms of a frog-man and finds Larry O'Keefe in a deathlike trance after being struck by a strange light. Lakla and Rador lead the group across a crimson sea, encountering ancient fish and giant jell
- [XXV: The Three Silent Ones](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxv-the-three-silent-ones.md): The party crosses a colossal stone rainbow bridge to reach the golden gates of the Silent Ones' domain. After passing through a series of corridors and halls, they enter a domed chamber where the Three Silent Ones sit en
- [The Wooing of Lakla](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxvi-the-wooing-of-lakla.md): Larry and Lakla openly declare their love, with Lakla playfully demonstrating her control over the deadly Yekta hydroid. Goodwin reflects on the potential challenges of Lakla adapting to the surface world. Rador leads th
- [XXVII: The Coming of Yolara](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxvii-the-coming-of-yolara.md): Larry and Goodwin are in a chamber of the Silent Ones when Yolara and her invisible followers attack. Yolara uses the Keth to render herself and her warriors unseen, captures Larry, and threatens to harm Lakla. After a t
- [XXVIII: In the Lair of the Dweller](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxviii-in-the-lair-of-the-dweller.md): Goodwin, Lakla, and Larry undergo a disorienting journey through a dimensional passage to witness the Shining One in its lair. Goodwin describes the experience as defying known physics, comparing it to Eddington's relati
- [XXIX: The Shaping of the Shining One](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxix-the-shaping-of-the-shining-one.md): Lakla recounts the history of the Silent Ones and the creation of the Shining One, explaining its origins from the ether, its growing independence and pride, and its eventual rebellion against the Three. She describes ho
- [XXX: The Building of the Moon Pool](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxx-the-building-of-the-moon-pool.md): Lakla recounts the epic history of the Shining One, its corruption of the Taithu, the sinking of the sunken land, the rise of the moon king, and the doom placed upon the Three. She explains how the Shining One grew in po
- [Larry and the Frog-Men](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxxi-larry-and-the-frog-men.md): After Lakla finishes her long tale, Goodwin and Larry find themselves stiff and sore from their journey. The Akka frog-men attempt to carry them, but Larry indignantly refuses to be carried like a child, insisting on wal
- [XXXII: “Your Love; Your Lives; Your Souls!”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxxii-your-love-your-lives-your-souls.md): Lakla reveals the Silent Ones' prophecy: Lugur and Yolara will attack with their host, and if they fail, the Shining One may be destroyed. However, if the Shining One overcomes its fear and aids them, the only way to sav
- [The Meeting of Titans](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-meeting-of-titans.md): The chapter depicts the climactic battle preparations and the onset of combat between the Akka and the Murian forces of Yolara and Lugur. Larry O'Keefe is ordered by the Silent Ones to stay out of the fight alongside Lak
- [The Coming of the Shining One](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-coming-of-the-shining-one.md): Olaf Huldricksson dies peacefully after the battle, and the group mourns him. The Shining One advances with its dead-alive army, forcing the Akka to retreat. Yolara demands the Three surrender Lakla and Larry, but they r
- [XXXV: “Larry—Farewell!”](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/xxxv-larry-farewell.md): In the aftermath of the great battle, Goodwin and the others find the bodies of Throckmartin and Edith locked in each other's arms, and bury them beside Olaf. The ladala have risen and slaughtered most of the rulers of L
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters/endnotes.md): The endnotes provide scholarly references, technical explanations of Murian timekeeping and communication globes, and observations on Murian religion, biology, and the Yekta. They also include editorial notes by W. J. B.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moon_pool_se/chapters