Vampires of the Desert story

shortstory: Vampires of the Desert (1929) · 1929-12 · A. Hyatt Verrill

A sudden change in the climatic conditions leads to the sprouting of an ancient species of man-eating plant.

5 total · 2 major · 3 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
crackpot theory major The main idea of the story is that the seeds of some ancient man-eating plants sprouted and the resulting plants crept around, killing everyone.
murder major The story follows an investigation into a series of mysterious murders: it was plants!
exponential growth minor Barry observed that the murders were approximately doubling by the day, which led Henshaw to conclude that everyone would be wiped out within a week.
folk belief minor Some of the workmen thought that an Incan devil or evil spirit had been responsible for the mysterious murders, and the author described them as seeming "to be filled with superstitious dread".
scientist occupation minor The story followed a paleontologist named Barry who was doing fieldwork in Peru.