Book excerpt: This early work by Fletcher Pratt and Irvin Lester was originally published in 1928 and we are now republishing it as part of our Cryptofiction Classics series. 'The Octopus Cycle' is a short story about towering octopuses that walk out of the sea and into the jungles of Madagascar. The Cryptofiction Classics series contains a collection of wonderful stories from some of the greatest authors in the genre, including Ambrose Bierce, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Jack London. From its roots in cryptozoology, this genre features bizarre, fantastical, and often terrifying tales of mythical and legendary creatures. Whether it be giant spiders, werewolves, lake monsters, or dinosaurs, the Cryptofiction Classics series offers a fantastic introduction to the world of weird creatures in fiction.