Fantasy · Science fiction
The Moon Pool
Reading level: we suggest CEFR C1 for reading The Moon Pool. Length: about 90,000 words.
- Suggested levelC1
- Lengthabout 90,000 words
- Original languageEnglish
The story
Botanist Dr. Walter Goodwin hears a terrible story from a friend: on the ruins of Nan Madol in the Pacific, a glowing being rose from a pool of moonlight and took his wife and daughter.
Goodwin follows the trail beneath the islands into a hidden world, where ancient powers fight and the shining Dweller waits for those who look into the Moon Pool.
Themes: lost civilisations, obsession, light and darkness, science and the unknown.
Why it's a good book for language learners
Merritt's style is lush and dramatic, with long descriptive passages full of colour and light. It is a good challenge for advanced readers who want to build a rich descriptive vocabulary and enjoy pulp fantasy.
How hard is the English in The Moon Pool?
- Flesch Reading Ease76.7
- Flesch–Kincaid grade6.3
- Words per sentence14.9
Measured by PageWalker on the full English text of the book. Flesch Reading Ease runs from 0 to 100 (higher is easier; 60–70 is plain English) and the Flesch–Kincaid grade is a US school grade. These formulas only count sentence and word length, so they miss old-fashioned vocabulary, wordplay and style. That is why our CEFR level, which takes those into account, can be higher than the formula suggests.
What you'll practise
- Colour, light and sound vocabulary
- Long descriptive sentences
- Expressing fear and fascination
- Adjective order and intensifiers
Reading tip
Collect every word Merritt uses for light — there are dozens.
Did you know?
The book grew out of a 1918 short story of the same name published in All-Story Weekly.
The PageWalker adventure
In the adventure you go down beneath Nan Madol, and only careful choices bring you back to the surface. You can try the first page in your browser, and the adventure is available in 13 languages with click-to-translate.
The Moon Pool in other languages
- EnglishThe Moon Pool
- العربيةبركة القمر
- DeutschDer Mondsee
- EspañolEl Estanque de la Luna
- FrançaisLe Gouffre de la Lune
- हिन्दीद मून पूल
- ItalianoIl pozzo della luna
- 日本語ムーン・プール
- 한국어문 풀
- PortuguêsO Poço da Lua
- РусскийЛунная заводь
- TürkçeAy Havuzu
- 简体中文月亮池
Questions about The Moon Pool
What reading level is The Moon Pool?
We suggest CEFR C1 for reading The Moon Pool. Merritt's style is lush and dramatic, with long descriptive passages full of colour and light. On readability formulas the English text scores a Flesch Reading Ease of 76.7 and a Flesch–Kincaid grade of 6.3, with an average of 14.9 words per sentence.
How long is The Moon Pool?
The Moon Pool by Abraham Merritt (1919) is about 90,000 words.
Can I play The Moon Pool as an interactive adventure?
Yes. In the adventure you go down beneath Nan Madol, and only careful choices bring you back to the surface. You can try the first page in your browser, in 13 languages.
Updated 16 October 2026
