Our Lady of Darkness

Trying to cope with the loss of his beloved woman, Franz Western drowned his grief in alcohol for a long time. And just when it seems he’s ready to return to his usual life, Franz starts seeing a strange figure who waves at him. Trying to investigate this phenomenon, he discovers that he’s literally one step away from a truly frightening and significant discovery.

Occult forces are sleeping in the heart of cities—and perhaps they’re bound to us with stronger ties than we would like… The forces of darkness are already here.

From the author of award-winning works—Hugo, Locus, and the World Fantasy Award, Grand Master of the Nebula, and the holder of the Lovecraft Prize for contributions to the genre’s development. A novel considered the culmination of Fritz Leiber’s work. The book contains a whole system of occult science about the connection between magical powers and the shaping of cities. Among the characters are H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Jack London, and Aleister Crowley. The very fantasy that helps you see something astonishing in the everyday.

A subtle interweaving of frightening mysticism with a long walk through San Francisco as it was in the 1970s. A true gift for a thoughtful reader!

“Written at the end of Leiber’s career, ‘The Mother of Darkness’ shows the writer completely in command of all the secrets of his craft.” —

“Through a delicate combination of real historical figures with characters he created himself, Leiber pays tribute to those who came before him. The horror genre is quite hierarchical, relying on the influence of past authors in ways that keep developing into new directions—so this approach seems very right.” —

“That kind of horror that makes your mind wobble from its overwhelming form, a monolithic concept that seems too unreal to be possible.” —