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Westen begins to experience bizarre and terrifying occurrences. He sees mysterious figures on nearby rooftops and encounters eerie phenomena, suggesting the presence of supernatural forces in the city. The novel's climax involves Westen's confrontation with these forces, symbolized by the entity "Our
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Like the protagonist Franz Westen, Leiber was recovering from his wife's death a number of years previously and descending into alcoholism. Like the author, Westen is an amateur astronomer who is looking for ways to re-engage with the life around him, and he lives at the address (811 Geary St) where
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behind it. As late as 2012, fantasy fans could take a walking tour of the city that included all the novel's main locations. Several of the other characters are thinly disguised versions of people active in Bay Area fandom in the mid-1970s.
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is that, unlike much of his earlier works, the references to these figures are explicit, rather than implied, and at times supported by direct quotations.
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that informs the narrative, and its detailed description of "megapolisomancy", a fictional occult science. It was originally published in shorter form as
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The story centers on Franz Westen, a recovering alcoholic and writer of weird tales, who lives in San
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Fritz Leiber maintained that the two texts "should be regarded as the same story told at different times".
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Lady of
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to the story, making it in part an examination and description of horror and the imagination.
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Leiber lived at the time. The novel is set in actual San
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Adding to the metafictional elements of the story are Leiber's frequent references to
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The plot unfolds as Westen discovers an old journal belonging to
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363:"The Power of Friendship: An Interview with Donald Sidney-Fryer"
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was originally serialised, in shorter form and with the title
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as "one of the scariest, most original, and most damnably
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Witches of the Mind: A Critical Study of Fritz Leiber
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in 2016 as a limited edition hardback. The cover by
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382:"Story-telling Wonder-questing, Mortal Me",
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184:Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
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434:"Fritz Leiber Reading an Extract from
228:and its later, lengthier incarnation.
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384:Touchstones: Essays on the Fantastic
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1388:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
720:The Second Book of Fritz Leiber
458:"Stalking Our Lady of Darkness"
102:The novel mentions the authors
661:The Knight and Knave of Swords
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1553:The Sudden Appearance of Hope
873:The Girl with the Hungry Eyes
669:Swords Against the Shadowland
558:Tarzan and the Valley of Gold
397:"World Fantasy Award Winners"
810:Midnight by the Morphy Watch
1693:Novels set in San Francisco
957:The Forgotten Beasts of Eld
566:A Specter Is Haunting Texas
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1040:The Shadow of the Torturer
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831:The Terror from the Depths
62:, January/February 1977).
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85:Autobiographical elements
46:novel by American author
712:The Book of Fritz Leiber
704:The Best of Fritz Leiber
1469:The City & the City
782:To Arkham and the Stars
629:Swords Against Wizardry
298:"The FictionMags Index"
148:'s descriptions of the
1683:Novels by Fritz Leiber
1646:Saint Death's Daughter
1610:Queen of the Conquered
1517:A Stranger in Olondria
1181:Only Begotten Daughter
637:The Swords of Lankhmar
416:"Lupoff's Book Week",
386:, Alchemy Press, 2014.
152:(female self) and the
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775:Bazaar of the Bizarre
653:Bazaar of the Bizarre
121:Suspiria de Profundis
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16:Novel by Fritz Leiber
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824:Catch That Zeppelin!
789:Gonna Roll the Bones
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645:Swords and Ice Magic
613:Swords Against Death
597:Two Sought Adventure
574:Our Lady of Darkness
445:The Pale Brown Thing
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179:The Pale Brown Thing
175:Our Lady of Darkness
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162:Our Lady of Darkness
56:The Pale Brown Thing
39:Our Lady of Darkness
1688:Berkley Books books
1678:1977 fantasy novels
938:World Fantasy Award
796:Ill Met in Lankhmar
605:Swords and Deviltry
534:Destiny Times Three
214:Donald Sidney-Fryer
1634:The Jasmine Throne
1627:Alaya Dawn Johnson
1622:Trouble the Saints
1400:Kafka on the Shore
1254:Christopher Priest
1208:Robert R. McCammon
1076:The Dragon Waiting
986:William Kotzwinkle
857:Night of the Eagle
728:Heroes and Horrors
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621:Swords in the Mist
463:Ray Faraday Nelson
112:Clark Ashton Smith
75:Clark Ashton Smith
52:Jungian psychology
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1347:Ursula K. Le Guin
1285:The Antelope Wife
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761:The Moon is Green
747:Coming Attraction
471:Rosemary Pardoe,
247:Richard A. Lupoff
116:Thomas De Quincey
31:Richard M. Powers
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1261:Godmother Night
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189:Ron Walotsky
182:
178:
174:
173:
168:
161:
157:
143:
119:
101:
88:
79:
72:
69:
59:
55:
48:Fritz Leiber
38:
37:
36:
18:
1546:Anna Smaill
1115:Dan Simmons
1052:Little, Big
884:Other items
849:Weird Woman
841:Adaptations
688:collections
685:Short story
588:Gray Mouser
134:metafiction
126:M. R. James
104:Jack London
96:Sutro Tower
1667:Categories
1639:Tasha Suri
1592:C. L. Polk
1541:The Chimes
1417:Gene Wolfe
1325:Tim Powers
1220:Tim Powers
1203:Boy's Life
1174:Jack Vance
1045:Gene Wolfe
1028:Watchtower
981:Doctor Rat
284:References
255:convincing
1587:Witchmark
1570:Fonda Lee
1565:Jade City
1381:Jo Walton
1330:Galveston
1215:Last Call
232:Reception
1226:Glimpses
1005:Gloriana
833:" (1976)
826:" (1975)
819:" (1975)
812:" (1974)
805:" (1970)
798:" (1970)
791:" (1967)
784:" (1966)
777:" (1963)
770:" (1962)
763:" (1952)
756:" (1951)
749:" (1950)
676:) (1998)
278:Geomancy
261:See also
249:praised
210:F&SF
94:and the
1320:Declare
1308:Thraxas
1122:Perfume
402:27 June
368:27 June
347:27 June
325:27 June
303:27 June
1653:(2023)
1641:(2022)
1629:(2021)
1617:(2020)
1594:(2019)
1582:(2018)
1560:(2017)
1548:(2016)
1536:(2015)
1524:(2014)
1512:(2013)
1500:(2012)
1488:(2011)
1476:(2010)
1453:(2009)
1431:(2008)
1424:Ysabel
1419:(2007)
1407:(2006)
1395:(2005)
1383:(2004)
1371:(2003)
1349:(2002)
1337:(2001)
1315:(2000)
1292:(1999)
1280:(1998)
1268:(1997)
1256:(1996)
1244:(1995)
1232:(1994)
1222:(1993)
1210:(1992)
1198:(1991)
1176:(1990)
1153:(1989)
1141:(1988)
1134:Replay
1129:(1987)
1117:(1986)
1105:(1985)
1083:(1984)
1071:(1983)
1059:(1982)
1047:(1981)
1035:(1980)
1012:(1979)
1000:(1978)
988:(1977)
976:(1976)
964:(1975)
876:(1995)
868:(1980)
860:(1962)
852:(1944)
731:(1978)
723:(1975)
715:(1974)
707:(1974)
699:(1947)
664:(1988)
656:(1978)
648:(1977)
640:(1968)
632:(1968)
624:(1968)
616:(1970)
608:(1970)
600:(1957)
577:(1977)
569:(1969)
561:(1966)
553:(1964)
545:(1961)
537:(1945)
529:(1943)
517:Novels
467:review
154:Shadow
1602:2020s
1493:Osama
1461:2010s
1300:2000s
1161:1990s
1020:1980s
949:1970s
942:Novel
418:Algol
220:into
150:Anima
1146:Koko
404:2020
370:2020
349:2020
327:2020
305:2020
272:Kult
146:Jung
110:and
66:Plot
1649:by
1637:by
1625:by
1613:by
1590:by
1578:by
1568:by
1556:by
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1101:by
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1067:by
1055:by
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1008:by
996:by
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972:by
960:by
118:'s
1669::
1572:/
1443:/
1361:/
1327:/
1188:/
1095:/
465:,
243:.
191:.
106:,
940:—
930:e
923:t
916:v
829:"
822:"
815:"
808:"
801:"
794:"
787:"
780:"
773:"
766:"
759:"
752:"
745:"
672:(
501:e
494:t
487:v
447:"
438:"
406:.
372:.
351:.
329:.
307:.
58:(
33:.
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