Sunday, October 31, 2021

Gods of Darkness - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Withnail Books of Penrith (motto: ‘I’ve opened a bookshop by mistake’) always have an unusual selection of titles on their shelves, and their publishing imprint is also known for issuing rare and strange finds. These have included forgotten work by Saki, T E Lawrence, Joseph Conrad, and Philip K Dick.

Their latest discovery is Gods of Darkness by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a tale of witchcraft featuring ‘The Count of Darkness’. It has been omitted from all the usual collections of Fitzgerald's work. This highly uncharacteristic piece was published in a  magazine in 1941 and is here reprinted for the first time.

Withnail Books are issuing it in a limited edition booklet of 250 numbered copies, with artwork by Sharon Newell and an afterword by Adam Newell giving an account of the story,  and its link to a work which also inspired H P Lovecraft. 

Peter Cannon once did a highly entertaining admingling of P G Wodehouse and H P Lovecraft in Scream for Jeeves (1994).  But if you've ever wondered what a Great Gatsby-Great Old Ones mash-up might look like (and who hasn't?), well, now's your chance.

(Mark Valentine)

8 comments:

  1. What magaziine do they say it was published in originally?

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  2. Another good find, Mark! As a Lovecraft fan, I couldn't pass this up and ordered one.

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  3. Thanks for letting us know about this story Mark. I just ordered a copy.

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  4. Ordered! I'm not a big Fitzgerald fan but I cannot pass this up.

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  5. Thanks for this. I did wonder if it was kosher. (Not that I'd cast any aspersions upon the seller). Or, a modern, tongue-in-cheek pastiche. Anyway, I've ordered one too, so we shall see.

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  6. I've got one. I haven't read it yet but it looks very nice.

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  7. It's a terrible story, but a lovely object and fascinating curio. Fitzgerald did not have a facility for mediaeval milieu or vernacular... But a fascinating read! Well worth the money, and a very interesting thing to own..

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