Darker Than You Think
First edition
|
|
| Author | Jack Williamson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Edd Cartier |
| Cover artist | A. J. Donnell |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre |
Horror Science fantasy |
| Publisher | Fantasy Press |
|
Publication date
|
1948 (novel version) |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 310 pp |
| OCLC | 1126271 |
Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson, originally a novelette, was expanded into novel length and published by Fantasy Press in 1948. The short version was published in Unknown in 1940. It was notably reprinted by UK-based Orion Books in 2003 as volume 38 of their Fantasy Masterworks series. It can be classed as contemporary fantasy and urban fantasy, though these were not yet clearly defined categories at the time it was written.
The novel begins with the announcement from an ethnological expedition to Mongolia that among humanity exist people who can turn themselves into animals. However, the expedition's spokesman dies of a sudden mysterious seizure in the midst of a press conference, just as he was about to provide detailed proof of his assertions. His friend, journalist Will Barbee, suspects his alleged colleague, the fascinating April Bell.
Determined to discover the truth, but also attracted by Bell, Barbee finds out that in a past era a war took place in which Homo sapiens defeated werewolves (Homo lycanthropus) - who can, in fact, also turn themselves into various other animals other than wolves. The surviving werewolves continued to live hidden among humans and await the coming of the Child of the Night who will lead them to recover their supremacy.
In the secret history depicted in the book, medieval witch hunting was not a manifestation of blind fanaticism but a means of protecting Homo sapiens against the resurgence of this very real threat; conversely, modern skepticism and rational disbelief in the very existence of witches were deliberately fostered by these hidden werewolves, as a way of gaining a breathing spell and preparing for their counter-attack.
While becoming aware of all this, Barbee is faced with the issue of discovering precisely who and what he is himself, and on which side should he range himself in the coming titanic struggle.
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