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A review by lakserk
Our Lady of Darkness by Fritz Leiber
3.0
Second time reading it and Our Lady of Darkness remains a good occult mystery book with some highly original ideas and great weaving of a lot of early 20th century supernatural literature in it. For starters, this is the birthplace of Megapolisomancy and De Castries, a seductive idea with which I've been entranced for more than 20 years now - the magic of big cities, the idea that a megapolisomancer can magically use the city, its structure and energies for his purposes. Leiber here essentially creates an original neomythology. Furthermore, the way he imbues the plot with half of the big names of early 20th century supernatural literature as well as those of infamous occultists is a fan's wet dream. And the way he depicts and brings to life '70s San Fransisco is masterful.
Still, as much as I love Leiber, the execution here is not flawless: the pacing tends to become tedious in several places, the plot is weighed down with unnecessary elements that seem to exist just to satisfy the aficionados and overally it feels much more of a trek than Conjure Wife.
Still, as much as I love Leiber, the execution here is not flawless: the pacing tends to become tedious in several places, the plot is weighed down with unnecessary elements that seem to exist just to satisfy the aficionados and overally it feels much more of a trek than Conjure Wife.