Dark Imaginings

"More than forty years ago, J. R. R. Tolkien, in his essay 'On Fairy Stories,' stated the case for the vital role of fantasy in offering us escape from the drabness of the 'real world.' Since then, his words have been borne out by the tremendous popularity and increasing influence of this fascinating genre. 'Dark Imaginings' is both an eloquent dem… "More than forty years ago, J. R. R. Tolkien, in his essay 'On Fairy Stories,' stated the case for the vital role of fantasy in offering us escape from the drabness of the 'real world.' Since then, his words have been borne out by the tremendous popularity and increasing influence of this fascinating genre. 'Dark Imaginings' is both an eloquent demonstration of the power of fantasy and a pioneering illumination of the Gothic style. In these sixteen tales by some of the greatest masters of fantasy fiction--some already acknowledged classics, others remarkable new discoveries--the shadowy hues of the Gothic are blended with the vivid shades of the fantastic to produce effects as uncanny and eerie as any in the realm of letters. Whether the reader is transported into the self-contained worlds of wonder, sent back into the darkest reaches of time, or faced with nightmare horror amid the chillingly familiar landscape of the contemporary scene, one element is constant: Each of these sixteen masterpieces offers an experience as inescapable and unforgettable as a dream of terror come hauntingly true."--Pg. [4] of cover.