Dealings of Daniel Kesserich [School & Library Binding]

Fritz Leiber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998

Fritz Leiber was one of the most famous fantasy and SF writers of the century, the author of many classics, including the popular Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser fantasy series. In 1936, young Leiber, then in correspondence with the famous writer H.P. Lovecraft, drafted this eerie story. Now Tor is pleased to present in its first paperback publication this short novel of cosmic dread and Lovecraftian horror.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written in the 1930s, lost in the 1950s, and finally published in 1990s, this is one of Fritz Leiber's more eclectic works. Part horror story and part science fiction whodunit, the tale begins as George Cramer arrives in Smithville, California, home of his college friends Daniel Kesserich and John Ellis. Ellis's wife has died under mysterious circumstances, and now both he and Kesserich have gone missing. The townspeople seem to be hiding a hideous secret, and Cramer suspects all the clues lead back to unusual experiments Kesserich was conducting. A gripping tale in the style of H. P. Lovecraft but told with the grace of Leiber. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Lost in the 1950s and recently recovered, this 1936 fantasy novella by the late Leiber is published here for the first time. In the style of H.P. Lovecraft, Leiber writes about a time-travel experiment in which a scientist's attempt to prevent the death of his best friend's wife has unexpected repercussions. While the temporal science is shaky, the scientist's fear of his power rings true. For libraries wanting a complete Leiber collection.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 125 pages
• Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613163427
• ISBN-13: 978-0613163422
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,791,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the completists., June 14, 2000

By 

S Smyth (Belfast, Co Antrim United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich (Paperback)

After receiving a letter from an old college friend, John Ellis, the writer George Kramer travels to a small Californian town out in the desert. Here he is confronted by strange happenings, the result of another of his old college friends, Daniel Kesserich, who has discovered, quite by accident, a way to use an energy anomaly of collapsing magnetic fields to move in the super-time of the fifth dimension, and thus the time of the fourth dimension. This activity normally has no consequences with regard to the surrounding town and its population. But when Kesserich uses his discovery to return John Ellis' wife from the dead, the result of a seemingly accidental poisoning, the town's population succumb to a general psychological trauma due to the temporal contradictions set in motion. There's a lot of good ideas in this little book, which before its recent publication have appeared in other Leiber titles, such as, Gonna Roll them Bones, and The Big Time. Daniel Kesserich is slightly lumpy to read, especially at the start where the narrative is not quite as smooth as is usual for a Fritz Leiber story, making it necessary to read the first chapter and the forward a couple of times to iron out any apparent oddities.

Overall that's the main complaint in an otherwise nicely presented book with its great black-and-white illustrations and text on quality paper. It's A Leiber all right, but suffers slightly from not having the benefit of his ultimate attention.

Worth reading all the same.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A slow start and a WHAM-BAM! ending., June 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich (Paperback)

Two things I can say about this book:

1. The story opens to a slow start. This certainly was a deliberate move on Leiber's part. He is working towards a sense of uneasiness, but to me it felt like his characters were moving underwater, slowly and clumsily. Yet, this is all nicely tied up in...

2. The brilliant and exhilarating ending. The disjointed happenings of the previous chapters are all nicely wrapped up in this section of the book. Beside it, the rest of the book pales in comparison.

I was left with the sensation the book may be too long for the tale it tells. Leiber bursts in creativity and commanding (and maniacal) prose until the last chapter, making the rest of his book seem ungainly.

On a final note: Previously, the only other novel by Leiber I had read was "Conjure Wife". This one seemed to me a stronger and better effort, and I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leiber shines in this novella, August 29, 2007

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich (Paperback)

Subtitled "A Study of the Mass-Insanity at Smithville," this novella tells the story of George Kramer, who, as the novel opens, is on his way to visit Daniel Kesserich, an old friend who lives in that small California town. His business there is unpleasant: he has come to attend the funeral of Mary Ellis, the wife of another old friend, John Ellis, who died after eating an orange treated with a particularly strong pesticide.

Immediately upon Kramer's arrival, strange things start to happen in Smithville. As he approaches Kesserich's house, a trail of pebbles materializes out of thin air. Intrigued, he follows the pebbles until they stop appearing some distance away. Confused, Kramer heads back to the house, just in time to witness it's total destruction in a tremendous explosion. Unable to locate either of his friends, Kramer decides to stay in town and investigate.

Soon thereafter, the townspeople are seized by the idea that Mary Ellis has been buried alive, prompting many of them to insist on an exhumation. Several take it upon themselves to dig up Mary's coffin, only to find it empty. Already fearful, the citizens are further panicked when a child recalls seeing John Ellis digging up his wife's grave, accompanied by a mysterious man in black. It is up to Kramer, the only person in town who has not succumbed to madness, to puzzle out the causes behind these macabre events.

Leiber's elegant prose, accompanied by the eerie cover art and interior illustrations of Jason Van Hollander, make this a welcome addition to any bookshelf. Tor should be commended for publishing this impressive novella, written in the mid-1930's but previously unpublished--new Leiber is always a cause for celebration. A grandmaster if there ever was one, Leiber continues to provide a sterling example to other writers, even from the grave.