Darker Than You Think (Paperback)

by Jack Williamson (Author) "The girl came up to Will Barbee while he stood outside of the glass-and-stucco terminal building at Trojan Field, Clerendon's new municipal airport, hopefully watching..." (more)
Key Phrases: red hospital robe, bitch grinned, snakeskin bag, Sam Quain, April Bell, Rowena Mondrick (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Darker Than You Think yields sheer enjoyment, generating wonder and suspense as Williamson springs his sequence of trap doors with the effortless agility of a master."--Peter Straub
-- Review

Review

"Darker Than You Think yields sheer enjoyment, generating wonder and suspense as Williamson springs his sequence of trap doors with the effortless agility of a master."--Peter Straub

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Orb Books; 1st edition (December 14, 1999) Language: English ISBN-10: 0312869924 ISBN-13: 978-0312869922 Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #803,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #7 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Williamson, Jack

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
The girl came up to Will Barbee while he stood outside of the glass-and-stucco terminal building at Trojan Field, Clerendon's new municipal airport, hopefully watching the leaden sky for a glimpse of the incoming planes. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
red hospital robe, bitch grinned, snakeskin bag, jade pin, tawny dog, tall nurse, wolf bitch, disturbed ward, witch folk, white bitch, greenish eyes, mind web, silver weapons, witch people, precious box, black kitten, white wolf, blind woman

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sam Quain, April Bell, Rowena Mondrick, Child of Night, Rex Chittum, Nick Spivak, Preston Troy, Aunt Agatha, Sardis Hill, Nora Quain, Miss Ulford, Nurse Hellar, Will Barbee, Ben Chittum, Research Foundation, Archer Glenn, Laurel Canyon, Trojan Arms, Knob Hill, Mama Spivak, Miss Bell, Center Street, State College, University Avenue, Nurse Etting

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 31 books:

• Seetee Ship by Jack Williamson in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• Legion of Time by Jack Williamson in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Silicon Dagger by Jack Williamson in Front Matter
• The Reefs of Space (Starchild Trilogy, Vol. I) by Frederik Pohl in Front Matter
• The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Broadview Edition) by Robert Louis Stevenson in Front Matter

See all 31 books this book cites

 

18 books cite this book:

• Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons by John Carter on 6 pages
• Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons by George Pendle on 5 pages
• The Curse of the Werewolf: Fantasy, Horror and the Beast Within by Chantal Bourgault du Coudray on page 107, and Back Matter
• Blood Read: The Vampire as Metaphor in Contemporary Culture by Joan Gordon in Front Matter, and Back Matter
• The Stonehenge Gate by Jack Williamson in Front Matter, and Back Matter

See all 18 books citing this book

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	85% buy the item featured on this page: Darker Than You Think 4.0 out of 5 stars (17) $16.99
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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (8) 3 star:  (3) 2 star:  (1) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 17 of 19 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A heck of a lot of fun to read., November 11, 2000 By  G. Stanton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I came to this book after reading SEX AND ROCKETS, a biography of Jack Parsons. JP was one of the founders of Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and he was also a disciple of Aleister Crowley. Darker Than You Think was Parson's favorite novel, and it's not difficult to see why. Lycanthropy and witchcraft are all scientifically explained here, and much of what goes on in the book also encompasses astral projection, voodoo and paganism. In fact, many Wiccans at the time took Jack Williamson for a fellow pagan. While some people complain of the writing style, I find it nostalgically charming -- the great Sci-Fi writers of the 1960s and 1970s were yet to set the precedent -- and this early example of sci-fi-meets-horror is still quite readable today. The claim the writing is "dated" is less valid than the fact that Darker Than You Think is the work of a young man; much of the writing is amateurish and naive, and the pacing is not as well-planned as it could have been. This should not deter you from reading it, however. It is an imaginative, exciting and gripping book. Enjoy. 13 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Meet the Child of Night., October 18, 2000 By  "mars13" (Elkton, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews I'm very happy to see Tor return an old favorite of mine to print -- Jack Williamson's novel of shapeshifters, witches and the seductive power of evil. I don't use the term "classic" lightly, but DARKER THAN YOU THINK certainly deserves it. Yes, the book's pulp origins are apparent. But modern readers should not let it distract them from this dynamic and highly original novel (which includes some great plot-twists that must have been very shocking in the 40's). My only complaint with this new edition is the cover, which is pretty darn ugly. However, the book does contain David G. Klein's black and white illustrations from the 1980's Bluejay edition, which is a nice bonus. 8 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars One of the first and still the best., February 6, 1999 By A Customer This review is from: Darker than you think (Collier nucleus science fiction) (Paperback) A chance encounter is about to lead Will Barbee into a confrontation with ancient evil. It will change him forever. This wonderfully inventive novel will twist your expectations, with writing that remains fresh despite its pulp magazine origins. There are many marvels to be found herein, and enough action to put most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. It remains my favorite novel of shapechangers (not strictly werewolves, since the characters can change into snakes, sabre-tooth tigers and even pterosaurs), and a book that desperately needs to come back into print. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Horror Novel From A Sci-Fi Grand Master Jack Williamson's "Darker Than You Think" is a one-shot horror-novel excursion for this science fiction Grand Master, but has nonetheless been described as not only the author's... Read more Published 2 months ago by s.ferber 4.0 out of 5 stars Super Reader A reporter named Barbee uncovers a murder, and a plot that goes deeper and deeper after meeting a bewitching woman named April. Read more Published 22 months ago by Blue Tyson 3.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Story - Weak Hero I've developed a love-hate relationship with this classic tale of shapeshifting and witchcraft. I loved Williamson's descriptive prose and found his ability to set... Read more Published on March 23, 2007 by eShu 4.0 out of 5 stars News from the dark A not-so-successful journalist meets a dazzlingly fasvcinating young colleague at the airport: a scientific anthropological exoedition returns with a disquieting breaktrough about... Read more Published on January 19, 2007 by Ventura Angelo 4.0 out of 5 stars Enduring novel standing the test of time The most pleasant surprise about "Darker Than You Think" for me is how NOT-dated it was. When I realized that it was a reprinting of a novel from the 1940's, I kind of expected... Read more Published on July 25, 2005 by Book Reader 222 4.0 out of 5 stars An amazingly good book for the time I've avoided writing a review of Darker Than You Think for an awfully long while. My reason is that I find it difficult to separate the novel from the time I first read it and... Read more Published on May 14, 2004 by Jack Purcell 4.0 out of 5 stars Suspense? Terror? Science Fiction? All in one This is the perfect book to be retaken by a Hollywood script writer and give it a more modern approach. At least one in which the "hero" is not such an imbecile. Read more Published on July 15, 2002 by Juan Carlos Uribe 3.0 out of 5 stars Much darker than amyone thinks Jack Williamson's Darker Than You Think is an unusual, fascinating, and disturbing tale. Unusual because it's a werewolf story that isn't just a werewolf story. Read more Published on January 20, 2001 by Bill W. Dalton 3.0 out of 5 stars Pure Escapism Sure, this is a period piece, written originally when Harry Truman was in the White House. And, sure, style, prose, and writing technique have changed greatly. Read more Published on August 30, 2000 by George Dellagiarino 2.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment This book came to me highly recommended, but I had to force myself to finish it. I know that many people consider this book a classic, but the writing style was simply too... Read more Published on June 26, 2000 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books; 1st edition (December 14, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312869924
• ISBN-13: 978-0312869922
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #803,907 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #7 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Williamson, Jack

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A heck of a lot of fun to read., November 11, 2000

By	G. Stanton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I came to this book after reading SEX AND ROCKETS, a biography of Jack Parsons. JP was one of the founders of Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, and he was also a disciple of Aleister Crowley. Darker Than You Think was Parson's favorite novel, and it's not difficult to see why. Lycanthropy and witchcraft are all scientifically explained here, and much of what goes on in the book also encompasses astral projection, voodoo and paganism. In fact, many Wiccans at the time took Jack Williamson for a fellow pagan. While some people complain of the writing style, I find it nostalgically charming -- the great Sci-Fi writers of the 1960s and 1970s were yet to set the precedent -- and this early example of sci-fi-meets-horror is still quite readable today. The claim the writing is "dated" is less valid than the fact that Darker Than You Think is the work of a young man; much of the writing is amateurish and naive, and the pacing is not as well-planned as it could have been. This should not deter you from reading it, however. It is an imaginative, exciting and gripping book. Enjoy.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meet the Child of Night., October 18, 2000

By	"mars13" (Elkton, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

I'm very happy to see Tor return an old favorite of mine to print -- Jack Williamson's novel of shapeshifters, witches and the seductive power of evil. I don't use the term "classic" lightly, but DARKER THAN YOU THINK certainly deserves it.

Yes, the book's pulp origins are apparent. But modern readers should not let it distract them from this dynamic and highly original novel (which includes some great plot-twists that must have been very shocking in the 40's).

My only complaint with this new edition is the cover, which is pretty darn ugly. However, the book does contain David G. Klein's black and white illustrations from the 1980's Bluejay edition, which is a nice bonus.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the first and still the best., February 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Darker than you think (Collier nucleus science fiction) (Paperback)

A chance encounter is about to lead Will Barbee into a confrontation with ancient evil. It will change him forever. This wonderfully inventive novel will twist your expectations, with writing that remains fresh despite its pulp magazine origins. There are many marvels to be found herein, and enough action to put most Hollywood blockbusters to shame. It remains my favorite novel of shapechangers (not strictly werewolves, since the characters can change into snakes, sabre-tooth tigers and even pterosaurs), and a book that desperately needs to come back into print. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!