by Fritz Leiber
In brief, the novel involves a small-town college professor who discovers that his wife is a practicing witch. A man of unshakable reason, he forces his devoted spouse to do away with all her charms and anything associated with witchcraft. Ever obedient, her purge has results that are entirely unexp...
I can see where this one would be (and should be) considered a classic. It’s hard to believe it was penned in 1943 as it stands up extremely well. You can see the influence Fritz Leiber has had on many of today’s modern horror authors. Well done. 3.5+ Stars
Published in 1943, this doesn't read as dated as much as true to it's period, but with delicious hints of subversion here and there. The conceit of the story is that all women are witches--men just don't know it--and are constantly engaged in covert sorcerous warfare to protect or promote their men....
In my opinion this must have been a good novel at the time it was written. I imagined it had received good critics. But unfortunally reading it today I didn't felt connected to it. First of all I think Leiber is an excelent writer. No doubt about it. But the plot suffered for what I call TimeLife. M...
I read this out of the Dark Ladies: Conjure Wife/Our Lady of Darkness duology, but I wanted to jot down my thoughts separately for this one before I finish the volume.I found the writing clever. I was transplanted into the cutthroat world of college politics. Who knew that the wives could be just ...
Clear vivid writing. Fantastic storytelling.The movie, Burn Witch Burn, is good too.
If you were to find the source of what is now called urban fantasy this tense novel would be it. Written in 1942, not 1953 as the Goodreads description states, Leiber has written a sly and involving work of horror that uses a modern (for the 1940s) college setting to create a world where all women a...
When Norman Saylor discovers that his wife Tansy has been dabbling in witchcraft he demands that she cease all witchy activity and then demands that she remove all of her protective spells placed upon their home.This is a mistake Norman will soon live to regret as his comfortable life begins to unra...