
Back in the 1930s, a young writer wrote a series of stories about a criminal who had perfected a device that could drench a city in darkness. Murray Leinster wrote “The Darkness on Fifth Avenue” and the story featured a mastermind named Preston whose goal is to steal everything of value under the cover of artificial darkness.
NYPD Lieutenant Hines investigates the thefts with the help of beautiful and clever reporter Kathryn Bush of the Star. The pair teams up with the exotic Professor Schaaf whose scientific knowledge of the possible approach to projecting darkness gives New York City a possible defense.
“The Darkness on Fifth Avenue” is a mash-up of a gangster tale and a Science Fiction story. As most of you know, Murray Leinster went on to become one of the Giants of the Science Fiction genre.
The Masters of Darkness collects the sequels to “The Darkness on Fifth Avenue” for the first time. Steeger Books should be applauded for reprinting these stories from the 1930s that have long been unavailable. If you want to see a young writer learning his craft, The Master of Darkness presents a good example. Are you a Murray Leinster fan? GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION By Sam Moskowitz — i
The Darkness on Fifth Avenue — 1
The City of the Blind — 83
The Storm That Had to be Stopped — 141
The Man Who Put Out the Sun — 219
About the Author — 294









