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
Although his name is familiar I don’t think I have read any of his work.
Patti, Murray Leinster (aka, William Fitzgerald Jenkins) wrote entertaining Science Fiction from the 1920s to 1970s.
I was reading his Med Ship stories in the mid-’60s. I suppose I knew he had begun writing a half-century before, but that didn’t mean much to a 16-year-old. Now it does. Amazing longevity.
Fred, amazing longevity indeed! And sometime in the 1960s, I considered Murray Leinster my Favorite SF writer. Then, I think Keith Laumer moved up for me!
Aside from some of the Irwin Allen tie-in novels I read as a kid I’m unfamiliar with his work but not his name and reputation or the bit of trivia that he invented the front-projection process screen technology that Stanley Kubrick used in “2001” (and was sued over for not paying Leinster). I’ve been meaning to get to him for years and while on a recent walk through my neighborhood. I snagged a copy of his “First Contacts” best-of story collection that someone had put in one of those mini-library freebie boxes on their front lawn. I’m hoping to knock off a story or two before I start my autumn ghost story and horror stack.
Byron, Murray Leinster wrote a number of excellent First Contact stories. And, as Fred noted, the MED SHIP stories are fun, too.
Yes, I have THE BEST OF… and one of the MEGAPACKS. This sounds good, but not for $29.95.
Jeff, I got MASTERS OF DARKNESS at a reduced price during Steeger Books’ recent Summer Sale.
I’m a big Leinster (Will F. Jenkins) fan, having read all his Science fiction books, plus many of his mysteries and westerns, and have even read one of his three romance novels. The man could spin a tale, and did so — abouit 1500 of them — since 1916.
And, yeah, $29.85 is a bit steep, especially considering that all but the last story are readily avaiable elsewhere — but worth it.
Jerry, I had my eye on MASTERS OF DARKNESS for some time…but I waited for the Steeger Summer Sale to buy it.