''The Dark World'' is a science fantasy novel credited to Henry Kuttner, although his wife

C. L. Moore Catherine Lucille Moore (January 24, 1911 – April 4, 1987) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, who first came to prominence in the 1930s writing as C. L. Moore. She was among the first women to write in the science fiction and ...

may have been an uncredited collaborator, or possibly even the author. The novel was first published in the July 1946 issue of '' Startling Stories'', then reprinted in the Winter 1954 issue of '' Fantastic Story Magazine''. Its first book edition was issued by

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

in 1965, followed by a British edition by Mayflower Books in 1966. A French translation appeared in 1972. The novel was reprinted in full in Issue #5 of

Amberzine ''Amberzine'' is a magazine that was published by Phage Press that covered '' The Chronicles of Amber'' books, the Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game, and associated material. Publication history Phage Press published ''Amberzine'' #1 (March 1992) ...

in 1992, and also collected in a 1997 paperback omnibus, ''The Startling Worlds of Henry Kuttner''.

Roger Zelazny Roger Joseph Zelazny (May 13, 1937 – June 14, 1995) was an American poet and writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for ''The Chronicles of Amber''. He won the Nebula Award three times (out of 14 nomin ...

, author of ''

The Chronicles of Amber ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Four a ...

'', credits this book as being one of his primary influences during his youth.

Summary

The protagonist is airman Edward Bond, who discovers that he shares his body with an alternate version of himself, a despotic wizard named Ganelon. Bond travels through a portal into the fantastical alternate dimension and enters a conflict: the Coven (consisting of a sorceress, a werewolf and an immortal) fight for Ganelon while the white witch Freydis leads a rebellion against him. Trapped between the two sides, Bond/Ganelon battle for supremacy over their shared mind and the fate of a world.

Authorship

As with so much of the work of Kuttner and his wife and collaborator C.L. Moore, the exact authorship of this novel is unclear. It is generally credited to Kuttner alone; however, most of the couple's work after marriage was done in collaboration, and they frequently worked together so closely as to obscure the extent of their individual contributions. Critic Stefan R. Dziemianowicz has suggested that Bond's split personality in the novel is "consistent with CLM's deployment of psychologically conflicted characters in her earlier fiction." Brian Stableford's article on Kuttner in the same encyclopedia also names Moore as a co-author. ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

'' concludes that it is "safe to assume that many titles signed as by Kuttner alone are collaborations, though somewhat less safe to assume that the reverse applies."

Allen Varney Allen Varney (born 1958) is an American writer and game designer. Varney has produced numerous books, role-playing game supplements, technical manuals, articles, reviews, columns, and stories, as well as the fantasy novel ''Cast of Fate'' ( TSR, ...

believed that ''The Dark World'' was entirely written by Moore.

Reception

Roger Zelazny said that the Kuttner story that had the greatest impression on him when younger was ''The Dark World'' and remarked that much of its appeal comes from its "colorful, semi-mythic characters and strong action." He cited Kuttner (and C. L. Moore) as major influences on his work, noting that

Jane Lindskold Jane M. Lindskold is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels. Early life Jane M. Lindskold was born on 15 September 1962, and grew up in Washington, D.C., and the Chesapeake Bay area. Jane is the first of fo ...

identified a number of specific influences from Kuttner and Moore in his own work, particularly the "Amber" chronicles. ''

'' reviewed ''The Dark World'' as archetypal science fantasy, which "neatly fused Kuttner's vigorous plotting with Moore's romanticism." E. F. Bleiler, describing the novel as "Fantastic adventure in the mode of

A. Merritt Abraham Grace Merritt (January 20, 1884 – August 21, 1943) – known by his byline, A. Merritt – was an American Sunday magazine editor and a writer of fantastic fiction. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999, ...

," concluded that it was "not one of Kuttner's better works."E. F. Bleiler, ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction'', Kent State University Press, 1983 (p. 296-97)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark World 1946 American novels 1946 science fiction novels 1946 fantasy novels American science fiction novels American fantasy novels Science fantasy novels Ace Books books