Gahan Wilson – illustratör

All is not what it seems...In the murky London gloom, a knife-wielding gentleman named Jack prowls the midnight streets with his faithful watchdog Snuff – gathering together the grisly ingredients they will need for an ancient and unearthly rite. For soon after the death of the moon, black magic will summon the Elder Gods back into the world. And all manner of Players, both human and undead, are preparing to participate.Some have come to open the gates. Some have come to slam them shut. And now the dread night approaches – so let the Game begin.

A Night in the Lonesome October is Roger Zelazny’s homage to gothic horror and early horror movies. It is at once delightful, humorous, poetic, and gleefully dark. Whenever a full moon falls on All Hallow’s Eve the conditions are such that a gate may be opened to allow the Elder Gods to return from the Nether Regions to which they have been banished. Snuff, a preternatural guard dog, and his owner Jack the Ripper, are closers—that is, they and others of their persuasion arrive in the time and place where the gate might open, in order to prevent the Elder God’s return. Each chapter encompasses a single day in the month of October. Many of Zelazny’s fans read a single chapter each night every October. Wonderfully illustrated with 32 Gahan Wilson Illustrations this cult classic is a delightful and macabre fast-paced romp. Without a doubt one of Zelazny’s best.