The very immensity of the desert impressed me more than I had expected. Being on the edge of the little town of Smithville seemed to me like being on the boundary between the finite and the fearful infinite.

The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich was published for the first time in 1997 — five years after Fritz Leiber’s death, and sixty years after it was written. The manuscript was lost in the 1950s and resurfaced in the 1990s.

In this novella, George Kramer receives a letter from longtime friend John Ellis, who lives in the small desert town of Smithville. In the letter, Ellis tells of the death of his wife, Mary, and Kramer decides to visit his old friend. Upon his arrival, strange things start to happen.

This is a gem of a book, and it belongs on the shelf of every weird fiction reader. Adding to the appeal are the illustrations by Jason Van Hollander (see below for an example).

Enjoy!
Mike Davis