About this ebook
The bestselling story of a king's crusade to vanquish the Devil and to defeat the monster in each of us
A visiting lecturer is lured to the remote, gothic mansion of an estranged professor and his only son, who is described as a monster. But soon, the visitor enters an enchanting new world when he begins reading the son's hidden manuscript. Part history, part myth, the story conjures a sixteenth-century Sweden in which good and evil clash for the ultimate prize. To attain the throne, the protagonist, Gustav Vasa, accepts the Devil's counsel, but to remain in power and rule justly, he must drive the Devil underground. This sweeping, masterful tale transports us from the wasted mining hills of Dalarna to the frozen northern country of the Lapps—and into the very heart of the struggle over what it means to be human.
This ebook features a new illustrated biography of John Gardner, including original letters, rare photos, and never-before-seen documents from the Gardner family and the University of Rochester Archives.
The bestselling story of a king's crusade to vanquish the Devil and to defeat the monster in each of us
A visiting lecturer is lured to the remote, gothic mansion of an estranged professor and his only son, who is described as a monster. But soon, the visitor enters an enchanting new world whe...
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About the author
John Gardner (1933–1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed novels include Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.
John Gardner (1933–1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed novels include Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was al...
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