Books by Charles Williams

THE SHADOW OF ECSTASY Charles Williams had a genius for choosing strange and exciting themes for his novels and making them believable and profoundly suggestive of spiritual truths. Shadows of Ecstasy tells of a mysterious invasion that threatens Europe from Africa. United in a fanatic crusade against death, the spiritual powers of the "Dark Continent" rise up with exultant paganism. A humanistic adept has discovered that by focusing his energies inward he can extend his life almost indefinitely. He undertakes an experiment using African lore to die and resurrect his own body thereby assuring his immortality. His followers begin a revolutionary movement to supplant European civilization.

All Hallows' Eve is the story of a man and woman whose love was so great it could bridge the gap of death; of evil so terrible as to be unmentionable, of a vision so beautiful it must be true. Opens with a discussion between the ghosts of two dead women wandering about London. Ultimately explores the meaning of human suffering and empathy by dissolving the barrier between the living and the dead through both black magic and divine love. A young woman dies to discover a London that looks right out of Dante. A painter does a portrait of a minister and discovers he has painted beetles, and the minister thanks him for it! A magician sends someone to the future. All Hallow's Eve is an amazing book in that it explores both the question of 'what happens when you die?' as well as 'what is the relationship between the dead and the living?'. Charles Williams at his best.

NOTHING IN HER WAY When Michael Belen runs into the cherubic con man named Wolford Charles in New Orleans, he has no idea he had just opened the door to his ex-wife Cathy. She and Charles and Judd Bolton are working a con on a man named Goodwin, who had been a partner with a contractor named Lachlan down in South America. Lachlan had worked a swindle which had wiped out Cathy and Michael’s parents, and now as far as Cathy is concerned, it’s payback time. From Goodwin to Lachlan, Belen commits himself to Cathy and her scheme. When a drug-addled gangster named Donnelly starts threatening her, Belen takes care of him. When Charles and Bolton try to work a double-cross, Cathy matches them with a cross of her own. They are the perfect team. Until they go up against Lachlan—and then all bets are off. RIVER GIRL All deputy sheriff Jack Marshall wants to do is escape his troubles when he heads upriver for a little fishing. What he finds instead is Doris, who lives in a shack on a small island with her sullen husband, Roger Shevlin. Back in town, Marshall can’t stop thinking about Doris, and keeps coming back to her shack while Shevlin is away, always looking for an excuse to visit. But Shevlin grows wise to his visits, and Marshall is forced to make a decision—to take Doris away or fight for her. Marshall’s decision is complicated by the fact that Sheriff Buford and his office are coming under close scrutiny for graft. Somebody needs to disappear before it all blows up, and Marshall begins to hatch a scheme—if he can pull it off, he can escape with Doris and they can both have their freedom. But things are never as easy as they seem...

DESCENT INTO HELL In a town preparing to put on a play by the celebrated Mr Stanhope, several people wrestle with inner and possibly outer demons. A poor loser of a man hangs himself, but his ghost still wanders the streets. A young girl fears what will happen when she meets her doppelganger, the one who comes closer and closer each time she sees her. A man jilted in love meets a succubus. And a grandmother hovers between life and death. Generally thought to be Williams's best novel, Descent into Hell deals with various forms of selfishness, and how the cycle of sin brings about the necessity for redemptive acts.

THE GREATER TRUMPS by Charles Williams The original Tarot deck is used to unlock enormous metaphysical powers by allowing the possessors to see across space and time, create matter, and raise powerful natural storms. Upon an ancient golden table, golden figurines perpetually move "by some magnetism of the Earth" to the "Great Dance" - that is, the rhythm of all things that happen in this world. The table and figurines are half of a set. The other half is the original Tarot cards. Together, it is believed, they have the power to explain eachother's mysteries, and maybe even manipulate time, space, and the elements. By some great coincidence, or movement of the Dance, two families are brought together who each have one half of the set. But when the pieces are reunited, all hell...and heaven break loose!

Harry Goddard overlever med nød og næppe et dramatisk skibsforlis midt ude på Stillehavet. Alt håb lader til at være ude, da han til sit store held bliver samlet op af den gamle fragtdamper S.S. Leander, der er på vej til Filippinerne. Så vidt Harry ved, er der kun nogle få passagerer og en harmløs last om bord. Det viser sig imidlertid, at det nok havde været mere sikkert, om Harry var blevet i vandet...Den texasfødte amerikanske forfatter Charles Williams (1909-1975) fik sin litterære debut i 1951 med romanen "Hill Girl", der solgte mere end en million eksemplarer. Herefter udgav Williams stribevis af romaner, og han bliver af mange vurderet som en af sin tids bedste krimiforfattere. Adskillige af Williams‘ film blev desuden filmatiseret til enten TV eller det store lærred i både USA, Frankrig og Australien.

Hvad ville du gøre, hvis du blev mistænkt for mord på en politimand?Tredjestyrmand Russell Foley stikker af. Han er uskyldig i mordet, men han tvivler på, at han kan overbevise politiet om det.I syv nervepirrende døgn forsøger han at indkredse den rigtige morder – bestandig med politiet i hælene – på hovedkulds flugt ind i en underverden af brutalitet, vold og mord.Den texasfødte amerikanske forfatter Charles Williams (1909-1975) fik sin litterære debut i 1951 med romanen "Hill Girl", der solgte mere end en million eksemplarer. Herefter udgav Williams stribevis af romaner, og han bliver af mange vurderet som en af sin tids bedste krimiforfattere. Adskillige af Williams‘ film blev desuden filmatiseret til enten TV eller det store lærred i både USA, Frankrig og Australien.

Ud for Mexicos kyst, i Yucatánstrædet, ligger et koralrev kendt som Skorpionrevet. Et eller andet sted langs dette rev – på en dybde omkring 20 meter – ligger en formue i diamanter, som blot venter på, at nogen skal hente dem op ... og slippe fra det med livet i behold.Den unge, smukke og dødsensangste Shannon ejer det eneste kort, der vister hvor diamanterne findes, og eventyreren Bill Manning er den eneste mand, hun tør stole på. Men to hensynsløse forbrydere gør skattejagten til en rædselsvækkende leg med døden.Den texasfødte amerikanske forfatter Charles Williams (1909-1975) fik sin litterære debut i 1951 med romanen "Hill Girl", der solgte mere end en million eksemplarer. Herefter udgav Williams stribevis af romaner, og han bliver af mange vurderet som en af sin tids bedste krimiforfattere. Adskillige af Williams‘ film blev desuden filmatiseret til enten TV eller det store lærred i både USA, Frankrig og Australien.

Tre mand sejlede ud med Topaz.Én af dem døde efter et hjerteanfald ombord og blev begravet til havs.Én af dem bliver myrdet, så snart han kommer i land.Og tilbage er kun skipperen Stuart Rogers, der på en gang må se sig mistænkt for mord af politiet og samtidig jaget af hårdkogte gangstere, der søger efter en formue og nægter at tro på begravelsen til søs ...Den texasfødte amerikanske forfatter Charles Williams (1909-1975) fik sin litterære debut i 1951 med romanen "Hill Girl", der solgte mere end en million eksemplarer. Herefter udgav Williams stribevis af romaner, og han bliver af mange vurderet som en af sin tids bedste krimiforfattere. Adskillige af Williams‘ film blev desuden filmatiseret til enten TV eller det store lærred i både USA, Frankrig og Australien.

The Holy Grail surfaces in an obscure country parish in England and becomes variously a sacramental object to protect or a vessel of power to exploit. A group of three dark magicians attempt to use it as a power base and a means of destruction. The three who oppose them are an Archdeacon, a Duke, and a Clerk in a publishing house. The battle of good versus evil is played out over the acquisition of the Grail which passes between the two sides. The use of the Grail by the forces of evil displays characters that are not your stereotypical villains. There is the banality of evil about them that makes what they do even more scary. Of the three Inkling fantasy writers Charles Williams is the least known and appreciated. Yet, his series of supernatural fantasy novels are every bit as interesting and original as the books by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.

A remarkable object has fallen into the hands of the abominable scientist Sir Giles Tumulty. Once positioned at the center of the crown of King Solomon, it is a stone of astonishing and terrifying power, capable of good and evil alike. Anyone who touches it can move through time and space, perform miracles, and heal or kill. The stone can replicate itself, and does so during the course of Sir Giles's inhuman experiments, subsequently falling into numerous unworthy hands throughout England. There are those who will attempt to use the stone for personal gain, only to discover that it is they themselves being used by a power beyond their comprehension; some will find themselves trapped in eternally repeating nightmares from which there is no escape; still others will be freed from their earthly burdens. And so begins the battle between the forces of darkness and light for control of the most dangerous object in existence. A gripping metaphysical thriller by Charles Williams.

An unremarkable civil servant becomes the target of a nefarious plot when he inherits an early set of tarot cards and will not surrender them to the gypsy master and his grandson who hope to unlock their mystic power.

Classic Charles Williams: A humanistic adept has discovered that by focusing his energies inward he can extend his life almost indefinitely. He undertakes an experiment, using African lore, to die and resurrect his own body, thereby assuring his immortality. His followers begin a revolutionary movement to destroy European civilization.