{"product_id":"the-black-monk-or-the-secret-of-the-grey-turret-valancourt-classics-9781934555996","title":"The Black Monk; Or, the Secret of the Grey Turret (Valancourt Classics)","description":"\u003cb\u003eBrandon Castle is full of mysteries and terrors \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Lonely candles give feeble light to the eerie chill of the castle's endless hallways. Winding staircases descend into damp crypts of discarded skeletons while rat-infested secret passages lead to satanic altars. Towering over the castle's dank moat is the mysterious Grey Turret. Filled with legends of shadowy ghosts and terrifying demons, its only door has been locked for centuries. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Until now. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Someone has discovered the key and wants the terrifying power locked away in the Grey Turret. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ci\u003eWho dares to defy the legend of the Grey Turret?\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Agatha? Hungry for power, nothing can stand in her way \u003cbr\u003e Eldred? Her nervous brother, the perfect foil for a murderous plan?\u003cbr\u003e Sir Rupert? The brave knight suffering from a heartbreaking loss?\u003cbr\u003e Nemoni? The mysterious wild-man of the woods?\u003cbr\u003e The Black Monk? Aided by Satan's black magic, can he be stopped?\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Serialized in British newspapers throughout 1844, \u003ci\u003eThe Black Monk\u003c\/i\u003e is an excellent example of the Victorian penny dreadful. Each week, eager readers would await the next penny's installment and \u003ci\u003eThe Black Monk\u003c\/i\u003e delivered so many thrills and terrors that it became the mid-century's publishing phenomenon. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This edition includes the unabridged text of the 1844 edition along with all 54 original illustrations and features a new introduction by Curt Herr, Ph.D. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e James Malcolm Rymer (1814-1884) was a major contributor to Victorian literature, yet remains largely unknown today. He wrote the first vampire novel in English, \u003ci\u003eVarney the Vampire; or, The Feast of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e, and the original Sweeney Todd novel, \u003ci\u003eThe String of Pearls\u003c\/i\u003e. One of the most popular penny dreadful writers of the 1840s, his serialized novels are being rediscovered as excellent examples of mid-Victorian pop culture. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Curt Herr, Ph.D. has prepared the critical editions of several Victorian Sensation novels, such as \u003ci\u003eZiska, Vendetta, Dene Hollow\u003c\/i\u003e, and the notorious penny dreadful \u003ci\u003eVarney the Vampire, or, The Feast of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e. He teaches Gothic and Victorian Sensation fiction at Pennsylvania's Kutztown University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Valancourt Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50857113780498,"sku":"9781934555996","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_87016b44-8de3-4bba-833b-0181d1f6f91a.jpg?v=1737521945","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-black-monk-or-the-secret-of-the-grey-turret-valancourt-classics-9781934555996","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}