Gregory (H.B.) Dark Sanctuary

London, Rider & Co., [1940].

First edition, first impression. 8vo. Original cloth. Dust-jacket, price-clipped.

When Tony Lovell returns to his family’s remote Cornish island, he is drawn into a struggle between Christian and satanic forces centred on an ancient curse and a lurking elemental evil. Manipulated by a sinister occult leader, Tony risks becoming an agent of destruction even as friends and allies fight to save him. H.B. Gregory’s Dark Sanctuary is remarkable for its rich liturgical detail, eerie atmosphere, and original characterisation, particularly Tony’s disturbing ability to draw power from both God and Satan. Its subterranean horrors recall works like Adrian Ross’s The Hole of the Pit and Eleanor Ingram’s The Thing from the Lake. A blend of Dennis Wheatley, Charles Williams and H.P. Lovecraft, it stands as a superior occult thriller of its time, far surpassing contemporaries such as Mark Hansom and R.R. Ryan.