Black Magic - Marjorie Bowen

Black Magic by Marjorie Bowen / 368-page paperback published in 2025 by Vintage Classics in their Weird Girls series / ISBN 9781529956351

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A rediscovered gothic classic with a groundbreaking, gender-nonconforming protagonist at its heart.

‘I do not sin,’ he smiled. ‘I am Sin’

In a quiet medieval city, alone in his shadowy chambers, Dirk Renswoude worships the devil. Then the wind brings the young scholar Theirry to his door. Could this beautiful man share his dark obsession? Under a hushed midnight sky, the pair swear themselves to the black arts, and to one another.

Yet Dirk shies away at the slightest touch. He will not discuss his past. As the duo hex their way across moonlit woodlands and learned cities, it becomes clear that Dirk will stop at nothing to live the life he desires, while concealing one precious secret.

'A subtle and complex thriller...Just don’t give away its secret' Washington Post

The Vintage Classics Weird Girls series: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of weird fiction with nine books by nine pioneering female authors. Bold, disruptive, chilling and enchanting, these tales of the weird are strange enough to get lost in.