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From the Library of Jurgen Leitner (the Magnus Archives)

by Premee Mohamed

A private library of dangerous books

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Awards & Recognition

  • Author recognition

    Nebula Award-winning author

    The metadata describes Premee Mohamed as a Nebula Award-winning author; the award is attributed to the author, n...

AlbakiReads Editorial

A private library of dangerous books

Jurgen Leitner’s library is built around a chilling premise: occult books are collected, studied, and kept under guard, but their hazards remain part of daily work. The description gives glimpses of volumes with uncanny, potentially lethal effects, then connects the library to two employees whose stories unfold in parallel across different years. Hugh Franklin’s translation skills and Sebastian Everett’s interest in arcane matters bring distinct reasons for entering this perilous workplace. The shared setting links their experiences to a mystery surrounding Leitner and the library’s purpose, framing the book as cosmic and eldritch horror rooted in forbidden knowledge and the risks of trying to contain it.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in cosmic and eldritch horror centered on occult objects and forbidden knowledge.
  • Readers who enjoy stories set in eerie libraries and other perilous workplaces.
  • Readers drawn to parallel storylines connected by a shared setting and mystery.

Themes

Occult books and dangerous knowledgeContainment and riskBelonging and ambitionStories linked across time

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Enter the library of an enigmatic collector, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost, with this uncanny eldritch horror novel from Nebula Award-winning author Premee Mohamed and The Magnus Archives' Jonathan Sims.

Fear comes before the fall.

In the winding, perilous corridors of Jurgen Leitner's private library, you never know what you'll find. A starving cookbook. An ancient scroll that casts cool, predatory breezes. A cloth-bound hardback that compels you to DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG.

Free, these books are more than simply unnerving--they're deadly. But the library keeps their dangers in check and their would-be readers safe. . . .

Or so Leitner claims.

For two of his employees, the risks are worth it. Hugh Franklin, research assistant, has finally found a place he belongs, where his skill in translation is valued, even if his employer is a bit odd. Sebastian Everett, acquisition specialist, can indulge his arcane ambitions, even if it means pretending to care about Leitner's mission.

Though their tenures at the library were years apart, Hugh and Sebastian's stories unfold in parallel, and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisles, caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name "Jurgen Leitner."

Will they find a way out . . . or will the library consume them before it's too late?
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