Demons! Spells! Satanic rituals! Ultra-Gothic atmosphere! Papal corruption! Violent thunderstorms! Love triangles! Ghosts and witches! Medieval opulence! Gruesome violence! Good vs. evil! Comets! THE ANTICHRIST! Simply put, this book was nauseatingly grim, but awesome. Flat-out, straight-up awesome.

Marjorie Bowen was a British author who wrote historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history and biography. She also wrote under the names Joseph Shearing, George R. Preedy, John Winch, Robert Paye and Margaret Campbell. As Joseph Shearing, she wrote several sinister gothic romances full of terror and mystery. Her books are much sought after by aficionados of gothic horror and received praise from critics. According to Sally Benson in The New Yorker she "is a painstaking researcher, a superb writer, a careful technician, and a master of horror."