To the Dark Tower

General Sir Hugh Weigh is a war hero, a celebrated adventurer, and a best-selling author, whose personality has the power to inspire such strong loyalty and devotion that at least one person has willingly died for him. But in private, he is austere, imperious, even cruel, and his cold disregard for others has led to the deaths of his wife and son. Now two more people have begun to feel the force of his compelling nature: Shirley Forsdike, a schoolmistress who is obsessively in love with him, and Frank Cauldwell, a young writer at work on his first novel. Out of the conflict of their emotions and experiences Francis King weaves a gripping story of passion and despair.


Beryl Bainbridge hailed Francis King (1923-2011) as “one of our great writers, of the calibre of Graham Greene and Nabokov,” and during a career that spanned seven decades, King published fifty critically acclaimed books, winning a number of literary awards and twice being nominated for the Booker Prize. Though written while he was an undergraduate, King’s compelling To the Dark Tower (1946) displays an assurance and maturity not often found in a first novel. This first-ever American edition features a new introduction by Gregory Woods.


“I find on adding up that I have to read over 300 modern novels a year. Half-a-dozen of them I would wish to read again. This is one.” – John Betjeman, Daily Herald


“His creative ability is undeniable.” – Charles Marriott, Guardian


“This young writer’s passionate interest in humanity and its problems is infectious.” – Ralph Straus, Sunday Times