Aspects of Power

Would someone really kill for a pack of cards? But these are no ordinary cards. This is the original tarot deck, from which all other tarot decks have sprung. Their fate is entwined with a set of gold figurines representing the Major Arcana, which continually dance around a tabletop much like a chess board-the archetypal forces of the universe in miniature. Whoever can bring the deck and the figurines together will wield power over heaven and earth. Nancy's father has come into possession of the cards, but doesn't know what he has. Her fiancé, Henry-of gypsy heritage-does. His family is in possession of the figurines, and he is determined to possess the cards as well. His offer to buy them refused, Henry makes plans to do whatever it takes to gain his prize, no matter who it hurts.... The Greater Trumps is one of Williams' most thrilling and enjoyable novels-and at the same time, it is perhaps his most symbolically rich.

An occultist invades Europe at the head of an African army. His goal--the conquest of death itself. No one knows quite what to make of Nigel Considine. He calls himself "the High Executive", and he has inspired the entire continent of Africa to revolt and make war upon Europe. Is Considine a magician, a charismatic politician, a divinely annointed prophet, or the antichrist? A small circle of London friends all seem to disagree, even as Considine's influence is tearing England apart.... Shadows of Ecstasy is Charles Williams' most confounding novel--chilling, intriguing, ambiguous, and exciting. Along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, Williams was a member of the Inklings, a society of writers in Oxford, England, who changed the world with their mythopoetic vision.

In every moment, we choose between Heaven and Hell... The good people of Battle Hill are getting ready to put on a play by the renowned playwright, Peter Stanhope. As the rehearsals continue and the date of the premier draws closer, many things that are hidden are revealed. Among them is the fact that nearly every choice presents us with both an invitation and a temptation. Pauline Anstruther is invited to face her deepest fear, and to dare to believe that she can offer succor and support to a long-dead relative at the moment of his greatest need. Lawrence Wentworth is tempted to forsake the company of real (and therefore difficult) people and retreat into illusion and isolation. To choose connection and community is to choose Heaven, to reject it is to descend into Hell... Descent into Hell is among the most subtle and profound of Williams' novels. In it, he most fully presents his theology of substituted love.