Darrell Schweitzer has been three-times nominated for the World Fantasy Award, twice for Best Collection, and once for the novella "To Become a Sorcerer," which forms the first four chapters of this book. He is also the author of The White Isle, The Shattered Goddess, and nearly 300 short stories, many of which are collected in such volumes as Tom O'Bedlam's Night Out, Transients, Refugees from an Imaginary Country, Nightscapes, and The Great World and the Small. An expert on fantastic fiction, who has written books about Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft, he is also a former editor of the legendary Weird Tales magazine. "The Mask of the Sorcerer is one of the ten best fantasy novels of the past generation. The plot is compelling and moves at breathtaking pace. The characters are intriguing, multi-dimensional, lovingly drawn. The fear is chilling, the excitement intense. But mostly The Mask of the Sorcerer is about magic. True magic. Magic that rings in the bones and the soul, magic that very few contemporary writers can understand or create. Darrell Schweitzer is a sorcerer, and his knowledge of magic is awesome. The Mask of the Sorcerer is authentic, a beacon shining above a sea of imitations. Unique as all great creations are unique, it stands alone." -- Morgan Llywelyn