The Drawing of the Dark is a captivating blend of mythology and real history by Tim Powers, offering a rollicking magical adventure that is both tense and hilarious.

Meet Brian Duffy, an aging soldier of fortune, hired in Venice by a mysterious old man named Aurelianus Ambrosius. Tasked with a seemingly simple job as a bouncer at a Vienna inn, where the fabulous Herzwesten beer is brewed, his journey turns out to be anything but straightforward.

Guided and guarded by creatures from ancient legends, Duffy is attacked by ifrits and saved by mythical dwarfs, all while plagued by visions of a sword and an arm rising from a lake. The fate of the West hangs in the balance as Vienna is besieged by the Turkish armies of Suleiman, and Duffy finds himself drawn into a desperate war of magic.

It's up to him to preserve the West until the drawing of the Dark. Dive into this epic tale filled with magic, humor, and legendary quests!