The Dark Other

The Dark Other is Stanley Weinbaum's only novel, written around 1929 but not published until 1950, fifteen years after his death. It is a psychological horror story set in 1930s Chicago that explores the duality of human nature through the lens of early psychiatry and the supernatural.

Patricia Lane falls in love with the brilliant but troubled Nicholas Devine, a young poet whose personality seems to split between gentle devotion and something terrifyingly alien. With the help of the skeptical psychiatrist Dr. Carl Horker, Pat must determine whether Nick suffers from a medical condition — or something far darker.

Weinbaum blends science fiction with Gothic horror, anticipating themes that would later dominate the genre: split personalities, demonic possession reframed through scientific inquiry, and the thin boundary between madness and the supernatural. The novel reads as a precursor to works like Robert Bloch's Psycho and William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist.

Chapters

  1. Pure Horror — Pat and Nick's moonlit evening takes a terrifying turn.
  2. Science of Mind — Dr. Horker offers a psychiatric perspective.
  3. Psychiatrics of Genius — The line between genius and madness blurs.
  4. The Transfiguration — Nick's other self emerges fully.
  5. A Fantasy of Fear — Pat confronts the reality of her situation.
  6. A Question of Science — Science versus the inexplicable.
  7. The Red Eyes Return — The dark personality resurfaces.
  8. Gateway to Evil — Nick is drawn deeper into darkness.
  9. Descent into Avernus — The descent reaches its nadir.
  10. Rescue from Abaddon — A desperate attempt at rescue.
  11. Wreckage — The aftermath of confrontation.
  12. Letter from Lucifer — A chilling communication arrives.
  13. Indecision — Pat wrestles with impossible choices.
  14. Too Bizarre — Events defy rational explanation.
  15. A Modern Mr. Hyde — The Jekyll-Hyde parallel becomes unavoidable.
  16. Possessed — The question of possession takes center stage.
  17. Witch-Doctor — Unconventional help is sought.
  18. Vanished — Nick disappears.
  19. Man or Monster? — The central question sharpens.
  20. The Assignation — A dangerous meeting is arranged.
  21. A Question of Synapses — Science offers a new theory.
  22. Doctor and Devil — Horker faces the entity directly.
  23. Werewolf — Ancient fears find modern form.
  24. The Dark Other — The true nature is revealed.
  25. The Demon Lover — Love and horror intertwine.
  26. The Depths — The darkest moment arrives.
  27. Two in Hell — A battle for Nick's soul.
  28. Lunar Omen — Signs point toward a resolution.
  29. Scopolamine for Satan — Science is weaponized against evil.
  30. The Demon Free — The entity is unleashed.
  31. “Not Humanly Possible” — Beyond human understanding.
  32. Revelation — The truth, at last.

Return to the Stanley Weinbaum library.