Written in 1782 by the near-legendary hedonist William Beckford, "Vathek "was the first Oriental-Gothic horror novel in English literature. It tells the story of Vathek, the debauched and pleasure-seeking ninth Caliph of the Abassides, who decides to build a great tower to "penetrate the secrets of heaven." The appearance of an Indian magician arouses Vathek's thirst for knowledge and he is willing to go to any lengths, including the sacrifice of 50 of the most beautiful boys in his kingdom, to gain access to the "Palace of Subterranean Fire," where the magician promises he will find treasures, intelligences and talismans that control the world. A rousing novel, "Vathek" is a classic tale of greed and lust for power containing magic, trickery, and betrayal all culminating in an age-old showdown between good and evil.