The poet Robert Louzak goes to Calcutta as a representative of the American magazine Harper's, to personally receive the latest epic work of the Indian poet M. Das - and mainly to meet the mysterious Das himself, who has been missing and presumed dead for the past 6-7 years. So far, the only paradox is the unexpected reappearance of the lost poet. However, upon arriving in Calcutta, Louzak encounters many more paradoxes. Despite his intuition warning him that something is not right, he has not realized that he is surrounded by the forces of evil, by anthropomorphic "gods and demons", whose purposes, methods, and mentality the Western rationalism is unable to comprehend...

"The Song of the Goddess Kali" is not just another simplistic thriller-repetition of the cinematic motif, of the "civilized" Westerner getting involved in adventures with the "natives" of a third world country. It is the wounded and agonizing cry of logic and humanity, against Absolute Evil, against the darkness that lurks within us.

In 1986, one year after its release, this book by the then unknown Dan Simmons was honored with the prestigious World Fantasy Award. It was followed by 32 more books (including 4 short story collections and 3 novellas), out of which 18 have won the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, British Fantasy, and British Science Fiction Awards - and the story continues...