From the Library of Jurgen Leitner
A Magnus novel by Premee Mohamed with Jonathan Sims
FROM THE LIBRARY OF JURGEN LEITNER is the first in a multi-book deal between Rusty Quill and Random House Worlds, part of Penguin Random House, for The Magnus Archives podcast.
The book explores an infamous organisation from the Magnusverse for the first time – the perilous private library of the enigmatic collector Jurgen Leitner, where occult books are guarded and researched at a fatal cost.
This novel, which is set before the events in the podcast, is written by the creator of The Magnus Archives, Jonathan Sims and Nebula award-winning author Premee Mohamed.
FROM THE LIBRARY OF JURGEN LEITNER will be published on October 27, 2026, and is available for pre-order wherever books are sold and the links below.
Where to order
Pre-order in the US: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/799666/from-the-library-of-jurgen-leitner-the-magnus-archives-by-premee-mohamed-with-jonathan-sims/
Pre-order in the UK: to become available next week
Description
Return to the world of The Magnus Archives with this official prequel novel written by Nebula, World Fantasy, and Aurora award-winning author Premee Mohamed with the help of the Archives’ own Jonathan Sims.
In the winding, perilous halls of Jurgen Leitner’s library, you never know what you’ll find. A starving cookbook. An ancient scroll that casts cool, predatory breezes. A cloth-bound hardback that compels you to DIG, DIG, DIG, DIG.
Free, these books are more than simply unnerving—they’re deadly. But the library keeps their dangers in check and their would-be readers safe…Or so Leitner claims.
For two of his employees, the risks are worth it. For Hugh Franklin, research assistant, the library is a place to belong, where his skill in translation is valued, even if his employer is a bit odd. For Sebastian Everett, acquisitions specialist, the library is an opportunity to indulge arcane ambitions, even if it means pretending to care about the mission.
Though their tenures at the library were years apart, Hugh and Sebastian’s stories unfold in parallel, and their footsteps echo down the same eerie aisles, caught in a web spun long before either ever heard the name “Jurgen Leitner.”
Will they find a way out… or will the library consume them before it’s too late?
New to Magnus?
The Magnus Archives is a horror fiction podcast currently celebrating its tenth anniversary. When Jonathan Sims is appointed Head Archivist of The Magnus Institute, a London-based organisation that researches the occult, he is determined to do a good job. His predecessor has left the Archives in a disorganised mess and the Head of the Institute has chosen John to rectify this.
Contained within the Archives are statements that document terrifying supernatural experiences. As John continues to file them, it becomes increasingly clear that they begin to form a picture that is truly horrifying.
As you look into the depths of the archives, something starts to look back…
Intrigued? You can listen to The Magnus Archives wherever you find podcasts, or check out the first episode below.