Parallel Hells

Craig, Leon

£9.99

In this deliciously strange debut collection, Leon Craig draws on folklore and gothic horror in refreshingly inventive ways to explore queer identity, love, power and the complicated nature of being human. Some say that hell is other people and some say hell is loneliness. In the thirteen darkly audacious stories of ‘Parallel Hells’ we meet a golem, made of clay, learning that its powers far exceed its Creator’s expectations; a ruined mansion which grants the secret wishes of a group of revellers and a notorious murderer who discovers her Viking husband is not what he seems. Asta is an ancient being who feasts on the shame of contemporary Londoners, who now, beyond anything, wishes only to fit in with a group of friends they will long outlive. An Oxford historian, in bitter competition with the rest of her faculty members, discovers an ancient tome whose sinister contents might solve her problems.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 13/10/2022
ISBN: 9781529371444 Category: Tags: ,

Description

For fans of Daisy Johnson and Kirsty Logan, a gothic short story collection for winter nights from an emerging voice in British literary fiction

‘The short twisted tales . . . have a laconic elegance that’s both chilling and pleasurable’ Financial Times

‘Trust me: you want to read this. It’s the queer horror book of your dreams’ Kirsty Logan

Irresistibly strange and inventive, Parallel Hells is a collection of dark and delightful stories that blends folklore and gothic horror with a contemporary twist.

A golem discovers its powers far exceed its Creator’s expectations. An ancient creature, who feasts on the shame of modern-day Londoners, struggles to fit in with friends they will long outlive. And an Oxford historian discovers an antique tome that may help her overcome her academic rivals.

In this deliciously macabre debut collection, Leon Craig explores queer identity, power, love and the painful complexities of being human in startling new ways.

‘A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby . . . It is such a fresh and playful approach to storytelling that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with Craig’s abilities.’ Big Issue

Additional information

Weight 160 g
Dimensions 196 × 128 × 22 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

224

Language

English

Edition

1st paperback ed

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K