The Worst of All Possible Places to be reprinted in Haunts of Horror

Dave Sutton's Shadow Publishing will be reprinting Houses on the Borderland, originally published by the BFS. The new anthology will be retitled Haunts of Horror and contains my novella, The Worst of All Possible Places. It will also have a new cover by Edward Miller.

Other authors in the anthology are Simon Bestwick, Allen Ashley, Paul Finch, Gary Fry and Samantha Lee.

Shadow Publishing at Birmingham's Independent Book Fair

Great to see this photo of my publisher's, Dave and Sandra Sutton of Shadow Publishing, at Birmingham's Independent Book Fair this last weekend.

To see and order any of their books follow this link.

A Sample Story from The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror

I've posted on facebook:  

If anyone would like to sample one of the stories from my collection The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror, please use this link to read His Pale Blue Eyes, which was originally published in Bite Sized Horror (Obverse Books, 2011): http://vaultofevil.proboards.com/attachment/download/88

http://davidandrewriley.blogspot.co.uk/p/collection-lurkers-in-abyss-other-tales.html

A great review from Douglas Draa of Weird Tales magazine for The Lurkers in the Abyss

A great review posted on Amazon for The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror from Douglas Draa of Weird Tales magazine:

"Lurkers" has to be the finest collection of single author short stories that I've read in many a year.
This collection is 100% entertainment. There's not a week story in the book. These are simply great stories extremely well told.
Every single one of these stories oozes straight forward old school story telling. And what sets them even higher above the competition than they already are is the hard edge of urbanity with a strong touch of modern sensibility. There's not one drop of ironic post modernism in the book. Just pure grim horror. There's no happy endings in these stories. and that's one of the books joys. Mr. Riley doesn't pull any punches or weaken his tales with false sentimentality. Bad things happen to the undeserving in David's universe.

If you love demons, monsters, zombies, cursed locations, sorcerers returning from the dead, a sly nod to HPL and Stephen king then this collection is for you. And it's no wonder that the titular story made not only the years best list when it came out, but was also chosen by John Pelan for Cemetery Dance's monster "Centuries Best" collection.

The only reason I'm giving this 4 stars is that if I gave it 5 then you would just figure that I was full of it if I gave it five stars.
It's a five star book though in all honesty.

Believe me though, (And I know what I'm talking about. I work for Weird Tales Magazine) I'm a tough sell after reading horror for over 40 years and this is one of the finest new collections that you can find today. Do yourself a big favour and order it now.
I purchased my copy through Amazon.de

Review of The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror on Horror World website.

A great review penned by Mario Guslandi has just been posted on the Horror World website. You can read it on this link.

"For the fans of classical horror fiction, a very interesting collection by a  modern but classical author."

Great review for The Lurkers in the Abyss on hellnotes

I was amazed to see a stunningly great review for my collection The Lurkers in the Abyss & Other Tales of Terror on hellnotes.

Two quotes from it:

"The universe that Riley presents is not a forgiving one.  Like Lovecraft, Riley’s early influence, his universe does not care about you nor is it concerned with whether you are a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person or even what could be considered ‘fair’ in life.  Many of the main characters in Riley’s fiction are people who are simply going about their regular lives until something happens and suddenly they have been marked by darkness."


"In the introduction, David A. Sutton characterizes Riley’s stories as “urban horror” and there is plenty of that here but there is also something more.  Something that, like the work of Ramsey Campbell, is out of synch with the rest of reality.  Even more, with Riley’s fiction, you are left with the feeling that you yourself, at any time, doing the most mundane acts, could be consumed by darkness."

To read the full review follow this link.

Special Offer on Signed Editions Bundle at Shadow Publishing

 Shadow Publishing is offering a discount on a signed bundle of their books:

Eddy C. Bertin's THE WHISPERING HORROR (Signed bookplate issued at World Fantasy Convention, author, cover artist Harry Morris and editor David A. Sutton signatures), very limited supply!

 

David A. Riley's LURKERS IN THE ABYSS AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR

(Signed by the author). Limited number of copies available.

 

Samantha Lee's WORSE THINGS THAN SPIDERS AND OTHER STORIES (Signed bookplate). Limited number of copies available.

 

The UK price for all three, including postage is £20.00.

The European price, again including postage, is £30.00.

The US and ROW price, including airmail postage, is £40.00.

Tales of the Grotesque by L. A. Lewis

David Sutton has unveiled the cover art created by Dave Fletcher for Tales of the Grotesque by L. A. Lewis, due to be published by Shadow Publishing next year.

This was the cover for the first publication of this collection. A decent copy fetches high prices on the second hand book market.

The Satyr's Head: Tales of Terror - Kindle Promotion

Shadow Publishing (David A. Sutton) is having a special Kindle promotion for one week commencing 21st November. The e-book edition will be discounted from $3.00 to $1.99

Check out the US/UK pages here:

USA: Amazon.com
UK: Amazon.co.uk

Lurkers in the Abyss & The Vault of Evil

Kevin Demont (known to all and sundry as Demonik) who runs the Vault of Evil has started a special thread on that site with an ongoing summary and critique of my collection, The Lurkers in the Abyss.

"With a novel and umpteen collections on the go, swore I'd resist even the tiniest peek at this for time being, but, you know, Mr. Sutton's typically informative introduction only runs to four pages, what harm can it do, etc. It was the fatal reference to the theme of Writer's Cramp cracked my resolve ....

After Nightfall: Cheery anthropologist Elliot Wilderman arrives in the decrepit hamlet of Heron to room at the solitary inn. His generosity at the bar soon wins over the taciturn locals, and in no time he has accumulated much valuable data pertaining to local tradition and legend. But still one mystery remains. Why do the populace hide themselves away behind stout locks at nightfall, and, stranger still, what's with the plates of raw meat they leave outside their doors? His landlady, Mrs. Jowitt, cautions him to do as they do, stay indoors nights and avoid the mouldering huts on the edge of town, but Mr. Wilderman is of nosey disposition. A fog descends on Heron. What harm can it do to lean out of his window and watch for those who come to claim their meal?

The title story is perhaps better known, but for this reader, After Nightfall is Mr. Riley's 'seventies masterpiece. The author likely had the typical Lovecraft New England setting in mind for his location, but, for me, Heron anticipates Chetwynd-Hayes' Loughville.

Writer's Cramp: With a deadline impending and the new issue still eight pages shy of completion, Cartwright-Hughes, slimy literary editor of Digest of Horror magazine, plagiarises the plot of a submission from unknown author A. J. Dymchurch of Oswaldtwistle, Lancs. Rubbish writer he may be, but Dymchurch is an accomplished Black Magician, and, unless he receives a very public apology, Cartwright-Hughes is for the chop.

Out of Corruption: Set in 1934, very Lovecraftian in feel but - mercifully - minus any Cthulhu Mythos overkill. Our narrator, Raymond Gregory pays a visit to his friend John Poole who has recently moved to the grim and depressing Elm Tree House in Fenley Wood. Poole, an occult dabbler, gives Gregory the guided tour and the more his guest sees of the place, the less he likes it. The house gives off terrible vibes, most notably the pentagram of slime in the cellar. Neither is he over-keen on the tramp-like fellow who has taken to prowling nightly in the garden.

Gregory learns from local librarian Desmond Foster that Elm Tree House was built on the site of a 13th Century Abbey torn down when the locals discovered the Holy Fathers were worshippers of Satan. The Monks were the lucky ones - they were merely slaughtered on the spot. The Abbot was half-hung, disembowelled and quartered alive. His last sneered utterance - "The dead rise and come to me" - suggests he didn't mind such treatment in the slightest. His gibbeted remains mysteriously disappeared that same night.

With Poole reduced to a gibbering imbecile, it's obvious to Foster and Gregory that their friend's foolish meddling in the dark arts has revived the Abbot and his rotting accomplices. The worst news is, the Abbot firmly believes in taking his revenge in kind ...

Read more: http://vaultofevil.proboards.com/posts/recent#ixzz2kQAHK8Rc"

My Signature Added £10 to Value of Book

I was amused to have it pointed out to me by Charles Black that a copy of The Lurkers in the Abyss, sold at the World FantasyCon for £12 and signed by me has now gone for sale on Ebay for £22!

That's one of the most flattering things I've seen in ages! Though, of course, the book has yet to sell...

First Review for The Lurkers in the Abyss

It was great to see a first review for my short story collection, The Lurkers in the Abyss, especially as it is by fellow writer, Shaun Jeffrey. I know that praise from him is praise indeed. Thanks Shaun!

The review can be found here on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Launch for The Lurkers in the Abyss at the World Fantasy Convention

My collection of short stories from Shadow Publishing, The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror, was launched at the World Horror Convention on Friday the 1st November at 2.00 p.m.

Stephen Jones and David A. Riley

David A. Sutton, Carl Ford and David A. Riley

The launch gets under way

One more book signed!

Getting Ready For the WFC

My last day at work this week and it's all about getting ready for going to Brighton tomorrow morning for the start of the World Fantasy Convention. The weather looks good today, and I hope it stays that way for the next few days!

Other than attending various program events as a member of the audience and taking photos, I only have one commitment, and that's the Shadow Publishing book launch on Friday afternoon at 2.00 p.m. for, amongst others, my short story collection The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror. Sorry to have just learned that the only other author who was due to be there, Samantha Lee, won't be able to make it. That just leaves Dave Sutton and me.

The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror - where all the stories in it have previously been published

I was checking through my records earlier today and surprised at just how many appearances many of the stories in this collection have had over the years since the first of them was published in 1970. Here are the book and magazine covers.

The Lurkers in the Abyss:

 

After Nightfall:

Prickly:

Writer's Cramp:

A New Lease:

Out of Corruption:

Help-Plants:

Terror on the Moors:

The Shade of Apollyon:

Winter on Aubarch 6:

Inside the Labyrinth:

The Shadow by the Altar:

A Sense of Movement:

Soft Little Fingers:

His Pale Blue Eyes:

Fish Eye: