New Horror Books

[bendk]

There are quite a few nice titles coming out from Ex-Occidente Press, but do you see some other horror books that may be of interest?


I just got this in an e-mail from PS Publishing. It sounds like it might be worth a read. Does anyone know Dowling's work?





Announcing Clowns At Midnight by Terry Dowling


We're very excited about Terry Dowling's Clowns At Midnight -- so much so that we're almost having to sedate designer dynamique Mike Smith and editor emeritus Nick Gevers, both of whom worked extensively on the project (and who are still unable to sleep with the lights off).
For those who don't know Terry or his work, let's just say he is without doubt one of Australia's most acclaimed short story scribblers and Clowns -- amazingly his debut full-length novel -- is one of PS's finest dark fantasy/suspense titles, attracting plaudits from advance readers as a masterpiece of Gothic fiction and brilliantly sustained psychological tension.
We asked Nick to stop jumping up and down for a minute and tell you what it's about. Here goes:

"Residing in a comfortable house in the Australian countryside, a somewhat naive novelist confronts, and takes perverse pleasure in, his fear of clowns and everything resembling them: masks, marionettes, painted faces. His neighbours seem friendly, with a kindly interest in his unusual phobia; but why is it that they are so oddly knowledgeable about its symptoms and background history? And why are the writer's digital galleries of terrifying clown-moments being rearranged and augmented by invisible intruders? These questions lead him into an emotional and archetypal maelstrom in which serene exaltation and unmitigated fear are irretrievably mixed; are death and happiness identical?"

Thanks, Nick - so, there you have it! Terry has woven an astonishing tapestry of subtle, and at times subliminal, horror; we're confident that Clowns At Midnight will be regarded as one of the best genre books of the year, perhaps even of the decade... and we're expecting pre-orders to be brisk, so don't say we didn't warn you. There'll be 700 copies -- that's 200 traycased signed copies at £60 and 500 trade hardcovers at a measly £25, with free postage -- to anywhere! -- on all pre-orders for both editions. Place your order now!