Tartarus Press

publishers

Strange Tales, Volume II is a sewn hardback book of 327+vi pages with silk ribbon marker, head and tailbands, and d/w.

 

Limited to 500 copies.

 

Sorry - out of print

 

Strange Tales, Volume II

edited by

Rosalie Parker

 

Stories by

Joel Knight, Quentin S. Crisp, Katherine Haynes, Stephen Holman,

Mark Valentine, Adam Golaski, Dale Nelson, Simon Strantzas,

Anne-Sylvie Salzman, David Rix, Rhys Hughes,

Angela Slatter,  Barbara Roden,

Roger Dunkley, Elizabeth Brown,

Christopher Harman and Hilbourne Carlone.

 

A 'Strange Tale' is a short story that explores a fantastic idea, supernatural or psychological, with the intention of causing, through its own logical development, uncertainty or unease about that which the reader takes for granted. The outward appearance of the story can vary infinitely from the traditional to the experimental, from the serious to the comic, but in each case the assumptions of the reader are undermined to a degree that they find uncomfortable. The Strange Tale is a form that moves effortlessly between the various genres (as all good fiction should).

 

In this new volume, the Strange Tales on offer range from the dark realism of 'What Water Reveals' by Adam Golaski through to the surreal 'The Concise Picaresque Adventures of the Wanderlust Bridge' by Rhys Hughes. From the subtlety of 'The Fairy Killer' by Quentin S. Crisp to the horror of 'Sejanus' Daughter' by Hilbourne Carlone (Don Tumasonis). From the urban horror of 'Calico Black, Calico Blue' by Joel Knight, to the rural strangeness of 'Pastor Arrhenius and The Maiden Brita' by Dale Nelson. From the traditionally told 'Llanfihangel' by Elizabeth Brown to the range of contemporary documentation offered in 'The Magpies' by David Rix.

 

Within this collection of seventeen new stories you are sure to discover some that will cause you to wonder what worlds might exist beyond the apparently everyday.

 

Contents: 'Calico Black, Calico Blue' by Joel Knight, 'The Fairy Killer' by Quentin S. Crisp, 'She Lights the Little Candle' by Katherine Haynes, 'Mister Poppy' by Stephen Holman, 'Carden in Capaea' by Mark Valentine, 'What Water Reveals' by Adam Golaski, 'Pastor Arrhenius and The Maiden Brita' by Dale Nelson, 'The Other Village' by Simon Strantzas, 'What the Eye Remembers' by Anne-Sylvie Salzman, 'The Magpies' by David Rix, 'The Concise Picaresque Adventures of the Wanderlust Bridge' by Rhys Hughes, 'Sourdough' by Angela Slatter, 'The Hiding Place' by Barbara Roden, 'Mea Tulpa' by Roger Dunkley, 'Llanfihangel' by Elizabeth Brown, 'Dinckley Green' by Christopher Harman, 'Sejanus' Daughter' by Hilbourne Carlone.

 

See also:

Strange Tales I

Strange Tales III

Strange Tales IV

Strange Tales V

Strange Tales: Tartarus Press at 30

 

Reviews

'Like all of Tartarus's output, the Strange Tales volume is beautifully produced and is a pleasure to read and put on the shelf. Tartarus books aren't cheap, but quality rarely is. ' Ian McMillan, Yorkshire Post

'...a very rewarding reading experience producing that pleasant uneasiness and discomfort that any admirer of "strange" tales is seeking in dark fiction of good quality.' Mario Guslandi, The Agony Column

'Editor Rosalie Parker has a keen eye for profound tales of terror." Andrew McQuade, Gorezone

 

From Strange Tales II, 'The Other Village' by Simon Strantzas and 'Calico Black, Calico Blue' by Joel Knight were selected for Best New Horror, edited by Stephen Jones. 'What Water Reveals' by Adam Golaski was also selected for Horror: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz.

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