Warmed and Bound: A Velvet Anthology (49 page)
Read Warmed and Bound: A Velvet Anthology Online
Authors: ed. Pela Via
2010 Eraserhead Press
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A Light To Starve By: A Novella
by
Axel Taiari
A dark novella, set in near-future Paris, where vampires and werewolves are hunted like rabid dogs and put down just as quickly. Their existence is common knowledge, the army and police patrol the streets looking for them, families barricade themselves at night, and even the Catholic Church has its own task force. The majority of the population has been vaccinated, making their blood highly poisonous. What little remains of the vampire society is now reduced to dealing pure blood like drugs, living in hiding, owning clean human slaves to drink from, and generally living a pathetic life. Amidst the chaos, a clan-less vampire who has been starving for too long does his best to survive, mugging and stealing goods in order to feed himself. His only real link with humanity is a woman he lost years ago. As he checks up on her one night, he finds her missing, and all hell breaks loose.
2011 Rotten Leaves Press
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Transubstantiate
by
Richard Thomas
“They say Jimmy made it out. But the postcards we get, well, they don’t seem . . . real.” When an experiment with population control works too well, and the planet is decimated, seven broken people are united by a supernatural bond in a modern day Eden. Most on the island are fully aware of this prison disguised as an oasis. Unfortunately, Jimmy is on the mainland, desperate to get back, in a post-apocalyptic stand-off, fighting for his survival and that of his unborn child. Back on the island, Jacob stares at the ocean through his telescope and plots his escape, reluctant to aid the cause. Marcy tries to hide from her past sexual escapades that may be her saving grace. X sits in his compound, a quiet, massive presence, trapped in his body by ancient whispers and yet free in spirit to visit other places and times. Roland, the angry, bitter son of Marcy is determined to leave, and sets out on his own. Watching over it all is Assigned, the ghost in the machine. And coming for them, to exact revenge, and finish the job that the virus started, is Gordon. He just landed on the island and he has help. Transubstantiate is a neo-noir thriller, filled with uncertainty at every portal, and jungles infiltrated with The Darkness. Vivid settings, lyrical language, and a slow reveal of plot, motivation, past crimes and future hope collide in a showdown that keeps you guessing until the final haunting words. Transubstantiate: to change from one substance into another.
2010 Otherworld Publications
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Out of Touch
by
Brandon Tietz
Aidin is a twenty-four-year-old wealthy socialite who spends the majority of his time coercing women with money rather than charm, and has a penchant for drugs and bottle service at the sort of clubs and venues most people can’t afford to get into. After a night of heavy partying, he awakes one morning completely vacant of any physical sensation, and through a near-fatal occurrence, comes to find his old life is behind him whether he likes it or not. Enter: Dr. Paradies, a progressive therapist who explains to Aidin that no surgery or prescription exists for his particular condition. She assigns him a life list—a litany of 366 seemingly random items, ultimately designed to help cope with his ailment. Thus, a new addiction ensues for Aidin as he becomes completely enamored with following orders and directions that range from reviewing restaurants to handgun training, but most notably, a young woman named Dana who appears as Item #154 on his list. Little by little, Aidin begins to understand how to use the disability to his advantage, whether it’s his endless stamina in bed or how he can be beaten to a bloody pulp without flinching—he adapts. But as the list continues and the items become increasingly more cryptic, Aidin begins to suspect this might be something more than therapy. The truth behind the condition will force him to make a life-altering decision.
2010 Otherworld Publications
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The Little Sleep: A Novel
by
Paul Tremblay
Raymond Chandler meets Jonathan Lethem in this wickedly entertaining debut featuring Mark Genevich, Narcoleptic Detective. Mark Genevich is a South Boston P.I. with a little problem: he’s narcoleptic, and he suffers from the most severe symptoms, including hypnogogic hallucinations. These waking dreams wreak havoc for a guy who depends on real-life clues to make his living. Clients haven’t exactly been beating down the door when Mark meets Jennifer Times—daughter of the powerful local D.A. and a contestant on American Star—who walks into his office with an outlandish story about a man who stole her fingers. He awakes from his latest hallucination alone, but on his desk is a manila envelope containing risqué photos of Jennifer. Are the pictures real, and if so, is Mark hunting a blackmailer, or worse? Wildly imaginative and with a pitch-perfect voice, The Little Sleep is the first in a new series that casts a fresh eye on the rigors of detective work, and introduces a character who has a lot to prove—if only he can stay awake long enough to do it.
2009 Holt Paperbacks
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No Sleep till Wonderland: A Novel
by
Paul Tremblay
Mark Genevich is stuck in a rut: his narcolepsy isn’t improving, his private-detective business is barely scraping by, and his landlord mother is forcing him to attend group therapy sessions. Desperate for companionship, Mark goes on a two-day bender with a new acquaintance, Gus, who is slick and charismatic—and someone Mark knows very little about. When Gus asks Mark to protect a friend who is being stalked, Mark inexplicably finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and soon becomes the target of the police, a sue-happy lawyer, and a violent local bouncer. Will Mark learn to trust himself in time to solve the crime—and in time to escape with his life? Written with the same “witty voice that doesn’t let go”* that has won Paul Tremblay so many fans, No Sleep Till Wonderland features a memorable detective whose only hope for reconciling with his difficult past is to keep moving—asleep or awake—toward an uncertain future. *Library Journal, starred review for The Little Sleep
2010 St. Martin’s Griffin
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Audio
(photo:
Charles King
)
Contributor Index
Matt Bell is the author of
How They Were Found
and
Cataclysm Baby
, a novella forthcoming from MLP in 2012. His fiction has appeared in
Conjunctions
,
Hayden’s Ferry Review
,
Gulf Coast
,
Unsaid
, and
American Short Fiction
, and has been selected for inclusion in anthologies such as
Best American Mystery Stories 2010
and
Best American Fantasy 2
. He works as an editor at Dzanc Books, where he also runs the literary magazine
The Collagist
, and as the Visiting Writer at Greenhills School in Ann Arbor. He can be found online at
www.mdbell.com
.
See also:
Tim Beverstock uses writing to explore his fascination with all things sweet-natured and dark. His angular, urban narratives feature characters clinging to the edge of their feelings as they dip below the surface of modern life and experience the hidden ambiguities of their existence. Between writing, he enjoys indulging in his passion for boutique beers, volunteering for a food rescue organization and reading noir fiction. He is 32 and lives in Wellington, New Zealand. For news and updates bookmark:
www.beverst.com
.
See also: