Jim Crace

People who know me know that I’m a huge fan of Jim Crace. I just love his work. So much, in fact, that I’ve felt sad that more isn’t made of him in the UK but at the same time his books are my secret, written especially for me.

Yes, I know I sound creepy. He did a reading a few years ago and I took all his novels along with me to get them signed. At the time he announced that he only had another two books planned, so his latest work, “Harvest”, will be his last. As a result, I’ve delayed reading it in an attempt to eke out the pleasure. It’s been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and I’m hoping if he wins that he might just write another novel…

His subjects range widely – the biography of a murdered couple (told as they decompose), an elderly millionare plans his legacy, a stone age storyteller watches the advent of the iron age, Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, a ship runs aground in the 1800s- to name a few. But Jim Crace’s style is aways immaculate.

If you like genre labels and want something speculative then “The Pesthouse” is his book about post-apocalypse America. I think it suffered as it was released at a similar time to “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, but “The Pesthouse” is a completely different beast and equally marvellous.

 

 

 

 

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2013

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2013 edited by Paula Guran, is now out from Prime Books.

It’s available in print and Kindle edition from Amazon UK, Amazon US and to order from your local  bookshop.

I’m fortunate enough to be included with my story, “Pearls”, which originally appeared in Bourbon Penn (issue 3).  Big thanks to Bourbon Penn’s editor, Erik Secker, and to Paula Guran.

Stuff for September

The Best Horror of the Year Volume 5, edited by Ellen Datlow,  is now available in print from Amazon UK, Amazon US and by order from your local bookshop. I’m delighted that it contains “The Ballad of Boomtown”, my short story that appeared in issue 28 of Black Static.

Ellen’s Honorable Mentions shortlist for the anthology also contains “Pearls” (issue 4 of Bourbon Penn).

“Needlepoint” (issue 242 of Interzone) and“Fish Skins” (issue 42 of Albedo One)  are on her longlist.

So, many many thanks to Ellen Datlow, Andy Cox of TTA Press, Eric Secker of Bourbon Penn and the editorial team of Albedo One (John Kenny, Bob Neilson, Peter Loftus, David Murphy and Frank Ludlow).

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Mark Lord, editor of Alt Hist, has published interviews with all the authors who appeared in the last issue. If you want to read the interview with me that relates to my story, “After Mary”, it’s here.