The Secrets of Insects
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
The Secrets of Insects is the first short story collection by New York Times bestselling writer Richard Kadrey. Covering more than 20 years of his career, these tales take readers from the plains of Siberia to a decimated Los Angeles, from Hell to long forgotten cities, from hidden murder rooms to houses haunted by more than ghosts.
The stories here explore themes of primal fear, loss, fractured love, and a search for meaning in a meaningless world.
In “Razor Pig,” we meet a father in search of his lost daughter, both of whom have sinister secrets.
“Flayed Ed” brings together murderer Ed Gein and an ancient Aztec god.
“In Suspect Zero” a young killer goes in search of a mentor and finds something far stranger.
“Candy Among the Jades,” which appears here for the first time, shows us Sandman Slim’s Candy reunited with her Jade sisters only to be confronted with an impossible request.
These tales showcase both Kadrey’s wide-ranging imagination and his clean, precise prose style in a host of stories ranging from strange fantasy to the darkest horrors.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Kadrey (King Bullet) brings together 16 horror and dark fantasy shorts spanning more than two decades of his career for his treasure trove of a first collection. Many of Kadrey's shorts rest atop much larger mythos. "A Sandman Slim Christmas Carol," "Devil in the Dollhouse," and "Candy Among the Jades" all expand the lore of his Sandman Slim novels, about a monster hunter who becomes the Devil, while "Flayed Ed" and "The Tunguska Event" add magical dimensions to real-life events: the Ed Gein murders and the Tunguska explosion of 1908, respectively. The strongest pieces, however, stand entirely on their own: the opener, "Ambitious Boys Like You," sets a high bar with the tale of two would-be burglars breaking into a house of horrors, while the slow-burning creep show "The Secrets of Insects" follows two police officers transporting a notorious serial killer to a new facility. It's not all grim, either—there's a genuinely tender romance in "What Is Love but the Quiet Moments After Dinner?" even if it is between two monsters. This vivid, inventive, and delightfully twisted collection offers horror fans plenty of nightmare fodder.
