A Confederacy of Horrors

Cover by Pete von Sholly.

"James Robert Smith is a writer to be reckoned with. Fierce, funny, and intelligent, come get you some." — Gary Raisor

“James Robert Smith delivers a full basket of chills that will linger in your memory... Don’t let this wondrous collection slip by you. Grab it now. Indulge yourself. You won’t be sorry.” — William F. Nolan

In recent years, James Robert Smith has emerged as a distinctive new voice in contemporary weird fiction. Melding a smoothly flowing prose style, powerful horrific conceptions, and a keen sense of character and locale, Smith has written dozens of stories that expand the boundaries of the weird tale and take it into new and dynamic directions.

This first collection of his short fiction displays the many virtues of his work. Several of his tales are set in the South, a region he knews well through long residence. Whether it be the alienated youths in “Toke Ghost,” the ruthless plutocrat of “Moving,” or the comic terror of “The Reliable Vacuum Company,” Smith depicts a South where the lush, kudzu-choked landscape breeds horrors both earthly and unearthly.

Monsters from the depths of space are the focus of “On the First Day,” while rats of a more than usual malignancy are featured in “Dope.” “Translator” tells of mysteries emerging out of World War II, while in “Love & Magick” a man battles occult creatures with magic of his own. The ecological horrors of “Symptom” are matched by the existential horror of “Wet.” The end of the world appears imminent in “One of Those Days,” and a vampire of an unusual sort stalks through the pages of “Just a Gigolo.”

With this collection, James Robert Smith presents a rich and diverse smorgasboard of weirdness and terror that will delight his many devotees and bring new ones into his fold.

Contents:

• A Confederacy of Ghosts
  • Listen
  • Through Becky's Eyes
  • Of Rodents and Sinking Vessels
  • Toke Ghost
  • Tommy
  • Moving
  • The Pool
• A Confederacy of Vengeance
  • On the First Day
  • The Jawbone of an Ass
  • Dope
  • Translator
  • Love & Magick
• A Confederacy of Obsession
  • NUMHED
  • At Last, Longing Look
  • Symptom
  • Wet
  • One of Those Days
  • The Call
  • Just Like Jesus, He Said
• A Confederacy of Blood
  • It's Not a Blessing, She Said
  • Just a Gigolo
  • The Old Man's Final Visit
  • Ice Bounty
    
  • The Reliable Vacuum Company
  • Pure Southern