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Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Horror & ghost stories, Short stories
For fans of Daisy Johnson and Kirsty Logan, a gothic short story collection for winter nights from an emerging voice in British literary fiction
'The short twisted tales . . . have a laconic elegance that's both chilling and pleasurable' Financial Times
'Trust me: you want to read this. It's the queer horror book of your dreams' Kirsty Logan
Irresistibly strange and inventive, Parallel Hells is a collection of dark and delightful stories that blends folklore and gothic horror with a contemporary twist.
A golem discovers its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations. An ancient creature, who feasts on the shame of modern-day Londoners, struggles to fit in with friends they will long outlive. And an Oxford historian discovers an antique tome that may help her overcome her academic rivals.
In this deliciously macabre debut collection, Leon Craig explores queer identity, power, love and the painful complexities of being human in startling new ways.
'A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby . . . It is such a fresh and playful approach to storytelling that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with Craig's abilities.' Big Issue
Praise for Parallel Hells
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The short, twisted tales collected in Leon Craig's Parallel Hells have a laconic elegance that's both chilling and pleasurable... Angela Carter with a LGBTQI+ filter - Financial Times
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Trust me: you want to read this. It's the queer horror book of your dreams.
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Leon Craig confidently navigates real places and imaginary spaces most of us shy away from and leaves us deliciously teased, unsettled and hungry for more... what really impresses are the virtuoso changes of tone and tempo, and the way narratives flicker between registers - gothic to comedy, folk horror to social embarrassment - with easy confidence and grace - Daily Mail
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A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby... It is such a fresh and playful approach to storytelling that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with Craig's abilities. - The Big Issue
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Craig's collection dances with horror - the monster is not always who you expect. A book for anyone who likes to play in the dark.
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Both vibrantly contemporary and decadently gothic, the stories in Parallel Hells shimmer with queer power and wicked humour. At times I was reminded of the darkly wondrous work of Ramona Ausubel, Kelly Link, Patrick McGrath or Patrick Suskind -- but Leon Craig has a distinctively Dionysian literary sensibility that is all her own, and I can't wait to read everything she writes!
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By turns dark, sharp, witty and tender, I'm a huge fan of Leon Craig's writing, and the way she reveals the complex dance of beauty and brutality in our innermost, most vulnerable selves.
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Impressive... Read Parallel Hells for a different take on vampires, demons and monsters you never knew existed... Craig's worlds appear effortless - Mslexia
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