{"product_id":"long-december-book-richard-chizmar-9781909640887","title":"A Long December","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1996, Richard Chizmar's debut short story collection, \u003cem\u003eMidnight Promises\u003c\/em\u003e, was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award. \u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e called it a sterling collection while singling out The Silence of Sorrow as an understated masterpiece.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwo years later, Subterranean Press published a mini-collection from Chizmar entitled \u003cem\u003eMonsters and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e. In his introduction, acclaimed genre critic Edward Bryant said, When all is said and done, this book should leave you in utter silence, giving you time and opportunity to contemplate what you just read. Tough storytelling from a tough writer; but a writer who is not calloused. Chizmar possesses a finely honed gift of empathy. With utter grace and loving kindness he'll put you right inside the life (and soul) of the monster.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNow, nearly two decades later, Chizmar assembles thirty-five stories, including a previously-unpublished novella, and presents us with \u003cem\u003eA Long December\u003c\/em\u003e. This massive new collection features more than 150,000 words of Chizmar's very best short fiction and includes 8,000 words of autobiographical Story Notes.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEerie, suspenseful, poignant, the stories in \u003cem\u003eA Long December\u003c\/em\u003e range from horror to suspense, crime to dark fantasy, mainstream to mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author Scott Smith (\u003cem\u003eA Simple Plan\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Ruins\u003c\/em\u003e) notes: It's an idyllic little world Richard Chizmar has created. Boys fish in the shallows of a winding creek. A father tosses a baseball with his young son in the fading light of a summer day. There's the smell of fresh-cut grass. And then, well...just beneath the surface? There are those missing pets whose collars turn up in a shoebox. Or the disturbing photos the dead can leave behind. Or the terrible thing you might find yourself doing when a long lost brother suddenly returns, demanding money. Chizmar does a tremendous job of peeling back his world's shiny layers, revealing the rot that lies underneath. His stories feel like so many teeth: short and sharp and ready to draw blood.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50039945756945,"sku":"CIN1909640883VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52107420958993,"sku":"CIN1909640883G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1909640883.jpg?v=1750996604","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/long-december-book-richard-chizmar-9781909640887","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}