Bitter Waters

The average adult male is approximately 60% water. Blood tastes salty as more than two thirds of the sodium circulating throughout your body is carried in arteries and veins. Which means that your heart is like a miniature ocean within your chest. Chaz Brenchley has not only been awarded the British Fantasy Society's August Derleth Award but knows all too well the storms and dangers of the heart: the lofty desires, the grieving nadirs, the tempest of love. In Bitter Watters, his first short story collection devoted to gay readers, Brenchley offers men fantastical instances to effleurer, to break for taller timber, to drown in emotions. And while not every tale in this breathtaking collection involves the sea, tears and bloodshed still need to be navigated.

From Publishers Weekly

"Derleth Award–winner Brenchley charts the treacheries of the sea and the human heart in this haunting collection of new fiction and reprints, all of which emphasize queer male desire. ... Recurring figures anchor the collection across its range of genres, from crime fiction to high fantasy... This clever and subtle collection, Brenchley’s first since 1996’s Blood Waters, visits 17 unforgettable ports of call." - Starred review

From Kirkus Reviews

"Ghosts, monsters and trials at sea complicate romances in these energetic, atmospheric stories. ... the author’s vigorous prose and well-paced storytelling will keep readers turning pages as his twisty characters get inside their heads. A fine collection that imbues fantasy, action and horror with real literary depth." - Starred review

About the Author

Chaz Brenchley is a British writer of novels and short stories, associated with the genres of horror, crime and fantasy.

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