Visions through a Shattered Lens

Gerard Houarner, author of Painfreak, The Beast That Was Max and I Love You and There Is Nothing You Can Do About It, is quickly becoming one of the finest horror authors in print today. This limited edition hardcover showcases him at his best and is sure to be a valuable collector’s item in years to come. Houarner’s second Delirium collection features more than 140,000 words of fiction (428 pages), including eighteen short stories and three novellas. Cover artwork and foil stamp design by Colleen Crary. Eleven of the twenty tales are original! Plus, both editions contain special story introductions from the author! Each edition is signed by both Crary and Houarner and numbered.

From Publishers Weekly

In his fourth story collection, native New Yorker Houarner (Painfreak, etc.) offers 20 tough, uncompromising horror tales, nine of which are previously unpublished. Notable entries include "Finding the Lost Children," which plays off Egyptian mythology (especially cats); "Bui Doi," in which the supernatural invades Vietnamese street gang culture; "The Chain-Lynched Man," which builds on the real-life horror of lynching postcards; and "Children in the Moonless Night," which effectively uses an African setting. Nearly as good are the title story, with its artist's vision as nightmare; "On the Road," an indictment of the American love affair with the car; and "Mutilation Missionary," a screed against the Roman Catholic Church-not for the squeamish. "Out of the Shadows" uses the Lovecraftian pantheon for its character-centered plot without being too derivative. Finally, "Things I Wish I Had Not Seen," a grim portrait of an emotionally tortured Arab immigrant, and "Signs of Death," a potent but controlled visionary piece, draw on September 11 and its aftermath. No reader is likely to enjoy all the stories, with their mostly urban settings and in some cases overly familiar themes, but there's something here for every taste in adult horror.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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