Readings from the Book of Pain

A man trapped in perpetual darkness, walking a nightmarish landscape as an unseen beast hunts him, drawing ever closer; a heroin-addicted arsonist, questioning the fabric of his own reality, and bent on discovering the true nature of fire; a man of faith, giving his own flesh and blood in his blind determination to prove the existence of God; a living force of darkness and pain, wandering the city streets in its hunger for human suffering.... These are the fears and desires that haunt our dreams, the evil thoughts and deeds that may hide behind every grinning face. These are the worst intentions of man and beast, the depraved psychological wanderings that poison our society and fuel our nightmares. We read about them in the headlines, and turn away in fear. We see them on the news and tell ourselves such things could never happen to us. But they're out there, waiting for us, watching us. Praying to their masters of fear and terror, practicing their darkest arts in the coldest hours of the night, and whispering the blackest litanies from their unholy Book of Pain.

About the Author

Brad J. Boucher is the author of six novels of horror and suspense: "The Shoals," "Diviner," "11:11," "Vessels," "Curnow's Crossing," and "Primal Fear," all currently available in trade paperback, as well as three collections of short horror stories, "The Dead Hours," "Readings from the Book of Pain," and "In the House of Sin." In addition to his paperback fiction, he has also placed more than fifty short stories in the small and semi-pro press, with work appearing in such publications as "Deathrealm", "Palace Corbie", "Best of the Midwest", and "Iniquities". One of his stories, "Cold Touch," was reprinted in the hardcover anthology, "Quick Chills II: The Best Horror Fiction from the Specialty Press", while several others have received honorable mentions in various editions of "Year's Best Fantasy and Horror." As a writer, his main preference continues to be horror fiction, though he has written and placed many science fiction stories, as well as a handful of thrillers and (very) dark comedies. One of his goals as a writer is to produce a string of horror novels that offer a fresh approach to both the subject matter and the genre itself, and to continually blur the lines between horror and other genres of fiction. His influences include the works of Stephen King and Clive Barker, the fiction of Graham Masterton, Joe R. Lansdale and Robert R. McCammon. He also cites a diverse group of non-horror writers as influences, including Elmore Leonard, Jerzy Kosinski, Tom Franklin and Chuck Palahniuk. Brad lives on New Hampshire's Seacoast with his two daughters, where he is working on his next two novels "Blood & Ashes," and "Surfacing" as well as another collection of short horror stories.

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