Where Carrion Gods Dance

The ground here is ancient, its dark soil rich with blood and marrow, its trees swaying in diseased wind. The air is cool even in summer and sunlight never touches the earth. Birds speak here, as do the things wriggling through the dirt. Be careful, now, for what they say has broken stronger minds than yours. Step through, child. Don't be afraid. We're all here, and we've been waiting for you. Welcome to the place WHERE CARRION GODS DANCE. In this, his first collection of short fiction, acclaimed author and screenwriter Brad C. Hodson visits what Ray Bradbury called "the October Country," that place where it's always fall and dread things whisper from dark corners. The 17 stories inside tell of spirits brought forth by cursed plays, visions waiting in the space between breaths, and fleshly pleasures locked behind attic doors. A couple who have lost a child are given a second chance at parenting while two friends become addicted to dying. Childhood trauma comes back to scratch at the window in one tale while a corpse tears a crime spree across the Midwest in another. So step into the clearing, pull that log close to the fire, and see why Hodson has been called "a master of atmosphere" and "a writer who easily weaves emotional landmines throughout the fear." Step into the place WHERE CARRION GODS DANCE.

From the Inside Flap

What you'll find inside:Dumpster Stories - In the introduction, I confess to... Well, you'll see.Haunted - Two young boys sneak into an abandoned house on Halloween.The Other Patrick - A couple mourning the loss of their son are given one last chance at parenting.Il Donnaiolo - A tale of sexual obsession played out on the streets of modern Rome.The Perfect Jackson - High school graduates on a cross-country road trip become obsessed with a walking corpse that's tearing a crime spree across the Midwest.Breathe - What hides in the space between breaths?In the Halls and on the Stairs - After their father's funeral, two sisters return to the house they grew up to face whatever stalks the halls at night.The Scottish Play - Shakespeare's Macbeth is thought to be a cursed play. A theater owner is about to discover why.Almost - A mind unravels in a different kind of vampire tale.His Only Company, the Walls - Told in a series of voicemails, a young man unravels trapped in a hotel room where he believes the walls are speaking to him.Picked Last - Childhood trauma comes back to scratch at the window.Chasing the Reaper - Two friends who have become addicted to dying discover how bad the withdrawals can be.Tabula Rasa - A May-December romance goes wrong when something not quite human moves into the attic.Hester Cohen - A man has to deal with the suicide of his sick and abusive wife.Biology - Elmer is about to find out that we're all nothing but hormones and chemicals.Where Carrion Gods Dance - When he brought the box home that he found on the side of the road, he had no idea where the contents would lead him.The Thousandth Hell - A father and son who hate one another are forced to navigate the Courts of Hell together.The Lord of Misrule - When her wife goes missing on a trip to Ireland, a woman struggling with depression will uncover an ancient horror best left alone.

About the Author

Originally from East Tennessee, Brad C. Hodson is a novelist and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. A former stand-up comic and founder of an award winning sketch group, he currently works as the Administrator for the Horror Writers Association. He's written for page, screen, stage, and games (both video and tabletop), and loves storytelling in all its forms. In addition to several film and television projects in development, he's currently writing an upcoming comic book series for WebToon.

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