Simon Strantzas

Canadian writer Simon Strantzas has long been recognized as one of the most dynamic voices in contemporary weird fiction. Gifted with a prose style that can evoke both terror and wonder, he endows his stories with an emotional resonance that sets them apart from much of the work in this field. In this new collection, Strantzas presents eleven tales, long and short, that display the wide array of motifs he utilizes. "In the Event of Death" tells of what a man finds when he explores his dead mother's house. "Circle of Blood" is one of several stories that distinctively fuse a hard-boiled crime scenario with the weird. "Antripuu" relates what four hikers find in a remote forest. "Clay Pigeons" is an expansive novella set in Port Said, drawing upon the tradition of film noir in its suggestion of horrors amidst the parched desert of Egypt. Throughout his work, Strantzas finds weirdness in the complexities of human relationships just as much as in the terrifying monsters he puts on display. His complex, brooding characters are the ideal recipients of the bizarre.

Vastarien: A Literary Journal is a source of critical study and creative response to the corpus of Thomas Ligotti as well as associated authors and ideas. The journal includes nonfiction, literary horror fiction, poetry, artwork and non-classifiable hybrid pieces. All Color Issue - Cover art by Danielle Hark and 13 illustrations by Danielle Hark, Giuseppe Balestra, Donyae Coles, Rhiannon Rasmussen, and Michael Sawecki.

Praise for 'Shadows & Tall Trees'SHIRLEY JACKSON AWARD-WINNER (Vol. 7)WORLD FANTASY AWARD FINALIST (Vol. 6)"Michael Kelly's Shadows and Tall Trees is a smart, soulful, illuminating investigation of the many forms and tactics available to those writers involved in one of our moment's most interesting and necessary projects, that of opening up horror literature to every sort of formal interrogation. It is a beautiful and courageous series."-- Peter Straub, author of Ghost Story"Shadows and Tall Trees epitomizes the idea of, and is the most consistent venue for weird, usually dark fiction. Well worth your time."-- Ellen Datlow, Best Horror of The YearAlison Littlewood - Hungry GhostsBrian Evenson - The Glassy, Burning Floor of HellCarly Holmes - TattletaleCharles Wilkinson - A Coastal QuestC. M. Muller - Camera ObscuraJames Everington - The Sound of the Sea, Too CloseKay Chronister - Too Lonely, Too WildKL Pereira - You, Girls Without HandsKristi DeMeester - The Quiet Forms of BelongingKurt Fawver - WorkdayM. Rickert - The Fascist Has a PartyNeil Williamson - Down to the RootsRebecca Campbell - Child of Shower and GleamSe n Padraic Birnie - DollfaceSimon Strantzas - The SomnambulistsSteve Rasnic Tem - Sleepwalking With AngelsSteve Toase - Green Grows the GriefV. H. Leslie - Lacunae

'Nothing is Everything' is the masterful new collection from acclaimed Canadian author Simon Strantzas. With elegant craftsmanship Strantzas delicately weaves a disquieting narrative through eerie and unexpected landscapes, charting an uncanny course through territories both bleak and buoyant, while further cementing his reputation as one of the finest practitioners of strange tales. CONTENTSIn This Twilight (new)Our Town's Talent (new)These Last EmbersThe Flower UnfoldsGhost Dogs (new)In the Tall GrassThe Fifth StoneThe Terrific Mr. Toucan (new)Alexandra LostAll Reality Blossoms in Flames (new)Advance praise for "Nothing is Everything""Simon Strantzas captures the creepiness of small town Ontario; there is something of Seth, of Alice Munro in his work, wonderfully tangled with the likes of Aickman and Jackson. Uncanny as a ventriloquist's doll, but with a real, beating heart."-Camilla Grudova, author of The Doll's Alphabet"Welcome to Nothing is Everything, the latest collection by Simon Strantzas. Taking the paths less traveled to the human heart and mind, and excavating the strangeness that abides therein, Strantzas is one of the most striking writers working today." -Angela Slatter, author of the World Fantasy Award-winning The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings"Simon Strantzas is Shirley Jackson-grade eerie, creating stories that are as unsettling as they are elegant."-Kij Johnson, author of At the Mouth of The River of Bees"The unexpected has arrived, and has brought with it the unknown. Simon Strantzas' stories arrive without warning, to offer those unknown gifts and sidelong glimpses that bring mystery close enough to touch."-Kathe Koja, author of The Cipher, and Christopher Wild"Simon Strantzas's compelling stories unfold across a liminal landscape of small towns and ordinary situations where encounters with the uncanny are often revelatory. With his latest collection, he further cements his place as a significant voice among a wave of writers who are redefining the boundaries of genre, blending a literary sensibility with a powerful sense of the possibilities for transcendence in the everyday."-Lynda E. Rucker, author of The Moon Will Look Strange, and You'll Know When You Get There

Nothing is Everything' is the masterful new collection from acclaimed Canadian author Simon Strantzas. With elegant craftsmanship Strantzas delicately weaves a disquieting narrative through eerie and unexpected landscapes, charting an uncanny course through territories both bleak and buoyant, while further cementing his reputation as one of the finest practitioners of strange tales. CONTENTSIn This Twilight (new)Our Town's Talent (new)These Last EmbersThe Flower UnfoldsGhost Dogs (new)In the Tall GrassThe Fifth StoneThe Terrific Mr. Toucan (new)Alexandra LostAll Reality Blossoms in Flames (new)Advance praise for "Nothing is Everything""Simon Strantzas captures the creepiness of small town Ontario; there is something of Seth, of Alice Munro in his work, wonderfully tangled with the likes of Aickman and Jackson. Uncanny as a ventriloquist's doll, but with a real, beating heart."-Camilla Grudova, author of The Doll's Alphabet "Welcome to Nothing is Everything, the latest collection by Simon Strantzas. Taking the paths less traveled to the human heart and mind, and excavating the strangeness that abides therein, Strantzas is one of the most striking writers working today." -Angela Slatter, author of the World Fantasy Award-winning The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings "Simon Strantzas is Shirley Jackson-grade eerie, creating stories that are as unsettling as they are elegant."-Kij Johnson, author of At the Mouth of The River of Bees "The unexpected has arrived, and has brought with it the unknown. Simon Strantzas' stories arrive without warning, to offer those unknown gifts and sidelong glimpses that bring mystery close enough to touch."-Kathe Koja, author of The Cipher, and Christopher Wild "Simon Strantzas's compelling stories unfold across a liminal landscape of small towns and ordinary situations where encounters with the uncanny are often revelatory. With his latest collection, he further cements his place as a significant voice among a wave of writers who are redefining the boundaries of genre, blending a literary sensibility with a powerful sense of the possibilities for transcendence in the everyday."-Lynda E. Rucker, author of The Moon Will Look Strange, and You'll Know When You Get There