The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror
Language: English
Published by Shadow Publishing, Birmingham, UK, 2013
- First Edition
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, CO, U.S.A.Fahrenheit's Books
AbeBooks seller since June 27, 1997
Association member: RMABA
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 31.05
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
First edition, trade paperback, inscribed by Riley to John Pelan on the half title page, book has a tiny lean to the binding, light bumps to the spine ends and corners with a touch of creasing to the corners of the covers and the first/last few pages, and some mild edge wear to the covers, otherwise a solid, tight, clean Very Good+ copy.
Seller Inventory # 105326
- Title
- The Lurkers in the Abyss and Other Tales of Terror
- Author
- Riley, David A.
- Publisher
- Shadow Publishing, Birmingham, UK
- Publication year
- 2013
- Condition
- Very Good+
- Signed
- Inscribed by Author(s)
- Binding
- Trade Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 095390329X
- ISBN 13
- 9780953903290
- Illustrator
- Paul Mudie
- Edition
- 1st Edition.
- Seller catalogs
- Horror
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
There is a downside to the recent expansion of small press publishers and that is the fact that it has become far too easy to miss things. Even with an eye on all of the horror websites, it’s likely that something is going to slip your grasp. That’s what David A. Riley and THE LURKERS IN THE ABYSS AND OTHER TALES OF TERROR did with me!
I’ve been reading horror literature for over 35 years now and I like to think I have a pretty good handle on the field. Then something like this comes along and you wonder, “how did I miss this?”
Riley has been writing for some time. His first published story, the titular “The Lurkers in the Abyss” was included in the 1969 book, THE ELEVENTH BOOK OF HORROR STORIES. The story went on to be included in THE CENTURY’S BEST HORROR FICTION published in 2012. Riley has written many other short stories since 1969 and been published in a wide variety of places and yet I don’t recall ever coming across his work before.
Which is a shame because these stories have a powerful insidiousness that eats away at the back of your mind and reappear when you least expect it. Their ideas and utter maliciousness gnaw at you to the point where you begin to question the dark shapes in your bedroom or the creaking sounds in the hallway outside your door.
The universe that Riley presents is not a forgiving one. Like Lovecraft, Riley’s early influence, his universe does not care about you nor is it concerned with whether you are a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person or even what could be considered ‘fair’ in life. Many of the main characters in Riley’s fiction are people who are simply going about their regular lives until something happens and suddenly they have been marked by darkness.
In the title story, the ‘hero’ is simply someone who is trying to escape a band of rough thugs and get home safely when he stumbles across something far, far worse. In “After Nightfall”, a Lovecraftian type researcher learns that it is better to not question some customs. Simply the act of a car breaking down in a snowstorm can be enough to bring about “Terror on the Moor” while the house of an evil man can live on even after it’s been demolished and turned into apartment blocks as in “Prickly”. Even science fiction is not immune as Riley shows there is horror even here in “Winter on Aubarch 6” and “Help-Plants”. Perhaps the most insidious of these stories is “Soft Little Fingers” where a man becomes cursed simply because he looked at a window of a car at the wrong moment. And there are ten more tales like this in the collection; enough to make you want to sit in a bright, lighted place for a very, very long time.
In the introduction, David A. Sutton characterizes Riley’s stories as “urban horror” and there is plenty of that here but there is also something more. Something that, like the work of Ramsey Campbell, is out of synch with the rest of reality. Even more, with Riley’s fiction, you are left with the feeling that you yourself, at any time, doing the most mundane acts, could be consumed by darkness. And what more can you ask of a horror writer? (Hellnotes on-line review)
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Fahrenheit's Books
Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 15 business days | 4 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 5.27 | £ 10.55 |
Payment methods
- Money Order
Store description
Fahrenheit's Books is an open shop in Denver, Colorado, please feel free to visit us if you are in the neighborhood, we are open Wednesday-Monday from 11 to 5, and closed on Tuesday. We have an eclectic general stock of approximately 40,000 titles. Fahrenheit's Books is a member of the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association (RMABA), and was picked by 5280 Magazine as the editor's choice for Top Used Bookstore in Denver, and by Westword Magazine as "Denver's Best Literary Survivor on the Move". Please visit our website at www.fahrenheitsbooks.org…
Specialty
Vintage Paperbacks, Science Fiction, Metaphysics, Philosophy, LiteratureAssociation member
Seller's business information
Fahrenheit's Books
1415 S. Broadway
Denver, CO U.S.A. 80210
Terms of sale
Online titles are stored in a separate facility, so if you would like to see any of these titles at the shop, please email us and we will bring them down for you.
We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, & money orders (for U.S. dollars only drawn on U.S. banks only please), and cash (at your own risk of course).
Fahrenheit's Books LLP
210 S. Broadway
Denver, CO 80209
303-744-1043
bill@fahrenheitsbooks.com
Bill Montague, representative.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Shipping costs are based on books weighing 2.2 LB, or 1 KG. If your book order is heavy or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required.