Knife Fight: And Other Struggles

by David Nickle

Overview

Stories of the mysterious and macabre from “Canada’s answer to Stephen King” (Helen Marshall, author of Gifts for the One Who Comes After).
 
In this follow-up to his award-winning debut collection, Monstrous Affections, David Nickle stretches the boundaries of horror into a sphere of “uncertainty, of helplessness, of traditions and change. . . . The stories are sui generis in presentation, veering from the discombobulating nightmare that is ‘Basements’ to the squid-laden eco-satire ‘Wylde’s Kingdom’ to the sci-fi love of ‘Love Means Forever.’ When it comes to this book, only two things are certain; the stories never travel where you expect, and David Nickle is a monumental talent” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
 
“Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the talent based on preconceptions of what horror might be—read one of these stories and see if you aren’t hooked. . . . Believe the hype. David Nickle is very good.” —The Globe and Mail
 
“Anyone even vaguely interested in horror or weird fiction owes it to themselves to give David Nickle a look, and Knife Fight and Other Struggles is a great place to start.” —The Winnipeg Free Press
 
“Knife Fight and Other Struggles is a remarkable collection that drops some hi-fidelity weirdness on the scene. Nickle’s prose has gorgeous lines of symmetry and a steel spine.” —Laird Barron, Shirley Jackson Award–winning author
 
“Dynamic imagination, masterful writing of both the everyday and the nightmare, characters that breathe, and a dark sense of humor make [Knife Fight and Other Struggles] a keeper.” —Jeffrey Ford, World Fantasy Award–winning author
 
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781504064293
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	11/24/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

David Nickle is an award-winning Toronto-based author and journalist. He has written several novels and numerous short stories. Nickle’s most recent book is Volk: A Novel of Radiant Abomination (2017).

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/20/2014
While his past work has embraced the genre, it's not entirely accurate to label award-winning author David Nickle's newest collection as "horror." Yes, tropes are at play that support the classification: throughout the tales frolic possessed babies, vampires, and house-destroying worms, " over the floor lamp, tiny bodies making an uneven pattern of curling silhouettes on the shade… leather recliner, like a new, writhing layer of upholstery." Yet the collection as a whole belies its category. It isn't "Boo!" horror; this is the horror of uncertainty, of helplessness, of traditions and change. In Nickle's fevered imagination political disputes are settled not with debate but with blades, the combatants "stripped naked to the waist, polished with a thin slick of goose fat." The stories are sui generis in presentation, veering from the discombobulating nightmare that is "Basements" to the squid-laden eco-satire "Wylde's Kingdom" to the sci-fi love of "Loves Means Forever." When it comes to this book, only two things are certain; the stories never travel where you expect, and David Nickle is a monumental talent. Agent: Monica Pacheco, The Anne McDermid Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"David Nickle is my favourite kind of writer. His stories are dark, wildly imaginative, and deeply compassionate—even when they’re laced with righteous anger. He’s at the top of his game in this new book of short stories, and that’s about as good as it gets.” —Nathan Ballingrud, Shirley Jackson Award–winning author of North American Lake Monsters

“David Nickle is Canada’s answer to Stephen King. His writing charms even as it slices like a blade between the ribs: sharp, subtle, and never less than devastating.” —Helen Marshall, British Fantasy Award–winning author of Hair Side, Flesh Side

 

From the Publisher