"More than a dozen horror stories—weird, self-referential, expertly told. [The] quirkily magisterial title entry delivers a grim vision of hubris and collective apathy . . . It is all, frankly, riveting. . . . What seems to matter, in all these stories, aren’t the specifics of a grisly end but the emotions they conjure, the way they tinge our own reality after we turn the page.” — New York Times
“Invigorating . . . Whether he’s writing a subtly disarming tale in the manner of Shirley Jackson or a grisly monster story, Tremblay draws well-developed characters whose recognizable humanity makes it easy for readers to accept the weird events happening around them.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A wonderful collection of short fiction. These 15 gems, polished to perfection, range from straight-up horror to speculative fiction to psychological terror . . . . This one’s a must-have.” — Booklist (starred review)
"A brilliant, creepy and wildly entertaining collection. By turns surreal, playful, and frightening, with a wondrously nightmarish Orwellian fable to boot, Paul Tremblay is a master storyteller who vividly conjures the monstrous in all its shivery forms." — Mona Awad, author of Bunny and Rouge
“Inventive, entertaining, and guaranteed to trouble your sleep. I savored this collection—and I’m still thinking about the show-stopping tour-de-force novella in verse, ‘The Beast You Are.’ I’ve never read anything like it, but now I want more, more, more.” — Kelly Link, bestselling author of White Cat, Black Dog: Stories
“Uncertainty is Tremblay’s stock-in-trade. Over the last decade, he has grown from hot new thing to horror icon without compromising on his uniquely inexplicable nightmares.” — Esquire
"Tremblay’s greatest gift as a writer may be to both unnerve his reader and break their heart at the same time." — Litreactor
“Paul Tremblay delivers another mind-bending horror novel . . . The Pallbearers Club is a welcome casket of chills to shoulder.” — Washington Post
"Yet another not-to-miss release by the popular and critically acclaimed Tremblay, showcasing a discomfort that is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson but still new and thought-provoking." — Library Journal (starred review)
“A jaunty, character-driven exploration of a complicated friendship, [The Pallbearers Club] is more emotional than [Tremblay’s] previous novels, and more innovative. . . . [T]his delightfully morbid and surprisingly emotional horror novel demonstrates Tremblay’s literary range.” — New York Times
“[A] deliciously confusing thriller.” — Weekend Edition (NPR) on The Pallbearers Club
“Melancholy and funny as well as dark and complex, this novel will be the dark hit of the summer. Unique in terms of style and format, The Pallbearers Club occupies a peculiar place between a thriller, a horror novel, and a narrative that will make you question everything.” — Boston Globe
★ 06/01/2023
Tremblay returns with another horror story collection, this time gathering 15 tales—some from award-winning anthologies; others, gems previously only available in smaller outlets—all of which will be enjoyed by long-time fans and new readers alike. Showcasing his award-winning brand of psychological horror, which derives its emotional terror from the characters, he reveals a terrible truth and then makes readers watch as the characters confront both the horror itself and their reactions to it. Every story, no matter the specific details, will break readers' hearts but ultimately leave them with hope. The titular new novella which anchors this volume is a great example, subtly nestled into his A Head Full of Ghosts universe; Tremblay presents an unsettling, anthropomorphic animal story told in free verse—a captivating, visceral, and menacing tale that, while fantastical, is also clearly about humanity right at this moment. Readers will be unable to look away, even as they see themselves in the horror. VERDICT Yet another not-to-miss release by the popular and critically acclaimed Tremblay (The Pallbearers Club), showcasing a discomfort that is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson but still new and thought-provoking.
An ensemble of 10 narrators deftly captures the unsettling, creepy, or horror-filled nature of 15 thought-provoking works in several genres by Tremblay. A gravelly-voiced Graham Halstead remembers touring his first crush's haunted house, Jorjeana Marie becomes a mean girl who erases the chalk marks that lead an old man home, and Ewan Chung channels the intense pain of grief that never heals. Helen Laser crushes it as a horror blogger, with the nine other narrators commenting. Neil Shah uses a creepy, whispery tone as a person who is dying from a virus yet refuses to be treated or cloned. The title novella, delivered by Xe Sands in a voice that is controlled yet world-weary, is a dark fantasy about a monster who returns every 30 years to wreak havoc upon a town. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
An ensemble of 10 narrators deftly captures the unsettling, creepy, or horror-filled nature of 15 thought-provoking works in several genres by Tremblay. A gravelly-voiced Graham Halstead remembers touring his first crush's haunted house, Jorjeana Marie becomes a mean girl who erases the chalk marks that lead an old man home, and Ewan Chung channels the intense pain of grief that never heals. Helen Laser crushes it as a horror blogger, with the nine other narrators commenting. Neil Shah uses a creepy, whispery tone as a person who is dying from a virus yet refuses to be treated or cloned. The title novella, delivered by Xe Sands in a voice that is controlled yet world-weary, is a dark fantasy about a monster who returns every 30 years to wreak havoc upon a town. S.D.B. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
