The Secret Life of Insects
Will be published approx. on 28. March 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-8381716-4-3 (ISBN)
Description
A forensic entomologist tries to solve the inexplicable murder of his wife, who impossibly seems to have been killed in a forest at the same time she was asleep in bed with him. A husband becomes concerned by his wife's strange behavior, which includes sleepwalking, muttering strange phrases, and a bizarre erotic fascination with octopi. A woman visits a witch doctor who promises to forge an unbreakable bond between her and the man of her dreams, but things go horribly awry after the man dies. And four high school friends reunite twenty years later at a class reunion and must face the long-buried truth of a demonic experience from
their youth.
The history of Mexico is drenched in blood, from the sacrifices of the ancient Aztecs to the bloodthirsty conquest of the Spanish to modern-day violent crime, and that legacy of violence and death pervades these stories. They blend the genres of horror and noir in inventive ways and run the gamut from chilling to weirdly unsettling to darkly funny. It is a volume sure to please not only fans of horror and weird fiction but also anyone interested in contemporary international literature.
This edition also features brilliant full-page illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Perez Ochando.
their youth.
The history of Mexico is drenched in blood, from the sacrifices of the ancient Aztecs to the bloodthirsty conquest of the Spanish to modern-day violent crime, and that legacy of violence and death pervades these stories. They blend the genres of horror and noir in inventive ways and run the gamut from chilling to weirdly unsettling to darkly funny. It is a volume sure to please not only fans of horror and weird fiction but also anyone interested in contemporary international literature.
This edition also features brilliant full-page illustrations by Spanish artist Luis Perez Ochando.
Reviews / Votes
"These stories are fully cognizant of Horror's past, but they also provide clear signposts for Horror's possible future. Very deft, smart stories that manage to do in ten pages what most novels struggle to accomplish in thirty times that. Esquinca is a writer to watch." Brian Evenson, award-winning author of Song for the Unraveling of the World"From short, punchy, Twilight Zone-ish stories to longer, far more insidious dances with horror and madness, Esquinca weaves reality with illusion deftly in The Secret Life of Insects, an excellent collection. Recommended!" Elizabeth Engstrom, author of When Darkness Loves Us and Black Ambrosia
"Bernardo Esquinca's haunting, original stories spin out implications like spider silk: light, strong...and very dangerous." Michael Cisco, author of The Divinity Student
'Bernardo Esquinca is a writer who knows that fear is another form of desire. Of the desire for the dark, the desire for the mysterious, and the desire for life in death. His writing grabs you and takes you by the hand through obsessions where what is beautiful and monstrous in humanity dwells. Read him: you're going to be terrified and amazed at the same time.' Monica Ojeda, author of Jawbone
'Bernardo Esquinca traces the veil between the natural and supernatural, and with a doctor's precision, he slits that perimeter in order to reach through and drag back something completely outside the realm of our own comprehension. The fourteen tales within this breathtaking collection don't come from our world, but beyond it. The Secret Life of Insects firmly establishes Esquinca as a rising dark star of horror.' - Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Ghost Eaters
"This is a new favorite collection with some singular stories that stand out as some of
the best short fiction I've read." Sadie Hartmann, author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered
"The tales in The Secret Life of Insects are fresh, spicy, literary, provocative, often chilling, sometimes shocking, but always with a clever, well-thought-out point that provides a lasting resonance. The exquisitely detailed illustrations by Luis Perez Ochando are the cherry on top. Don't miss it." Rue da Morgue
"The Secret Life of Insects stands as an entertaining and technically accomplished introduction to an essential new voice in the worldwide weird." Southwest Review
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Dead Ink Books
Illustrations
10 Illustrations by Luis Perez Ochando
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-8381716-4-3 (9781838171643)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Bernardo Esquinca was born in Guadalajara in 1972, and is the author of several novels and story collections. His short story 'Senor Ligotti' was nominated for the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award in 2021, and his novel Toda la sangre was made into a television series by the production company Lionsgate+.