Few writers of horror fiction are held in such high regard as Dennis Etchison. This career retrospective takes his best fiction, culled from nearly fifty years in the field. Dennis Etchison (b. 1943) is an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction. Etchison refers to his own work as “rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world.” Stephen King has called Dennis Etchison “one hell of a fiction writer” and he has been called “the most original living horror in America.” It is his work in the short story format that is especially well regarded by critics and genre fans. His first short story collection, The Dark Country, was published in 1982. Its title story received the World Fantasy Award as well as the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection of that year, the first time one writer received both major awards for a single work. He was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for “The Late Shift” (1981), and as well as winning the ward in 1982 for “The Dark Country,” has won it since for Best Short Story, for “The Olympic Runner” (1986) and “The Dog Park” (1994), all of which are included in this 600+ page retrospective. Etchison is generally regarded as one of the finest writers currently working in the horror genre, especially by his peers. The late Karl Edward Wagner proclaimed him “the finest writer of psychological horror this genre has ever produced.” Charles L. Grant called Etchison “the best short story writer in the field today, bar none.” This collection of stories features a new introduction by S.T. Joshi, a dozen original artworks by David Ho, original story notes by Dennis Etchison, and photographs of the author throughout the years, all in a signed, limited edition. This is the best collection of Etchison ever published, and it destined to be regarded as a landmark volume.