Bad Intentions

by Norman Partridge

Norman Partridge's first story collection, Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales, won a Bram Stoker Award, and his first novel, Slippin' Into Darkness, garnered the highest praise from horror critics; so it's no surprise that this second collection is a knockout. Here, in dusty Southwestern settings with tawdry glimmers of pop culture, you'll find carnival roustabouts, an Elvis impersonator, a demon gunslinger, a gorilla gunslinger, monstrous automobiles, a heavyweight champ who's past his prime--all of them flirting with death, if not damnation, too. The fragmented narratives are at times a little befuddling, but the writing is lean and evocative, like Dennis Etchison or Jim Thompson. As Joe R. Lansdale writes in the introduction, "Bad Intentions will be one of the most important short story collections of the nineties." And this first edition of only 526 copies, with a striking cover painting by Ryan Dreimiller, will most likely be a collector's item.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Collections

300 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Norman Partridge’s fiction includes horror, suspense, and the fantastic—“sometimes all in one story” says his friend Joe Lansdale. His compact, thrill-a-minute style has been praised by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and his fiction has received three Bram Stokers and two IHG awards.

Partridge’s career launched a series of firsts during the indie press boom of the early nineties. His first short story appeared in the second issue of Cemetery Dance, and his debut novel, Slippin’ into Darkness, was the first original novel published by CD. Partridge’s chapbook Spyder was one of Subterranean Press’s inaugural titles, while his World Fantasy-nominated collection, Bad Intentions, was the first hardcover in the Subterranean book line.

Since then, Partridge has published pair of critically acclaimed suspense novels featuring ex-boxer Jack Baddalach for Berkley Prime Crime (Saguaro Riptide and The Ten-Ounce Siesta), comics for Mojo and DC, and a series novel (The Crow: Wicked Prayer) which was adapted for the screen. His award-winning collections include Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales and The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists. Partridge’s latest novel, Dark Harvest, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Books of 2006.

Whether working in mainstream markets or the independent press, Partridge’s vivid, exuberant writing style has made him a fan favorite. Never content to be pigeon-holed as a writer, Partridge continues to defy categorization. A third-generation Californian, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Canadian writer Tia V. Travis.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is 11 of 500 signed numbered copies.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent short story collection. As will all collections, it contains some hits and misses. My favorites include "Dead Man's Hand", "Styx", "Guignoir" and "Johnny Halloween".

[Richard Kryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of short stories.