Quadriphobia

by Alan Ryan

In Quadriphobia, a writer hailed for his short stories presents a symphony of the supernatural in four movements. Here are a detective story, a Western, a Gothic romance, and a heart-stopping tale of jungle adventure-each an unforgettable excursion deep into the heart of horror... and humor. And at the core of each, the elusive woman named Mary Cantrell.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories

184 pages, Hardcover

First published February 21, 1986

About the author

Alan Peter Ryan was an American author and editor, known for his work in the horror genre in the 1980s.

Reviews

[Kevin Lucia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of novellas, all very much intentional pastiches of genre conventions - gumshoe detective, western, gothic romance and Rudyard Kipling-like Men's Adventure Club in the African Jungle. Interesting, and the western was the best of the bunch...but I wonder what it's original reception might've been. Skillfully written by all means, but too obvious an affectation. Not as moving or as powerful as "The Bones Wizard", "Cast a Cold Eye" or "The Slave Tree." Deeper review coming soon in my Cemetery Dance Online column "Revelations."

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan does a good job copying the styles of all four stories, for both good and bad. The western and the detective story were 4 stars, but the gothic “romance” and jungle adventure were hard to get through.