Going Back

by Tony Richards

After it happened, my marriage only lasted two more months. Janine? She would tell me, some fifty times a day that it wasn't really my fault. Be she never looked in my eyes once, each time she said it. And by mid-February, she was gone...

Time is of the essence, and in these eighteen stories from acclaimed dark fantasy writer Tony Richards the essence of time is the link that pulls his characters together. Richards explores the nature of reality and perception filtered through the lens of time; examines how our decisions can lead us down unsettling paths, and however carefully we make our choices they can still contain strange consequences, even tragic ones.

A man becomes trapped with a never-ending day, another tries to prevent a child's death by returning to the past. Two others explore enforced loneliness and blind computer dating, each with terrifying results. Nine rocks predict the end of the world, and a beautiful stranger continues to exist even though her time is an end. Meanwhile, non-existent cats play havoc with a bewildered couple's life, as mortality nudges at our shoulders, drawing ever closer.

If only time was more flexible. Which way would you turn the clock, forward or back?

Nominated for the British Fantasy Award, 2008

"A master of the art" -- Black Static

"Once again Richards confirms his superb storytelling sill and refreshes the pleasure of savoring fine prose" -- SF Site

"An amazing voice" -- James A. Moore

"Man, can this guy write" -- Ed Gorman

216 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2007

About the author

My latest book -- from UK publisher Endeavour Media -- is a bit of a departure for me. THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... -- takes the Great Detective all over the world, from the States to Africa to the Far East, taking in locations in Europe and the Caribbean along the way. How did I come to write these 13 new mysteries? It's explained in my blog, below.

I'm a writer mostly of supernatural fiction, author of a series of fantasy thriller novels set in the magic-filled town of Raine's Landing, Massachusetts. Currently, that series is up to #6 -- WITCH HUNTER --.with a seventh on the way.

But I write regular crime fiction too, with numerous tales published in AHMM, and a second novel featuring my ex-FBI agent turned private detective, Matt Barrett, is now out from Cemetery Dance Publications. It's called THE TRIBE. (The first novel was THE DESERT KEEPS ITS DEAD).

I've seen to publication almost 100 short stories, enough to fill 8 collections, the latest being THE UNIVERSAL AND OTHER TERRORS (Dark Renaissance Press), and my work has appeared in Asimov's SF, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Weird Tales and numerous top anthologies including Year's Best Horror.

Reviews

[Henrik]

A different edition than noted here on GR. Purchased directly from the publisher, Dark Region Press, their moving sale Summer 2013.