{"product_id":"the-language-of-knives-stories-9781956522051","title":"The Language of Knives: Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"A perfect twilight read, this book will stick with readers as they devour story after story (just as some of Markov's characters devour their prey). A stunning, thrilling, and eerie collection of short stories that will delight readers of gothic fiction.\" \u003cstrong\u003e-\u003cem\u003eKirkus\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Stylish, macabre, and startling as a cigarette burn . . . A haunting debut.\" \u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAngela Slatter, Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy Award winner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA murderous nine-headed monster from legend permits a podcast interview. The mall has opened its doors, and nothing, not even certain death, will keep the shoppers away. A dead man's curse drives his descendants to drown themselves, no matter how far from home they flee. An eerie haunted house attraction receives an even more unnerving guest. A grieving widower, knife in hand, undertakes a painstaking, gruesome ritual to appease the gods. If seeking a boon from Baba Yaga sounds nerve-shattering, imagine having to live under her roof.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese thirteen tales from Bulgarian author Haralambi Markov meld Slavic mythology, pitch-black humor, and moving explorations of queer identity with vistas rooted in body horror and nightmares, yielding results that are sometimes deeply disquieting, sometimes surprisingly hopeful, and always strikingly novel. As Hugo and World Fantasy award-winning editor Ann VanderMeer states in her introduction, Markov \"writes with such power and intensity that you can't imagine where they get the courage to put such words on paper. Their work challenges us to face our fears, our insecurities, and not look away.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Like being flayed on the inside of your eyelids, but in a good way. So weird. So queer. So nauseating. And so, so beautiful.\" \u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eC. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award winner\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Mythic Delirium Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/07\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781956522051\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.00h x 5.25w x 0.49d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/0001\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Haralambi Markov","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52507669233845,"sku":"9781956522051","price":15.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_f9e62791-048f-4c1d-9869-4ecee4b31846.jpg?v=1778566485","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-language-of-knives-stories-9781956522051","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}