Praise for Gemma Files

“Files’s monsters peer out from the periphery of reality, creating a sense of lurking horror and existential dread. This atmospheric collection will have even the most seasoned horror readers considering sleeping with the lights on.”
–Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

“…guaranteed to please every variety of horror fan… One standout in Files’ writing is her incredible diversity, both in character and style; it is refreshing to read about the different types of people and relationships represented…”
-Booklist

“… a must-read for horror aficionados who delight in dread.”
–Paula Guran, LOCUS MAGAZINE

“There was Shirley Jackson, there is Stephen King and now there is Gemma Files.”
–more2read.com

“No one is better than Gemma Files at locating intersections between consciousness and subliminal stimuli. Her most memorable characters exist in a vaguely discernible state of anxiety, not quite unhappy but conjuring strange maladies and sorrows, until they become aware of something undeniably weird in the atmosphere.

“What makes her stories hum with urgency and vibrant energy is the way her characters embrace and are transformed by these invisible currents. Above all, she suggests, what is truly human in all of us can’t be fully apprehended logically or strategically. To become one’s true self, for good or for bad, requires the courage to fall headfirst into the blood and fire of the unknown.

“No wonder Files is so highly regarded by the finest talents in weird and horror fiction today. Every story she produces is a must-read for anyone seeking intellectually stimulating fiction with great heart, and stunningly original imagery in the service of fascinating ideas. You won’t forget these tales of wonder when you close the book. They will linger in your imagination, yielding ever more enticing associations, for a long time to come. Highly recommended.”
– S.P. Miskowski, author of I Wish I Was Like You

“Gemma Files’s stories are always so smart and humane, and overwhelm the reader with a true sense of wonder, awe, and horror. She is, simply put, one of the most powerful and unique voices in weird fiction today.”
—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World

“When we speak of the best in contemporary horror and weird fiction, we must speak of Gemma Files.”
—Laird Barron, author of Worse Angels

“Gemma Files has one of the great dark imaginations in fiction—visionary, transgressive, and totally original.”
—Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach trilogy

“Nobody in a Gemma Files story puts a hand on a doorknob and opens the door they shouldn’t—these folks are already in the other side. And that’s to my taste.”
—Paula Guran, senior editor for Prime Books

“Horror, the way Gemma Files writes it—wielding her words and her images deftly as a straight razor, slicing so surely that the reader isn’t even aware that the protective skin of his imagination has opened into two neatly divided flaps, [with] a few seconds of red grace before the pain comes and the screaming begins.”
—Michael Rowe, author of Enter Night: A Novel

“Boldly, brazenly, Gemma Files pushes her hands deep into the red and seeping unconscious places and finds the bits of treasure worth pulling back out into the light.”
—Caitlín R. Kiernan, author of Houses Under the Sea

“Files’ prose is terse and muscular yet highly poetic. Her stories are equally full of pain and humanity, injustice and solace. And they enter your brain like a spike between the eyes.”
—Dale L. Sproule, Rue Morgue Magazine

“Gemma Files writes dirty, which in her deft hands is a good thing. At her best, she combines an intense, internalized narrative perspective with moments of jaw-dropping horror, perversion, or sexiness, and frequently all three in the one image or scene.”
—Mike O’Driscoll, The Fix

“Her work may leave you breathless. It could awaken realms within. At times you may sit stunned, wondering at the richness of writing, reconnecting to the reasons you have always loved to read.”
—Nancy Kilpatrick, author of Thrones of Blood

“Traditionally, those horror protagonists who catch sight even briefly of the naked malevolence of the world tend to die, go mad, or forget what they have seen. But Files offers a fourth alternative: meaningful survival, accepting responsibility for those around you, getting on with your chosen work. You might think of it as optimistic nihilism. This renewed sense of what horror fiction can do will resonate deeply for readers who find themselves overwhelmed by the increasingly prominent and disturbing images of the real world.”
—Helen Marshall, Los Angeles Review of Books