Cirrus@Austlit

'A driver picks up a hitchhiker from the side of a road; a restorer develops an unusual bond with a cursed doll; a visit to the cabin in the woods goes terribly wrong...

'We all know how these stories end - or do we?

'In This Fresh Hell, every story begins with a well-known horror trope but ends with a twist, bringing new life and unexpected resolutions to old ideas. Fears are interrogated, ghosts re-examined, and monsters reconfigured.

'From chilling to quirky, these stories will appeal to dedicated horror fans and those dipping into the genre for the first time.

'A Slender Man offers help to a boy in trouble; a haunted house is reluctant to terrify its new residents; a heartbroken influencer is challenged on a luxury cruise from hell.

'Writers from Australia and around the world reignite and subvert horror tropes in 19 genre-bending stories:

'Eugen Bacon, Elle Beaumont, Katya de Becerra, Jason Franks, Raymond Gates, Narrelle M. Harris, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Greg Herren, Claire Low, Annie McCann, Chuck McKenzie, L.J.M. Owen, Gillian Polack, Tansy Rayner-Roberts, Clare E. Rhoden, Candace Robinson, Sarah Robinson-Hatch, Claire L. Smith, C. Vonzale Lewis, and A.J. Vrana.' (Publication summary)

'STEP INTO THE WORLD OF THE DARK MAN: PLEASE HAVE YOUR REFERRAL READY…

'An abused child encounters the local legendary boogeyman, and finds himself querying the definition of ‘monster’…

'Two time-travellers observe The Crucifixion, and discover a horror far beyond the brutality of the event itself…

'An inhuman predator establishes its feeding ground in a small rural town—but does it have competition…?

'In this collection, representing the darker work of award-nominated author Chuck McKenzie, you’ll find tales of zombies, kaiju, and alien invaders; of visits to Hell, and to quiet suburban streets; of Lovecraftian entities and spectral terrors. And other, far less pleasant tales than these…'  (Publication summary)