Author:Margo Lanagan
RED SPIKES - ten stabs to the heart.
Ten tales to jab and poke - at your darkest fears, your secret desires.
Margo Lanagan's short stories take place in worlds not quite our own, and yet each one illuminates what it is to be human. They are stories of yearning for more, and learning to live with what you have. Stories that show the imprint love leaves on us all.
For anyone who likes to be surprised, touched, unsettled, intrigued, or scared, prepare to be dazzled by what a master storyteller can do in a few short pages.
A wide-ranging and often hard-hitting collection, these ten tales stimulate response, contemplation and reaction. Larger-than-life characters, setting and scenarios combined with hihg-impact immediacy of effect and an ability to linger long in mind and imagination make these sure-fire and engaging winners weith even the most sceptical reader
—— Jake Hope , The BooksellerMargo Lanagan's short stories take place in worlds not quite our own, and yet each one illuminates what it is to be human . . . Within fairly safe confines they do indeed surprise, they certainly intrigue and best of all, they show just exactly what can be done in the short story format
—— Phil HewittHold on tightly and prepare to be amazed at what a brilliant writer can do in just a few short pages
—— Young PostThese works demonstrate a powerful sense of the marvellous
—— Publishers WeeklyFast-paced and irresistibly readable. Two heads, it appears, really are better than one
—— Michael Cart , BooklistBlisteringly funny, and sad
—— Financial Times website[A] simple, funny and very engaging premise...Mulligan rewrites tragedy as a triumph, and turns the story into a neat way to explore friendship and tolerance.
—— GuardianOne of the best storytellers
—— Mr Ripley's Enchanted BooksMulligan certainly delivers in this extraordinary examination of grief....highly original, emotionally-charged black comedy / thriller. A worthy successor to Mulligan’s excellent Trash.
—— Daily Mail[A] poignant, imaginative take on adolescence
—— The Times, Saturday ReviewAddictive
—— BooktrustI really enjoyed this funny, sad and truthful fable...Mulligan makes a great deal of friendship and the huge source of strength and support it can be.
—— The Book BagA poignant and heart-warming story about life and all the hardships and troubles that this can bring...A fascinating and brilliant read...Another blinding story from Andy Mulligan, which delivers the unexpected with superb imaginative qualities.
—— Mr Ripley's Enchanted BooksA complex and absorbing novel with vivid characters
—— BooktrustGripping dark comedy . . . [A] clever portrayal of a boy on the cusp of adolescence struggling to reconcile opposing impulses within himself
—— Children's Books Ireland