Author:Saki
Saki's dazzling tales manage the remarkable feat of being anarchic and urbane at the same time. Studded with Wildean epigrams and featuring well-contrived plots and surprise endings, his stories gleefully skewer the pompous hypocrisies of upper-class Edwardian society. But they go beyond mere satire, raising dark humour to extremes of entertaining outrageousness that have rarely since been matched. Saki's elegantly mischievous young heroes sow chaos in their wake without breaking a sweat, occasionally assisted by werewolves, tigers, eavesdropping house pets and casually murderous children. This selection of over fifty stories includes such favourites as 'Tobermory', 'The Open Window', 'Sredni Vashtar', 'Mrs Packletide's Tiger', 'The Schartz-Metterklume Method', and many more.
A superb collection of stand-out stories… The Pier Falls is unique in that every story is brilliant… It is, simply, and ultimately, an absolute pleasure to read
—— Irish IndependentThis is a top-notch collection… It veers into unexpected territory, and the evolving surprises are mesmerizing… 'The Pier Falls' leads the collection. It is a perfectly controlled little masterpiece… So chilling that one imagines its author could carve out a second career as a horror film scriptwriter.
—— Lionel Shriver , Financial TimesBrilliant collection… Seamless prose… It feels as though Haddon is leading you into the deepest underworld of human endeavor and behavior, yet holding your hand gently as he guides you into the labyrinth. Outstanding.
—— Imogen Lycett Green , Daily MailThe real redemption in these superbly gripping stories comes from their canny human detail, and the vivid, unsettling clarity they bring to our brief lives.
—— Phil Baker , Sunday TimesHe writes with the craft of Julian Barnes or, even, Truman Capote.
—— Andrew Billen , The TimesThe title story…is so good and so awful I read it with my hand over my mouth… His global smash hit The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time...hit the mark. Here, he hits it again, and again and again
—— MetroA knockout. From the breathtaking first piece, The Pier Falls is powerful and emotional.
—— Good HousekeepingMark Haddon is a master of haunting detail. This title story is a tour de force and the other eight are diverting reminders of just how transporting a perfectly constructed short story can be.
—— Olicia Cole , GQSuperb new collection… This impressive collection is both bleak and brilliant and shows a writer at the top of his game.
—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily ExpressA sustained set of powerfully told stories... It's as if Ian McEwan had never turned nice.
—— David Sexton , Evening StandardHe is a master of the short form…his imagination is even darker than we had thought.
—— iA masterful collection… Haddon is a consummate storyteller and The Pier Falls reveals a writer at the peak of his imagination. Some of the stories have already been shortlisted for awards and one suspects the whole collection will justifiably follow suit.
—— Hannah Beckerman , Sunday ExpressThis collection brims with incident both curious and exciting, and yet displays a cool, almost detached observance of unfolding drama that is impossible to look away from.
—— Hilary White , Irish IndependentHaddon’s debut collection contains a suite of ambitiously scaled and event-packed tales, self-consciously eclectic both in setting and subject matter… The Pier Falls is a bracing, remorselessly lucid depiction of a sudden and expansive moment of chaos… Each of these stories grip. Like the news at its queasiest, most shocking or grimly inevitable, you frequently want to look away but are compelled to keep reading.
—— Colin Barrett , Irish TimesHe can pull you into the heart of a new world with just two or three sentences, and deploys this talent with apparent ease… Haddon’s work is easy to relate to because it’s underpinned with razor-sharp clarity about what it means to be human.
—— Club LifeShows the breadth of his ability.
—— Alex O'Connell , The TimesTerrific dark collection in which each story is as absorbing and powerful as the last. Not to be missed.
—— Fanny Blake , Woman & HomeEchoing humanity. The title story is an exercise in style. Staccato sentences, like a ticker tape of headlines, describe the fall of a pier.
—— Donal O'Donoghue , RTE GuideHighly anticipated collection.
—— WiredGovThe Pier Falls, published May, is a collection of nine brilliant short stories, perfect for dipping into when you have a spare moment.
—— Kerry Potter , GlamourBleak but arresting stories.
—— Sunday TimesDiverse in style but united in emotional power… Lyrical new collection… All showcase his virtuoso gifts as a stylist and the deep well of empathy that have made his bestselling novels so compelling... The Pier Falls showcases Haddon’s immense gifts of invention and penetrating insight.
—— Northern Ireland Homes & LifestyleMark Haddon has become a master of the short story…this new collection intrigues and horrifies by turn
—— Country & Town HouseGripping tale… Told with forensic precision.
—— Paddy Kehoe , RTE OnlineExuberant, lusty exercises in juxtaposition… Such contrasts not only power each piece but also act as a form of call and response across them… Terrifically compelling collection.
—— Alex Clark , GuardianImpressive but forbiddingly lightless collection. There’s no doubt about Haddon’s skill.
—— Tim Martin , New StatesmanHave you ever read a book that made you gasp out loud and nearly burst into tears? The title story…had that effect on me… Haddon is able to give human tragedy the due solemnity it deserves but without being po-faced. A wonderful collection.
—— Anne Sexton , Hot PressGuaranteed to keep me riveted.
—— Karen Byrom , My WeeklyGripping… Packs the action and themes that might power a very full novel into less than 70 pages
—— John Williams , New York TimesScintillating first foray into the shorter form… Beautifully crafted… A challenging and idiosyncratic talent, with a memorable way with words.
—— Max Davidson , Mail on Sunday[Haddon] portrays the nightmares of our own society…with astonishing deftness, mixing black humour and pathos.
—— David Platzer , TabletThe Pier Falls had me gasping in disbelief.
—— Chris Catchpole , Q[It was] grim and compelling… [A] ripping, gripping yarn – narrative velcro.
—— Craige Raine , Spectator, Book of the YearI savoured all the atmospheric short stories in The Pier Falls.
—— Elizabeth Reapy , Irish Times, Book of the YearAn enthralling short story collection; dark, immersive stories with lots of action. The writing is tight and inspiring.
—— E. Reapy , Irish Independent, Book of the Year[A] searing collection of short stories that thrill and chill in equal measure.
—— Claire Allfree , Metro, Book of the YearI was also captivated by the dark A Pier Falls, a brilliantly written collection of bleak and brutal short stories.
—— Mernie Gilmore , Daily Express, Book of the YearI adored The Pier Falls… Each story is wildly entertaining and well written.
—— Dave Rudden , Headstuff, Book of the Year[It] proves the capacity of a short story to immerse the reader fully in a fictional world.
—— Anita Sethi , Guardian, Book of the YearThis short-story collection is thrilling and exquisitely written. I gave out several copies as Christmas presents.
—— Claire Fuller , Sunday TelegraphAn exquisite writer.
—— Fiona Wilson , The TimesMesmerisingly good stories, hugely varied, skilfully written, full of deft touches and narrative shocks... an absolute treat
—— Marcus Berkman , Spectator, *Books of the Year*