Description
Book SynopsisRanging from flash fiction to novelette, these stories are in turn chilling, playful, and melancholy. The bonds of family and of community, both in their fracturing and their healing states, the uneasy relationship between living in the present and yearning for the past, are themes that thread their way through Figurehead. Every tale is rich with landscapes haunted by loss and longing. In this debut collection of stories Carly Holmes peers into every corner of the strange fiction genre: from rural gothic through to traditional ghost stories and the uncanny. Mothers turn into trees when the sun goes down; Russian Dolls mourn their missing sisters in rotting houses; men offer sacrifices to the monsters who embody their inner wildness; and murderous demons protect young girls' virginity.
Trade Review"This truly is quality literature of our modern times" - The British Fantasy Society; "(An) impressive first collection ... skilfully orchestrated" - Publisher's Weekly "starred" review; "Carly Holmes is one of the most gifted writers I've come across in recent years" - The Supernatural Tales Blog; "This is a superb book by a writer to watch." - Katherine Stansfield; "These stories are extraordinary." - Tyler Keevil; "To read Carly Holmes is to be enchanted. Luscious, flowing prose that is never afraid to peer into the wild." - Angela Readman
