The Blurb-apocalypse.

 What? 

Well, with the publication of Autumn in the Abyss Redux, which collects all of Autumn in the Abyss, all of Occasional Beasts: Tales, and six stories from The Dark is Light Enough for Me, and looking to get some new reviews or at least having anybody who has read any of those books and reading this willing to dump the old reviews on Amazon or Goodreads for the new, expanded collection, thought I might drop some of the original blurbs in a blog post to drum up some interest. 

When we released the new book, it was done on the fly, without any pre-order period because I was dealing with Life stuff and when it was ready, I was just happy to get it out. That said, most of the time--and especially for a new book--the plan will be to have an ample period beforehand to contact reviewers and even set up interviews and/or podcasts to discuss the books; again, this is the mindset for new material, though I would gladly get into any- and every- thing promotion-wise with this book and the forthcoming re-issue of Riding the Centipede, my Stoker-finalist debut novel.

So, that's where I am with this post. Blurbs galore. The Blurb-apocalypse, as noted in the title. 

Here goes: 

A few of the original Autumn in the Abyss blurbs: 

These five emotionally complex tales ask, above all, what it means to be human in a tempestuous universe. What part of ourselves do we owe to the pursuit of goodness, especially if there's no apparent advantage to being good? How can we define ourselves in the absence of moral authority? Blurred lines of identity, the role of the artist, and the nature of temptation are explored in these stories of sacrifice and self-destruction. Autumn in the Abyss is another dark and captivating collection from a writer who isn't afraid to plumb the depths of our greatest and most dangerous desires. --S.P. Miskowski Shirley Jackson Award nominated author of The Skillute Cycle

The stories in John Claude Smith's new collection take their characters to the limits of human experience, the places where our bodies come asunder in the face of the abyss. Positioning his stories in the seams of our cultural history, Smith chronicles the efforts of artists of all stripes--poets, musicians, sculptors, filmmakers--to break through our common experience to another, more essential one that is painted in blood. It's a quest that draws these artists into proximity with the serial-killer in the book's single and singular tale of a police detective's obsessive manhunt. Whether with pen or carving knife, Smith's characters will not stop until they have gone too far, into a space where revelation and terror are part of the same, vast thing. --John Langan, author of The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies

The Rhythmic flow of John's words instantly absorbs you into his world, bringing not only his words to life, but the story as well. --Joe Mynhardt, Crystal Lake Publishing

 

...and a few of the original Occasional Beasts: Tales blurbs: 

"John Claude Smith's collection Occasional Beastsis a dark mosaic of the weird, the surreal, and the bizarre. These stories willdig into your brain-meat and take up permanent residence there. Highly recommended!" -- Tim Waggoner, author of The Mouth of the Dark

"Smith has mastered the delicate art of dread, transcending genre to put his stamp on weird horror. Provocative and terrifying, he groundsOccasional Beasts in the human condition while warping the walls of reality in fourteen tales that are not for the faint of heart." -John Foster, author of Mister White and Dead Men

"Occasional Beasts is yet another dazzling collection of dark imaginings from the mind of John Claude Smith. His evocative prose,mastery of atmosphere, and wildly original concepts manage to cast a spell on the reader that is as alluring as it is unsettling. There is a certain glorious madness that permeates this collection, as well as a fearless, visceral writing style that demands your attention. Smith's beautifully rendered and complex characters show us the uncomfortable truth about the occasional beastlinessthat dwells within us all." -- Taylor Grant, Two-time Bram Stoker AwardNominee, The Dark at the End of theTunnel

"A tumble down a dark slide with stories extremely dark, poetic and metaphysical, Occasional Beasts feels like holding hands witha demon while an angel whispers in your ear. Not to be missed for those predisposed." -- John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Nerves andAll That Withers 

"John Claude Smith's Occasional Beasts lurks in the subconscious long after the last page. Despair becomes peace, and the soul is left a scream in the darkness as these tales churn through your psyche. As if traversing into an unknown forest refusing to give way to sanity, each story creeps deeper and deeper into nightmare and terror. Occasional Beasts: Tales is a must-read, but do so with the lights on." --Alex Scully, editor Firbolg Publishing

Here's the link for Autumn in the Abyss Redux.

And here's a fantstic photo of My Love, Alessandra...and Joe Landsdale, back when Occasional Beasts: Tales, was just out and she went to one of his readings in Rome, Italy.