Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death
Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death is a collection of horror stories on sexual themes by Ramsey Campbell, first published in the United States in 1987 by .[1] The first British edition was published in 1989 by . The book includes an introduction by Clive Barker and an afterword by the author, and is illustrated by .
The stories included are:
- "Dolls" (1974)
- "The Other Woman" (1974)
- "Lilith's" (1976)
- "The Seductress" (1976)
- "Stages" (1987)
- "Loveman's Comeback" (1977)
- "Merry May" (1986)
Some of the earlier stories were previously included in anthologies compiled by Michael Parry.[2]
Critical reception[]
The book was described by J.K. Potter as "the most disturbing book I ever worked with".[1] In Michael A. Morrison's review of the book in Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Annual 1988, he regarded the collection as "something special", and that Cambell had "gained entry to a vein of nihilism darker than any he had heretofore tapped".[1] S.T. Joshi considered this one of Ramsey's finest collections, with the tales "among his most affecting stories".[3]
The collection was nominated for a World Fantasy Award in 1988.[4]
References[]
- ^ a b c Morrison, Michael A. "Campbell, Ramsey. Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death", in Fischer, Catherine; Collins, Robert A; & Latham, Robert (eds.) (1989) Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Review Annual 1988, Information Today, ISBN 978-0-88736-249-1, p. 116-7, retrieved 2010-08-24
- ^ Joshi, S.T (2001) Ramsey Campbell and Modern Horror Fiction, Liverpool University Press, ISBN 978-0-85323-775-4, p. 54-6, retrieved 2010-08-24
- ^ Joshi, S.T. (2001) The Modern Weird Tale: A Critique of Horror Fiction, McFarland, ISBN 978-0-7864-0986-0, p. 155-7, retrieved 2010-08-24
- ^ Harris-Fain, Darren (2002) Dictionary of Literary Biography: British Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Since 1960, Gale Cengage, ISBN 978-0-7876-6005-5, p. 140
- 1987 short story collections
- Horror short story collections
- Single-writer horror short story collections