It Only Comes Out at Night and Other Stories

Few writers of horror fiction are held in such high regard as Dennis Etchison. This career retrospective takes his best fiction, culled from nearly fifty years in the field. Dennis Etchison (b. 1943) is an American writer and editor of fantasy and horror fiction. Etchison refers to his own work as “rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world.” Stephen King has called Dennis Etchison “one hell of a fiction writer” and he has been called “the most original living horror in America.” It is his work in the short story format that is especially well regarded by critics and genre fans. His first short story collection, The Dark Country, was published in 1982. Its title story received the World Fantasy Award as well as the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection of that year, the first time one writer received both major awards for a single work. He was nominated for the British Fantasy Award for “The Late Shift” (1981),and as well as winning the ward in 1982 for “The Dark Country,” has won it since for Best Short Story, for “The Olympic Runner” (1986) and “The Dog Park” (1994),all of which are included in this 600+ page retrospective. Etchison is generally regarded as one of the finest writers currently working in the horror genre, especially by his peers. The late Karl Edward Wagner proclaimed him “the finest writer of psychological horror this genre has ever produced.” Charles L. Grant called Etchison “the best short story writer in the field today, bar none.” This collection of stories features a new introduction by S.T. Joshi, a dozen original artworks by David Ho, original story notes by Dennis Etchison, and photographs of the author throughout the years (,,,). This is the best collection of Etchison ever published, and it destined to be regarded as a landmark volume. CONTENTS Introduction by S. T. Joshi Appreciation: William F. Nolan 1. Wet Season (1965) 2. Sitting in the Corner, Whimpering Quietly (1966) 3, Daughter of the Golden West (A Feast for Cathy, 1973; vt 1982) 4. The Machine Demands a Sacrifice (1972) 5. It Only Comes Out at Night (1976) 6. Calling All Monsters (1973) 7. We Have All Been Here Before (1979) Appreciation: Simon MacCulloch 8. On the Pike (1977) 9. I Can Hear the Dark (1978) 10. The Nighthawk (1978) 11. The Dead Line (1979) 12. It Will Be Here Soon (1979) [Jack Martin] Appreciation: Ramsey Campbell 13, You Can Go Now (1980) 14. On Call (1980) 15. The Late Shift (1980) 16. The Spot (1980, w/Mark Johnson) 17. The Chill (1981) 18. Somebody Like You (1984) 19. Deathtracks (1982) 20. The Dark Country (1981) [Jack Martin] 21. The Chair (1983) 22. Talking in the Dark (1984) 23. The Woman in Black (1984) 24. Deadspace (1985) 25. The Olympic Runner (1986) 26. Call 666 (1988) 27. The Scar (1987) 28. The Blood Kiss (1988) 29. When They Gave Us Memory (1991) 30. Call Home (1991) 31. The Dog Park (1993. vt A Little-Known Side of Elvis 1994) 32. A Wind from the South (1994) 33. The Last Reel (1997) Appreciation: Peter Atkins 34. The Dead Cop (1996) 35. No One You Know (1997) 36. Inside the Cackle Factory (1998) 37. The Detailer (2000) 38. Got to Kill Them All (2001) 39. In a Silent Way (2002) 40. One of Us (2001) 41. Red Dog Down (2001) Appreciation: Jason V. Brock 42. Tell Me I'll See You Again (2011) Story Notes About the Author * First published in 2014 by Centipede Press (as A Long Time Til Morning) Edited and compiled by S. T. Joshi Cover art by Jason V. Brock