Undertow and Other Laments by Michael Kelly

"Michael Kelly’s characters are the lost, the misbegotten, the lonely and the damaged; and all are searching for a moment of redemption. Whether he intended it or not, the stories in this collection have been arranged not unlike the various movements in a symphony. While he references Vivaldi here, the symphony you’re about to “hear” has more in common with Gustav Mahler, as far as I’m concerned. Undertow and Other Laments left me feeling the same way I felt after first hearing Mahler’s overpowering 1st Symphony; it begins quietly, broodingly, with funereal sorrow, and continues through movements of anger, or triumph, of horror, of sadness, and, in the end, with the glorious title novella, combines all of its themes to produce a heartbreaking summation in the final passages, wherein final redemption may not have been achieved, but its presence is still nearby, somewhere, in the shadows of the human psyche and the undiscovered corners of the spirit." - Gary Braunbeck, from his introduction "Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats"

"Michael Kelly brings all six senses alive, but he knows that senses can't always be trusted. Kelly's world is bleak and beautiful, sharp and blunt, chilling yet ultimately invigorating." - Scott Nicholson, author of Scattered Ashes, and They Hunger

"Michael Kelly's stories are small marvels." - Craig Davidson, author Rust and Bone, and The Fighter

"Michael Kelly writes with economy, heart, and a deft, subtle hand. His emotionally flawed characters bristle with life. And whether we like it or not, he forces us to see bits of ourselves in every one of them." - Brett Alexander Savory, Author of The Distance Travelled, and In and Down.

Editions

Leather-bound Deluxe Thirteen Hardcover w/slipcase: numbered 1-13, 6"x9", bound in leather, signature page which is signed by both author and artist, front cover stamped and spine stamped with the title and the author's name, includes end papers, colored book ribbon, full colored header, 60lb. natural vellum stock, a slipcase and dust jacket.

100 Signed and Numbered Limited Hardcover: numbered 1-100, 6"x9", bound in leatherette, signed by the author, stamped on the spine with the title and author's name, includes 80lb. natural vellum end papers, colored book ribbon, multi-colored header, 60lb. natural vellum stock and a dust jacket.

Trade Paperback: first 100 copies are signed by the author, 6" x 9", 12 point full color cover, 60lb. natural vellum stock.

About the Author

Michael Kelly is an author, editor, and publisher. His fiction has appeared in a number of nice venues, including The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Postscripts, and Supernatural Tales. He's been a finalist for The Shirley Jackson Award, and The British Fantasy Society Award. Dark Regions published his second collection, Undertow & Other Laments, and, with Carol Weekes, the novel Ouroboros.

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