Last May I was asked to write the introduction for a new Terry Dowling collection, a book to collect Terry’s best horror stories that would be published by US-based publisher Cemetery Dance. I was flattered and didn’t hesitate to say yes. After all, I’ve known Terry for fifteen years, published (or helped to publish) two of his books, and was closely involved with the genesis of his collection, Blackwater Days. The idea that US readers would get to see his work in book form for only the second time appealed to me greatly. So, you can imagine how pleased I was to get an announcement that Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear has been published and is now available for purchase direct from the publisher. I’ve read all of the stories in the book – the award winners, the World Fantasy award nominee, the two new stories, and all the rest – and I don’t hesitate to recommend it. This book is the real deal, and worth hunting down. Oh, should you be interested, I believe this is the final table of contents:
1. The Daemon Street Ghost-Trap
2. Downloading
3. The Bullet That Grows in the Gun
4. The Gully
5. The Bone Ship
6. Beckoning Nightframe
7. Stitch
8. La Profonde
9. The Saltimbanques
10. Clownette
11. The Ichneumon and the Dormeuse
12. The Maze Man
13. One Thing About the Night
14. Jenny Come to Play
15. Cheat Light
16. Scaring the Train
17. They Found The Angry Moon
18. The Quiet Redemption of Andy the House