31 Days of Horror: Day 14-- #HorrorForLibraries Giveaway 59- Steve Rasnic Tem's Collection

It's #HorrorForLibraries giveaway day and I have a collection by a master of weird fiction which I reviewed in the current issue of Library Journal. But first, here is a refresher on the basic rules to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American public library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that  week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Click here to see giveaway #58. Our winner was Tracy from the Thompson Public Library [CT]. Tracy has been in the running since June 2020! I was happy when random.org pulled such a low number. 

This week, I have a copy of Steve Rasnic Tem's Thanatrauma, [courtesy of Valancourt] the newest story collection by this master of the unsettling story, a name that fans of speculative fiction know, but also, a name more of the general public needs to know. Here is my Goodreads review with access to my Library Journal review: 

Three Words That Describe This Book: slightly askew, universal fears, unsettling

Draft Review:

Tem, an author today’s Horror creators regularly cite as their inspiration, shows off his captivating and unsettling style in this collection of 21 tales, including four new to this volume. Writing stories that are steeped in realism, focusing on universal fears like illness, storms, death, regret, and loss, Tem’s tales quickly and satisfyingly shift the plot askew, dropping speculative elements and roping in maximum unease and fear. Marked by a confident narrative voice and intriguing storylines, readers are easily drawn into the emotional situations and carefully crafted, intimate worlds. For example, the atmospheric “Heterocera,” is a moving portrait of aging, framed by a moth infestation, while “August Freeze” is a terrifying story of a troubled couple stuck in an unnaturally dangerous place, and “Reflections in Black” is a must read Halloween tale. 

Verdict: Tem has won just about every major speculative fiction award, yet because his work does not fit neatly into established genre boxes, he has slipped through the mainstream cracks. Library workers can make up for this oversight by suggesting this collection with confidence to fans of authors of creepy, Weird Fiction like Carmen Maria Machado and John Langan.

I will tell you, I have not stopped thinking about "August Freeze."

Enter to win, but also order a copy for your library. Again, it is from Valancourt Books who are a battle tested small press that you can get easily. 

Back tomorrow with the final "Why I Love Horror" of the week.