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The Cranes That Build The Cranes

Edge Hill Prize for the Short Story, 2010

Paperback / ISBN-13: 9780349120966

Price: £9.99

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Jeremy Dyson is a master of the macabre, of stories brimming with black humour and the promise of something sinister just around the corner. In his new collection he explores the dark depths of the human condition, offering tales of death, disaster and – just occasionally – redemption.
An unhappy, near-autistic bookseller acquires miraculous powers over life and death and exacts his revenge on the world – in a cruel and unexpected way.
Alone in their isolated boarding school, three boys explore the mysterious cellar that is officially off-limits, only to discover something far worse than they expected about the building and themselves.
A pathological fear of violent crime drives a wealthy property developer to purchase a private island and build himself a home of absolute security. Unfortunately he succeeds in attracting the very thing he fears the most.
In these and other tales of suspense and horror, Jeremy Dyson introduces the reader to a world that is at once mysterious and strangely familiar . . .

Reviews

Reflects a boldness that's rarely seen among Dyson's confreres - a willingness to dream
GUARDIAN
Excellent . . . confirms his reputation for punchy, intriguing fictions. Unexpected twists yield a sense of justice being meted out, and provide a delicious balance between suspense and satisfaction
DAILY TELEGRAPH
pitch-black comedy [and an] aura of menace ... a fusion of horror and hilarity that somehow mates Saki with McEwan
Independent
His stories nestle in the little vacant chink between Roald Dahl and Borges
OBSERVER