Mr. Riley owes me one good night of sleep.
Maybe I shouldn’t have read his short horror story “Romero’s Children” before bedtime.
That tale—and thirty others—appear in The Collected SF, Fantasy & Horror of David A. Riley, Volume 1,
a showcase of classic British horror: moody, unsettling, and crafted
with a storyteller’s sure hand. Riley blends creeping dread with
memorable characters and images, the kind that settle under the skin and
festers long after the final page.
I’m convinced that John Collier and David A. Riley are kindred spirits. Collier’s stories for The New Yorker weren’t always horror, but in tone, temperament, and style, the two writers share a certain dark kinship.
What
stands out most in this collection is the range. Each story delivers
its own distinct chill while still feeling part of a unified, haunted
world. Riley’s characters feel grounded and real, which makes their
descents into the uncanny—and the unsavory—even more effective."
R. K. Olson