Their Cramped Dark World and Other Tales now available with its Luke Spooner cover

Artwork by Luke Spooner

I can now confirm that the new (or, more correctly, reinstated Hazardous Press cover) by Luke Spooner is now available as a trade paperback and an ebook. After leaving Hazardous Press and republishing Their Cramped Dark World under the Parallel Universe imprint, a new cover (based on a Goya painting) was substituted for the one by Luke Spooner. I was never wholly happy with this, if only because, on reconsideration, the Goya painting was a bit too overly familiar. Now, though, the original cover, specially designed for this collection by Luke Spooner, is back again.
The stories in Their Cramped Dark World range from 1972 to 2012 and have all been published before by publishers such as Sphere Books, Corgi Books, Peeping Tom and Mortbury Press. 

Table of Contents: 
Hoody (first published in When Graveyards Yawn, Crowswing Books, 2006)
A Bottle of Spirits (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 2, 1972)
No Sense in Being Hungry, She Thought (first published in Peeping Tom #20, 1996)
Now and Forever More (first published in The Second Black Book of Horror, 2008)
Romero's Children (first published in The Seventh Black Book of Horror, 2010)
Swan Song (first published in the Ninth Black Book of Horror, 2012)
The Farmhouse (first published in New Writings in Horror & the Supernatural 1, 1971)
The Last Coach Trip (first published in The Eighth Black Book of Horror, 2011)
The Satyr's Head (first published in The Satyr's Head & Other Tales of Terror, 1975)
Their Cramped Dark World (first published in The Sixth Black Book of Horror, 2010)

trade paperback: 
Amazon.co.uk  (£9.99)
Amazon.com  ($12.99)

ebook:
Amazon.co.uk  (£2.99)
Amazon.com  ($3.99)

The discarded cover

New cover for Their Cramped Dark World by Luke Spooner

In 2015 my third collection of short stories, Their Cramped Dark World and Other Tales, was published by Hazardous Press, with a brilliant cover by British artist Luke Spooner. Unfortunately, Hazardous Press and I fell out shortly after and both this and its predecessor collection, His Own Mad Demons, were withdrawn from publication. Having not long before revived my own small press imprint, Parallel Universe Publications, I decided to reprint both collections myself with brand new covers, though I was never wholly satisfied with the replacement for Luke Spooner's. I recently got in touch with Luke and I am pleased to reveal that he immediately sent me an updated version of the original cover which I can substitute for the one I used. The new paperback will be available to order within the next couple of weeks. Below is what the new cover looks like.

Cover Art: Luke Spooner

The old cover

Their Cramped Dark World assessed on The Horror Review

Their Cramped Dark World received a glowing assessment on The Horror Review.

Their Cramped Dark World & Other Tales – Book Review

by C.M. Saunders | Dec 10, 2015 | Book Reviews, Reviews | 0 comments

 
Their Cramped Dark World & Other Tales
David A. Riley
Parallel Universe Publications
April 13, 2015
Reviewed by Chris Saunders
David A. Riley has been around a long time. The oldest stories in this, his third collection, were first published in the early seventies. Not that you would know it just by reading them. For the most part, stories over forty years old slot in seamlessly with comparatively new ones, each benefiting from the same quintessentially English feel and underlying creepiness.
“Hoody” kicks things off, the beguiling tale of a man being haunted by the ghost of a murder victim. Or is he?
This is followed by my favourite story in this collection, which first appeared in the near-legendary small press title Peeping Tom back in 1996. “No Sense in Being Hungry, she Thought,” is about some alarmingly rough justice being administered to a serial rapist; while yet another stand-out is “Now and Forever More,” about a couple who find themselves in a very strange little town buried deep in the English countryside. The tale is reminiscent of The Wicker Man (the original 1973 Edward Woodward version, not the sub-standard 2006 Nicholas Cage effort, though the plot is essentially the same) but somehow manages to be even creepier.
“Romero’s Children,” as the title suggests, is a homage to classic zombie movies, while “Swan Song” is an unsettling little yarn about a trio of aging bullies who get more than they bargained for when trying to avenge a perceived sleight.
As is the norm with most single-author collections, Their Cramped Dark World & Other Tales is a little uneven in places, and some stories have stood the test of time better than others but all in all, this is a rocking good read.
Hat’s off, Mr Riley.

Great reviews of Their Cramped Dark World and of His Own Mad Demons on the BFS website

There are two great reviews of David A. Riley's two short story collections, Their Cramped Dark World and His Own Mad Demons,  from Parallel Universe on the British Fantasy Society website.

"Riley’s work is classic horror – he doesn’t resort to swearing or unnecessary depictions of torture to attract his readers.  His tales are all set in environments that will be very familiar to many Brits – the pub plays a big part in some of his stories.   If you’ve not tried Riley’s work before, this is a perfect introduction to his own brand of horror.  I can’t recommend it highly enough."

"Riley’s work will appeal to all fans of horror – it feels like “classic horror”, with tales of witchcraft, demons and zombies.  All complete page turners, Riley is one to read and return to, again and again."

Free ebook offer

Parallel Universe Publications are offering a free mobi copy of any two of the following books (Moloch's Children, Classic Weird, Their Cramped Dark World, His Own Mad Demons, Things that go Bump in the Night, and Goblin Mire) for anyone who purchases a copy, either print or ebook, of Kitchen Sink Gothic and posts an honest review on Amazon. Just email rileybooks@ntlworld.com to claim whichever two books you would like.