Publisher's Synopsis
Written in the tradition of H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert W. Chambers, and other classic authors, David Barker's chilling new collection of enchanting horror fiction explores what happens when common, unremarkable people encounter "The Other" in the form of dark spirits, mysterious entities from Outside space and time, and paranormal beings from alternate dimensions. The title story "Her Wan Embrace" is part of a trilogy of tales set in Victorian Paris that tell of one man's feverish battle against a horrific supernatural creature that has invaded his home in the historic Place des Vosges and is enslaving the minds and bodies of his wife and young children. He is about to give up all hope when the beautiful and ethereal Azrael - half angel, half ghoul - steps out from the shadows in an ancient church and begins to teach him how to defend himself against "La Limace" - the notorious monster the Parisian occultists call the Great Slug. Other tales and poems reveal shocking scenes of unutterable terror in the South Seas, Egypt, Lovecraft's Arkham and Innsmouth, Chamber's Carcosa, and elsewhere. Critics have expressed high praise for the three Lovecraftian books that Barker wrote in collaboration with the late W. H. Pugmire. In this stand alone collection, Barker proves he is a force to be reckoned with in the field of weird literature.
