The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings, shortlisted for both the World Fantasy Award and Aurealis Award for Best Collection, is published by Tartarus Press in the UK, with cover and internal artwork by the wonderful World Fantasy finalist, Kathleen Jennings.
There is an Introduction by Stephen Jones, editor extraordinaire, and an Afterword by World Fantasy finalist, Lisa L. Hannett.
The limited edition hardcover edition has sold out, however, the ebook and paperback versions can be ordered here.
The Bitterwood Bible contains the Aurealis Award winning “St Dymphna’s School for Poison Girls”.
Cover Blurb:
The Bitterwood Bible and Other Recountings returns to the world of Sourdough and Other Stories (Tartarus, 2010), introducing readers to the tales that came before. Stories where coffin-makers work hard to keep the dead beneath; where a plague maiden steals away the children of an ungrateful village; where poison girls are schooled in the art of assassination; where pirates disappear from the seas; where families and the ties that bind them can both ruin and resurrect and where books carry forth fairy tales, forbidden knowledge and dangerous secrets.
“And the appeal of any Angela Slatter story is that you never do quite know what you’re going to get – except for one thing, and that’s quality. And, as with any kind of fiction – whether it be fantasy, horror or something entirely different – as a reader you really cannot expect a more rewarding experience than that.
So now it’s time to turn the page and see exactly what I mean . . .” Introduction to The Bitterwood Bible, Stephen Jones
“Angela’s world-building is exquisite. This collection expands on the picture painted in Sourdough; these new stories present Lodellan, the Cathedral city, from afar, and travel through its myriad satellite towns: Iserthal and Cwen’s Reach, Bellsholm and Breakwater, Southarp and St-Simeon-in-the-Grove. These are places with complex histories and long ancestral lines that stretch from tale to tale, from past to future and back again, from Sourdough to Bitterwood Bible.” Afterword to The Bitterwood Bible, Lisa L. Hannett
“With these and other collections, she has carved a niche as one of the best writers of short stories of dark fantasy. In a field where trilogies and even 10-book series have become commonplace, these short works provide a more than welcome counterpoint.” Review in The Weekend Australian, George Williams
“Angela Slatter is fast becoming one of my favourite writers, and this new collection of inter-linked stories will only enhance her deservedly growing reputation. A beguiling, enthralling and exquisitely inventive concoction of dark enchantments using the very finest ingredients – lust, terror, love, guilt, hate, revenge – THE BITTERWOOD BIBLE will enfold you in its sinuous embrace and keep you bewitched from first page to last.” Mark Morris (The Wolves of London, Toady, Horror Hospital, Noah)
“Slatter’s prose is often magnificent, and she’s able to craft characters as great as the powers they wield. Here you find beauty and terror.” Rick Kleffel, KQED
“Slatter’s work is excellent, and eminently readable. The world that her creations live within is excellently depicted, and the characters easy to relate to. It’s easy to see how she’s managed to make such an impact on the genre and garnered a British Fantasy Award and numerous other nominations.” British Fantasy Society