The Secrets of Insects

Dust jacket illustration by Christopher Shy.

The Secrets of Insects is the first short story collection by New York Times bestselling writer Richard Kadrey. Covering more than 20 years of his career, these tales take readers from the plains of Siberia to a decimated Los Angeles, from Hell to long forgotten cities, from hidden murder rooms to houses haunted by more than ghosts.

The stories here explore themes of primal fear, loss, fractured love, and a search for meaning in a meaningless world.

In “Razor Pig,” we meet a father in search of his lost daughter, both of whom have sinister secrets.

“Flayed Ed” brings together murderer Ed Gein and an ancient Aztec god.

“In Suspect Zero” a young killer goes in search of a mentor and finds something far stranger.

“Candy Among the Jades,” which appears here for the first time, shows us Sandman Slim’s Candy reunited with her Jade sisters only to be confronted with an impossible request.

These tales showcase both Kadrey’s wide-ranging imagination and his clean, precise prose style in a host of stories ranging from strange fantasy to the darkest horrors.

Table of Contents:

• Ambitious Boys Like You
• The Secrets of Insects
• Razor Pig
• A Trip to Paris
• A Hinterlands Haunting
• Suspect Zero
• Black Neurology—A Love Story
• Flayed Ed
• A Sandman Slim Christmas Carol
• The Air Is Chalk
• The Tunguska Event
• Horse Latitudes
• Snuff in Six Scenes
• What Is Love but the Quiet Moments after Dinner?
• Devil in the Dollhouse
• Candy Among the Jades

Limited: 1000 signed numbered hardcover copies