The Nut House
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Crime! Cosmic Horror! Squirrels?!
Asher Black is one of-if not the best thieves in the town of Majestic Forest. He's also a squirrel. Compelled to lead a group of hench-critters to an old house said to contain a vast store of acorns in the attic, Asher discovers the job isn't as simple as he thought. The heist quickly goes wrong, as they learn that the owner was a hoarder, and soon towering piles of old newspapers, puddles of sewage, and the house's animal inhabitants-a mix of pets, strays, and wildlife-who all worship a Death God, all stand in the way Asher's bushy-tailed crew and freedom. Will Asher and the others escape with their tails-and minds-intact?
Originally serialized in Cosmic Horror Monthly, Patrick Barb's talking animal-crime-cosmic horror novella is collected here for the first time in a revised and updated edition with illustrations by J.C. Amberlyn. In addition, a brand-new prequel novelette "The Acorn Run" presents a down-and-dirty squirrel crime origin for the nuts that give the infamous Nut House its name.
"The Nut House is probably the best (and most surprising) addition to the pantheon of cosmic horror that I've read in a long time."
-Paul Michael Anderson, author of Standalone and You Can't Save What Isn't There
Patrick Barb
Patrick Barb is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of weird, dark, and spooky tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His published works include the sci-fi/horror novel Abducted; dark fiction collections The Children's Horror and Pre-Approved for Haunting; and the novellas The Big One, The Nut House, Night of the Witch-Hunter and JK-LOL. He is the editor and publisher of the anthology And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel. His interview column "Your Favorite Author's Favorite Author" appears regularly online in Shortwave Magazine. In addition, his 2023 short story "The Scare Groom" was selected for Best Horror of the Year Volume 16.
More by Patrick Barb
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