Robotic insects, in-growing cutlery, flesh-serving waiters in a zombie cafe... Welcome to the surreal, misshapen universe of Adam Marek's debut collection; a bestiary of hybrids from the techno-crazed future and mythical past; a users' guide to the seemingly obvious (and the world of illogic implicit within it). Whether fantastical or everyday in setting, Marek's stories lead us down to the engine room just beneath modern consciousness, a place of both atavism and familiarity, where the body is fluid, the spirit mechanised, and beasts often tell us more about our humanity than anything we can teach ourselves.

About the Author
Adam Marek writes short stories about the futuristic and the fantastical colliding with everyday life. His two collections, The Stone Thrower and Instruction Manual for Swallowing, are published by Comma Press. His stories have appeared on BBC Radio 4, and in many magazines and anthologies, including The Penguin Book of the British Short Story. He is an Arts Foundation Short Story Fellow. He regularly teaches creative writing for Arvon, and occasionally works with SciFutures, using storytelling to help prototype the future.

Reviews
"Early McEwan meets David Cronenberg--genuine, unsettling talent." --The Independent; "There's a transgressive thrill to Adam Marek's debut collection of short stories that's not simply a result of the potency of the subject matter . . . [the] tales as playful and emotionally resonant as they are disturbing . . . delightful." --The Guardian; "Makes the short story look really exciting again." --Maggie Gee; "Early McEwan meets David Cronenberggenuine, unsettling talent." The Independent



Book Information
ISBN 9781905583041
Author Adam Marek
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Comma Press
Publisher Comma Press
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 10mm