Leon Craig – författare

'Lush, complex, and close to the bone, The Decadence filled me with horror in the best way'Krystelle Bamford, author of Idle Grounds'A genuinely creepy and evocative contemporary ghost story . . . this novel intrigues and unsettles'Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti'An exquisitely claustrophobic exploration of the places we do and don't belong . . . this is a triumph of the queer gothic'Jane Flett, author of FreakslawAt the height of lockdown, a group of flailing twenty-something friends makes an illicit break for freedom.A grand country house stands empty. Once the home of Theo's great uncle, it seems like the perfect place to get high and hang out in the spring sunshine, as they eschew adult responsibilities.Since meeting as teenagers, rifts have grown amongst the group. Even as they are determined to enjoy themselves, tensions cast shadows between them - politics, sex and lies. The house, too, has its own dark history and exudes a palpable sense of menace.Where do the drugs end and the supernatural begin? Will anger and jealousy tear the friends apart, or will it be more ominous forces? Their stay at Holt House will change them all . . .'The Decadence is both a deeply unnerving read and a sly commentary on the skeletons in Britain's closet'Victoria Gosling, author of Bliss & Blunder'Lush, sinister, and blackly funny ... Rich, intelligent prose underpins delicate exploration of some of our most profound moral quandaries'Kate Collins, author of A Good House for Children

'Trust me: you want to read this. It's the queer horror book of your dreams' Kirsty Logan'The short, twisted tales collected in Leon Craig's Parallel Hells have a laconic elegance that's both chilling and pleasurable' Financial TimesIn this deliciously strange debut collection, Leon Craig draws on folklore and gothic horror in refreshingly inventive ways to explore queer identity, love, power and the complicated nature of being human.In the thirteen darkly audacious stories of Parallel Hells we meet a golem, made of clay, learning that its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations; a ruined mansion which grants the secret wishes of a group of revellers and a notorious murderer who discovers her Viking husband is not what he seems.Asta is an ancient being who feasts on the shame of contemporary Londoners, who now, beyond anything, wishes only to fit in with a group of friends they will long outlive. An Oxford historian, in bitter competition with the rest of her faculty members, discovers an ancient tome whose sinister contents might solve her problems. Livia orchestrates a Satanic mass to distract herself from a recently remembered trauma and two lovers must resolve their differences in order to defy a lethal curse.'A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby' Big Issue'Impressive... Read Parallel Hells for a different take on vampires, demons and monsters you never knew existed... Craig's worlds appear effortless' Mslexia

For fans of Daisy Johnson and Kirsty Logan, a gothic short story collection for winter nights from an emerging voice in British literary fiction'The short twisted tales . . . have a laconic elegance that's both chilling and pleasurable' Financial Times'Trust me: you want to read this. It's the queer horror book of your dreams' Kirsty LoganIrresistibly strange and inventive, Parallel Hells is a collection of dark and delightful stories that blends folklore and gothic horror with a contemporary twist. A golem discovers its powers far exceed its Creator's expectations. An ancient creature, who feasts on the shame of modern-day Londoners, struggles to fit in with friends they will long outlive. And an Oxford historian discovers an antique tome that may help her overcome her academic rivals. In this deliciously macabre debut collection, Leon Craig explores queer identity, power, love and the painful complexities of being human in startling new ways. 'A glorious collection of short stories that reads as if Edgar Allan Poe and Shirley Jackson had a little queer baby . . . It is such a fresh and playful approach to storytelling that you cannot help but be totally enamoured with Craig's abilities.' Big Issue