Horror writing can be notable because of the macabre, or it can just be plain old strange. Fancies and Goodnights is a collection from writer John Collier who, it can certainly be said, had a strange view of the world. Somewhere between fantasy and horror, Collier’s work isn’t necessarily the stuff of nightmares but rather exquisite writing as a vehicle to tell tales about people who are about half a bubble off plum. Feel free to read these stories just before bed, but don’t blame us for where your dreams take you once you fall asleep or if you can never look at the odd habits of your neighbors in the same way again.

From the back cover: John Collier’s edgy, sardonic tales are works of rare wit, curious insight, and scary implication. They stand out as one of the pinnacles in the critically neglected but perennially popular tradition of weird writing that includes E.T.A. Hoffman and Charles Dickens as well as more recent masters like Jorge Luis Borges and Roald Dahl. With a cast of characters that ranges from man-eating flora to disgruntled devils and suburban salarymen (not that it’s always easy to tell one from the other), Collier’s dazzling stories explore the implacable logic of lunacy, revealing a surreal landscape whose unstable surface is depth-charged with surprise.

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