After the People Lights Have Gone Off

Winner, This Is Horror Award Finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award Finalist for the Bram Stoker Award A collection of 15 stories that feature, among others, zombies, a hardboiled detective, a giant space-traveling lobster, an enigmatic alien, Rod Serling, and numerous apocalypses. The first story is "Thirteen," about a small-town urban legend that might be leading kids to their doom. "Welcome to the Reptile House" reveals the secrets that hide in our flesh. In "The Black Sleeve of Destiny", a hoodie leads to unexpectedly dark adventures. And the title story, "After the People Lights Have Gone Off", is way more than a typical haunted-house tale. What makes them into a powerful collection is the author's ability to find horror in seemingly everyday objects and situations, and to rely on our own imaginations to fill in the blanks.  With an introduction by Joe R. Lansdale.