Hair Side, Flesh Side

Author: Helen Marshall
Genres: Collection, Dark Fantasy, Horror
Publisher: ChiZine Publications
Publication Year: 2012

A child receives the body of Saint Lucia of Syracuse for her seventh birthday. A rebelling angel rewrites the Book of Judgement to protect the woman he loves. A young woman discovers the lost manuscript of Jane Austen written on the inside of her skin. A 747 populated by a dying pantheon makes the extraordinary journey to the beginning of the universe.

Lyrical and tender, quirky and cutting. Helen Marshall’s exceptional debut collection weaves the fantastic and the horrific alongside the touchingly human in fifteen modern parables about history, memory and the cost of creating art.

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Awards

2013 British Fantasy Sydney J. Bounds Award for Best Newcomer (Winner)
2013 Aurora Award for Best Related Work (Short-List)
Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize (Long-list)

Library Journal, Starred Review

“. . . A tour de force of imagination, this remarkable debut collection uses the conventions of dark fantasy and horror as the framework for some of speculative fiction’s most unusual stories. VERDICT Fans of experimental fiction and exceptional writing should find a wealth of enjoyment here.”

What the Critics are Saying

". . . Helen Marshall’s debut collection reads like a fanciful walk through her dark imagination. . . . Strangely touching, disturbing and weird as hell, Marshall proves herself a potent new talent."
Rue Morgue Magazine
"Darkness can be as beautiful as light, and rarely is that perfect diorama of light and shadow more lyrically and elegantly rendered than it is here, in Helen Marshall’s debut short fiction collection, Hair Side, Flesh Side. These stories are a literary storm sweeping in across the water, with lightning flickering at its heart and a promise of fury yet unleashed."
Michael RoweAuthor of Enter, Night
". . . Sometimes you hear people talking about the new face of horror. Well huddle closer, children. Hair Side, Flesh Side is it. . . . Marshall’s stories are frightening, touching, quirky, sexy and deeply lyrical. The 15 stories each seem deeply grounded in reality, making the otherworldly explorations all the more real."
"Best F/SF Books of 2012,” January MagazineRead the Review
"Helen Marshall’s Hair Side, Flesh Side is a revelation. Her collection of expertly-drawn characters with their historical longings are depicted with a compelling intelligence and achingly soft touch, and their stories are as compassionate as they are disquieting. Hair Side, Flesh Side announces a major new talent in dark fiction. Indeed, these are stories that will be imprinted on the inside of your skin."
Paul TremblayAuthor of The Little Sleep and Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye
"Helen Marshall writes assured, accomplished prose that is as chilling as it is beautiful, and the stories she tells are as daring as they are unexpected. This superb first collection is set to make waves."
Tim LeboonAuthor of Echo City
"Hair Side, Flesh Side is a quirky, kinky treat. We haven’t had a writer like this for while—secure and erudite and sexy. I hope this book influences because we need more."
Tony BurgessAuthor of Pontypool Changes Everything

Hair Side, Flesh Side