~villipede's newest release~
inkblots and blood spots
short stories and poetry by michael bailey
illustrations by daniele serra
illustrations by daniele serra
Get an inside look at the book in our Inkblots and Blood Spots Sneak Preview album.
blurbs
"Michael Bailey continues to amaze. He is on track to becoming his generation's Ray Bradbury."
—F. Paul Wilson
“Inkblots and Blood Spots is a smart collection of stories that evoke real fear, because they're grounded in emotional truth. Michael Bailey has that rare ability to terrify readers and break their hearts—often in the same paragraph."
—Norman Prentiss, Bram Stoker Award winner, author of Invisible Fences
"With Inkblots and Blood Spots, Michael Bailey delivers the kind of startlingly original, beautifully imagined, and deeply affecting stories that linger long in the mind, and even longer in the psyche."
—B.E. Scully, author of the critically acclaimed novel
Verland: The Transformation and the upcoming novella The Eye That Blinds
“The stories and poems in Inkblots and Blood Spots bleed into our souls like knives and leave us breathless. Michael Bailey is a fabulous writer, unique and fresh—and these stories are his best. Inkblots and Blood Spots has my highest recommendation. You don’t want to miss this one . . . go buy this book. Now.”
—John R. Little, Bram Stoker Award winning author of
DarkNet, Miranda, and The Memory Tree
“I first encountered Michael Bailey’s work at the Borderlands Press Writers Boot Camp. His writing stood out immediately—vibrant, bold, and bursting with original concepts. He showed me he was a writer willing to bypass all the familiar territories and stake out a new narrative landscape all his own. With this collection of dynamic stories and poems, he will show you as well.”
—Thomas F. Monteleone
“This collection of captivating stories and poems is both haunting and poignant. Filled with love and loss, the weight of these resolutions echoes out into the darkness with a heartbreaking permanence.”
—Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration
“Michael Bailey’s stories are always darkly sharp-edged in tone, texture, and delivery, easily appropriate for genre fiction.
But perhaps most important, his stories are about something . . .
each one is built on a meaningful, engaging, intellectual premise.
I highly recommend this short story collection,
which includes some compelling and delightful poetry.”
—Gene O'Neill, The Cal Wild Chronicles
"Artfully executed. A unique and powerful contribution to speculative literature."
—Tim Deal, Shroud Quarterly
reviews
"Michael Bailey‘s Inkblots and Blood Spots is the second collzection of shorter work from this versatile, hugely talented, and very influential dark/weird fiction writer and editor. It sweeps a very wide field, from pure psychological – and body – horror through weird tales to (approximately) straight science fiction and cosmic horror,
all with a sprinkling of equally dark and unsettling poems. At the very least, it’s not a collection that shies away from testing the boundaries of its genre –
if indeed it is delimited to any single genre at all...
The illustrations, by British Fantasy Award-winning artist Daniele Serra,
not only are appropriate to the mood and focus of the stories, they also add to a sumptuous feel of a very high quality production from Villipede, with the same kind of dedication to the publisher’s craft seen in their other work.
Some readers might buy the book for the pictures alone:
but they certainly would be doing themselves a disservice
if they missed out on the words..."
Click here to read the full review on Teleread
courtesy of Paul St John Mackintosh
"Known for the Chiral Mad series, Michael Bailey is not only a fine editor, but he is also an excellent writer. In his latest release,Inkblots and Blood Spots, he showcases a number of short stories and poems that reflect an alluring diversity and depth...
Bailey steps outside of the usual horror tropes, thus exposing horrors much more frightening than simply monsters under the bed. He ventures into the mind, and examines the nightmares that live inside us. We are Bailey’s monsters. We create the horrors that haunt the small hours… Michael Bailey is the guide leading us down that dark, sinister path deep in ourselves. Highly recommended."
Click here to read the full review on Hellnotes
courtesy of Dr. Alex Scully
Villipede on Facebook
villipede.com
"Michael Bailey continues to amaze. He is on track to becoming his generation's Ray Bradbury."
—F. Paul Wilson
“Inkblots and Blood Spots is a smart collection of stories that evoke real fear, because they're grounded in emotional truth. Michael Bailey has that rare ability to terrify readers and break their hearts—often in the same paragraph."
—Norman Prentiss, Bram Stoker Award winner, author of Invisible Fences
"With Inkblots and Blood Spots, Michael Bailey delivers the kind of startlingly original, beautifully imagined, and deeply affecting stories that linger long in the mind, and even longer in the psyche."
—B.E. Scully, author of the critically acclaimed novel
Verland: The Transformation and the upcoming novella The Eye That Blinds
“The stories and poems in Inkblots and Blood Spots bleed into our souls like knives and leave us breathless. Michael Bailey is a fabulous writer, unique and fresh—and these stories are his best. Inkblots and Blood Spots has my highest recommendation. You don’t want to miss this one . . . go buy this book. Now.”
—John R. Little, Bram Stoker Award winning author of
DarkNet, Miranda, and The Memory Tree
“I first encountered Michael Bailey’s work at the Borderlands Press Writers Boot Camp. His writing stood out immediately—vibrant, bold, and bursting with original concepts. He showed me he was a writer willing to bypass all the familiar territories and stake out a new narrative landscape all his own. With this collection of dynamic stories and poems, he will show you as well.”
—Thomas F. Monteleone
“This collection of captivating stories and poems is both haunting and poignant. Filled with love and loss, the weight of these resolutions echoes out into the darkness with a heartbreaking permanence.”
—Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration
“Michael Bailey’s stories are always darkly sharp-edged in tone, texture, and delivery, easily appropriate for genre fiction.
But perhaps most important, his stories are about something . . .
each one is built on a meaningful, engaging, intellectual premise.
I highly recommend this short story collection,
which includes some compelling and delightful poetry.”
—Gene O'Neill, The Cal Wild Chronicles
"Artfully executed. A unique and powerful contribution to speculative literature."
—Tim Deal, Shroud Quarterly
reviews
"Michael Bailey‘s Inkblots and Blood Spots is the second collzection of shorter work from this versatile, hugely talented, and very influential dark/weird fiction writer and editor. It sweeps a very wide field, from pure psychological – and body – horror through weird tales to (approximately) straight science fiction and cosmic horror,
all with a sprinkling of equally dark and unsettling poems. At the very least, it’s not a collection that shies away from testing the boundaries of its genre –
if indeed it is delimited to any single genre at all...
The illustrations, by British Fantasy Award-winning artist Daniele Serra,
not only are appropriate to the mood and focus of the stories, they also add to a sumptuous feel of a very high quality production from Villipede, with the same kind of dedication to the publisher’s craft seen in their other work.
Some readers might buy the book for the pictures alone:
but they certainly would be doing themselves a disservice
if they missed out on the words..."
Click here to read the full review on Teleread
courtesy of Paul St John Mackintosh
"Known for the Chiral Mad series, Michael Bailey is not only a fine editor, but he is also an excellent writer. In his latest release,Inkblots and Blood Spots, he showcases a number of short stories and poems that reflect an alluring diversity and depth...
Bailey steps outside of the usual horror tropes, thus exposing horrors much more frightening than simply monsters under the bed. He ventures into the mind, and examines the nightmares that live inside us. We are Bailey’s monsters. We create the horrors that haunt the small hours… Michael Bailey is the guide leading us down that dark, sinister path deep in ourselves. Highly recommended."
Click here to read the full review on Hellnotes
courtesy of Dr. Alex Scully
Villipede on Facebook
villipede.com
