Description: "Former US tunnel rat Richard Trenor--disfigured in the war, but left with strange gifts as a result--is summoned back to Vietnam by Thanh, the son of an old friend, to find the man who killed Thanh's eight-year-old sister. Trenor's quest for justice will not only cause him to cross paths with two other Americans--one a cold-blooded assassin, the other a bloodthirsty madman--but also a tormented ghost, and an infestation of living evil."--
Brief description: Jeffrey Thomas is the creator of the dark science fiction setting Punktown, in which many of his stories take place. His short story collection The Unnamed Country is also inspired by his many visits to Vietnam. His novel Monstrocity was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award, and his novel Deadstock a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award. Thomas' stories have been selected for inclusion in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII (editor, Karl Edward Wagner), The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror #14 (editors, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling), and Year's Best Weird Fiction #1 (editor, Laird Barron).
Review Quotes:
"This bracing supernatural tale easily pulls readers into its dark, disturbing mystery." -Publishers Weekly
"The American rivals Ellis and Barker in terms of sheer darkness. Thomas combines horror and thriller to merciless effect." -Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase
"With his unerring eye for the disturbing and horrific, Thomas sinks us into a Vietnam few have ever seen. A haunting page-turner about the power of friendship, debts owed, and the countless wounds of war. A brutal, riveting read." -Erica Ferencik, bestselling author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle