Thirteen terrifying tales from the master of horror who created the nationally bestselling Necroscope series. The title story, "Fruiting Bodies," in which a small village slowly disappears, won the British Fantasy Award. "The Viaduct," is the story of two young boys who learn the truth about fear and death. "Born of the Winds" was nominated for the World Fantasy Award. There is also an Introduction by Lumley in which he discusses violence in horror fiction.

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From Publishers Weekly

In an introductory diatribe against the current vogue of splatterpunk, Lumley ( Blood Brothers ) aligns himself with the old school of horror, which aimed, he reminds us, to entertain as well as horrify. These 13 tales, all previously published in magazines and collections over the past 20 years, amply bear out his thesis. Some of the best are set in Lumley's native northern England. In the title piece, which won a British Fantasy Award in 1989, a village is gradually invaded by a mysterious fungus--an ingenious, skin-crawling villain. In "The Viaduct," a more mundane--but no less terrifying--human adversary turns two boys' daredevil prank of climbing across a dangerous viaduct into a nightmare. Many of the stories bear the acknowledged influence of H. P. Lovecraft. "The Man Who Photographed Beardsley," for example, recalls Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model" (as well as Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"). Many of the stories, though generally the less effective ones, hinge on the discovery of ancient evil by overly inquisitive anthropologists, in the manner of Bram Stoker's The Jewel of the Seven Stars . In general, however, Lumley's well-crafted tales are satisfying entertainments.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A retrospective collection of Lumley's horror that's sure to appeal to his fans and aficionados of the genre. Several of the offerings are directly Lovecraft inspired, but Lumley may be at his best when he is drawing upon his own working-class English background. His voice, especially in the first-person narration of "Cyprus Shell," is as effective as Robert Bloch's at its best. Less convincing is the purple prose needed to really carry off the Lovecraftian stories; one senses that the mad ravings have been filtered through a level head. All in all, though, this is a most enjoyable romp in the grue.
- Cathy Chauvette, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.