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One Hand Screaming: 20 Haunting Years
"Silent screams bounce around my head like an impending storm, brewing into a force that will escape in a wild dance of chaos and be lost forever if I don't stop to write them down.
For centuries, philosophers have pondered the Zen Buddhist koan: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" What, then, is the sound of one hand screaming?
Within these pages you will find . . .
A bookstore that keeps more than dusty old tomes on its shelves . . . a phantom limb that can reach into the next world . . . the exquisite taste of a book-aged skull . . . a comic that colors people's lives with terror . . . graves unable to hold their wares . . . a collector of haunted artifacts who gets more than he bargains for . . . a deserted northern highway that brings back a man's worst childhood fears . . . bogeymen, anthropomorphic terrors, and more . . .
In 2004, Mark Leslie released his first collection of chilling fiction and disturbing poetry in a volume calledOne Hand Screaming. Twenty years later, this special anniversary edition includes all the original stories and poems plus new ones published in the past twenty years along with all original pieces crafted specifically for this volume. This collection includes previously published award-nominees alongside all original and never-before published works. 26 stories and poems new to this collection: 14 of which have never before appeared in print
These haunting tales are sure to bring a delicious shiver to any fan of The Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories, and Black Mirror. If, that is, you're interested in opening your imagination to the sound of those silent screams.
396 pages, Hardcover
Published October 13, 2024
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Mark Leslie
110听books168听followersMark is a writer, editor and bookseller who was born and grew up in Sudbury, spent many years in Ottawa and Hamilton and currently lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
When he is not writing, he tacks "Lefebvre" back onto his name and works as a book industry consultant, having been a bookseller since the 1992, the same year his first short story was published.
Apart from publishing novels and non-fiction paranormal explorations under the name Mark Leslie, having works occasionally appearing on his mother's refrigerator door under the name Mark Lefebvre, and podcasting and consulting about the book industry under the name Mark Leslie Lefebvre for his Stark Publishing/Stark Reflections brand, Mark is a lover of craft beer.
When he's not enjoying craft beer or playing around with his three given names, he can usually be found wandering, awestruck through bookstores or libraries.
When he is not writing, he tacks "Lefebvre" back onto his name and works as a book industry consultant, having been a bookseller since the 1992, the same year his first short story was published.
Apart from publishing novels and non-fiction paranormal explorations under the name Mark Leslie, having works occasionally appearing on his mother's refrigerator door under the name Mark Lefebvre, and podcasting and consulting about the book industry under the name Mark Leslie Lefebvre for his Stark Publishing/Stark Reflections brand, Mark is a lover of craft beer.
When he's not enjoying craft beer or playing around with his three given names, he can usually be found wandering, awestruck through bookstores or libraries.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 14, 2024
A tantalizing anthology of horror shorts by an up and coming Canadian author
Several years ago, when I read the original edition of ONE HAND SCREAMING (that, by the way, converted me to an eager fan of all of Mark Leslie's work), I wrote a review that I see no sense in changing.
"It鈥檚 easy to find a collection of words to describe ONE HAND SCREAMING, a fine collection of horror shorts by an under-rated young Canadian author 鈥� titillating, horrifying, shocking, thought-provoking, hilarious, creepy, gruesome, campy, provocative 鈥� ! If you take the time to read it, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l be able to come up with your own set of complimentary adjectives.
Goodness knows, there鈥檚 lots for anyone who enjoys the horror genre to get their teeth into 鈥� sentient snowmen terrified of their coming excruciating death in the spring melt; the real reason why so many people suffer from arachnophobia; the clever story of a courageous mother鈥檚 fight to save her family from kidnapping by a marauding cult roaming the streets around her home; what it really means to lose yourself in a bookstore; an ornate Victorian mirror鈥檚 ghostly preservation of the rape of its owner; why you should probably re-think your decision to be a Hallowe鈥檈n Grinch hiding in the dark from the youngsters out trick-or-treating; a novel re-telling of a couple of old campfire chestnuts; and lots more.
The addition of Leslie鈥檚 鈥渁uthor鈥檚 notes鈥� for each story is an informative, interesting bonus. It鈥檚 remarkable to hear of a story鈥檚 provenance 鈥� how each story moved from the nugget of an idea to a fully fleshed-out published tale; how each story fit into the author鈥檚 ongoing personal thinking or the development of his life and his career as an author.
Most enjoyable and highly recommended."
It was true "20 HAUNTING YEARS" ago and it's true now. The addition of several new stories simply makes the book bigger, better, more haunting and more entertaining.
Paul Weiss
Several years ago, when I read the original edition of ONE HAND SCREAMING (that, by the way, converted me to an eager fan of all of Mark Leslie's work), I wrote a review that I see no sense in changing.
"It鈥檚 easy to find a collection of words to describe ONE HAND SCREAMING, a fine collection of horror shorts by an under-rated young Canadian author 鈥� titillating, horrifying, shocking, thought-provoking, hilarious, creepy, gruesome, campy, provocative 鈥� ! If you take the time to read it, I鈥檓 sure you鈥檒l be able to come up with your own set of complimentary adjectives.
Goodness knows, there鈥檚 lots for anyone who enjoys the horror genre to get their teeth into 鈥� sentient snowmen terrified of their coming excruciating death in the spring melt; the real reason why so many people suffer from arachnophobia; the clever story of a courageous mother鈥檚 fight to save her family from kidnapping by a marauding cult roaming the streets around her home; what it really means to lose yourself in a bookstore; an ornate Victorian mirror鈥檚 ghostly preservation of the rape of its owner; why you should probably re-think your decision to be a Hallowe鈥檈n Grinch hiding in the dark from the youngsters out trick-or-treating; a novel re-telling of a couple of old campfire chestnuts; and lots more.
The addition of Leslie鈥檚 鈥渁uthor鈥檚 notes鈥� for each story is an informative, interesting bonus. It鈥檚 remarkable to hear of a story鈥檚 provenance 鈥� how each story moved from the nugget of an idea to a fully fleshed-out published tale; how each story fit into the author鈥檚 ongoing personal thinking or the development of his life and his career as an author.
Most enjoyable and highly recommended."
It was true "20 HAUNTING YEARS" ago and it's true now. The addition of several new stories simply makes the book bigger, better, more haunting and more entertaining.
Paul Weiss
November 7, 2024
鈥業 am the author, hear me scream鈥� 鈥� Vividly involving new stories!
Canadian author Mark Leslie is a writer, editor, and bookseller whose publications include poetry, short stories and novels 鈥� both fiction and non-fiction. His specialty is horror, ghost, and eerie stories, and as such he has served as editor of science fiction anthologies (North of Infinity II, Campus Chills, Fiction River among them) as well as single books, such as his very popular Canadian Werewolf Series. Now he turns to that very special gift of writing short stories, and in Mark鈥檚 hands that genre is a treasure.
After an entertaining conversation with the reader, a reflection of some of Mark鈥檚 past works, the initial story opens with his inimitable writing style: 鈥淎las, Great Uncle Nathan,鈥� Herb triumphantly stated, holding the pale orb on an extended arm a few feet from his face. 鈥淭here is nothing quite like the exquisite taste of a book-aged skull.鈥� There wasn鈥檛 the faintest hint of an echo, as his words were absorbed by the insulating effect of the packed bookshelves. He moved his focus from the empty eye sockets of the skull he鈥檇 been holding to gaze in admiration at the book spines, occasionally broken by the pale ironic grin of a human skull. Twenty-three human skulls of die-hard life-ling readers; housed on shelves alongside a prestigious collection of first edition books. The result of a lifetime of collecting.鈥�
Twenty years after the publication of SILENT SCREAMS, the first volume of this book, ONE HAND SCREAMING becomes even more memorable. This is a superb set of bizarre tales from a master storyteller!
Canadian author Mark Leslie is a writer, editor, and bookseller whose publications include poetry, short stories and novels 鈥� both fiction and non-fiction. His specialty is horror, ghost, and eerie stories, and as such he has served as editor of science fiction anthologies (North of Infinity II, Campus Chills, Fiction River among them) as well as single books, such as his very popular Canadian Werewolf Series. Now he turns to that very special gift of writing short stories, and in Mark鈥檚 hands that genre is a treasure.
After an entertaining conversation with the reader, a reflection of some of Mark鈥檚 past works, the initial story opens with his inimitable writing style: 鈥淎las, Great Uncle Nathan,鈥� Herb triumphantly stated, holding the pale orb on an extended arm a few feet from his face. 鈥淭here is nothing quite like the exquisite taste of a book-aged skull.鈥� There wasn鈥檛 the faintest hint of an echo, as his words were absorbed by the insulating effect of the packed bookshelves. He moved his focus from the empty eye sockets of the skull he鈥檇 been holding to gaze in admiration at the book spines, occasionally broken by the pale ironic grin of a human skull. Twenty-three human skulls of die-hard life-ling readers; housed on shelves alongside a prestigious collection of first edition books. The result of a lifetime of collecting.鈥�
Twenty years after the publication of SILENT SCREAMS, the first volume of this book, ONE HAND SCREAMING becomes even more memorable. This is a superb set of bizarre tales from a master storyteller!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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