{"product_id":"cruel-stories-joe-morey-9781957121345","title":"Cruel Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis book is extreme horror and appropriate for adults only. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe cruelty that human beings impose on each other, or upon themselves, is more horrifying than anything suffered in the natural realm. Nature is impersonal; in all of Nature only mankind is cruel. But cruelty is not the sole province of humanity. In the realm of the supernatural exist other entities which, like us, possess a capacity to torment. Gods, demons, wraiths, djinn can also be malicious. A single scarlet thread runs through these stories - the cruelty imposed upon men and woman both by the unnatural of this world and supernatural of the worlds that lie beyond. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The \u003ci\u003econte cruel\u003c\/i\u003e (cruel story) is a subgenre of horror fiction defined by French writers during the decadent \u003ci\u003efin de si鐵le\u003c\/i\u003e of the 19th century. Its seminal exponent was the writer Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, who in 1883 published a collection of short stories under the title \u003ci\u003eContes Cruels\u003c\/i\u003e. As the name implies, it was characterized by terror and suffering inflicted by one person upon another, variously motivated by such things as hatred, revenge, lust, greed, ambition, or sheer sadism. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e The addition of a supernatural element to this genre elevates it to the cosmic level. The suffering inflicted is not only physical and emotional, but spiritual and transformative. Spiritual horror strips away the comforting conventions of our shared reality to reveal what lies naked and beating beneath the skin. Those who suffer must confront the final and terrifying awareness of their own frailty. Suffering is a mirror - when we gaze into it, we see ourselves as we truly are, emptied of all illusions. This is the ultimate horror, which all of us at some point in our lives must face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joe Morey, Donald Tyson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1957121343\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781957121345\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Weird House Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 196\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.65lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.45d","brand":"Joe Morey","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44122908328191,"sku":"9781957121345","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_def7b56c-1910-4231-b816-82a125ee47da.jpg?v=1687427804","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/cruel-stories-joe-morey-9781957121345","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}