{"product_id":"9780765390950","title":"Chalk : A Novel","description":"\u003cstrong\u003eChalk\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor(s): Paul Cornell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is what horror ought to be: primal, personal, and powerful.\" — Seanan McGuire\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePaul Cornell plumbs the depths of magic and despair in \u003ci\u003eChalk\u003c\/i\u003e, a brutal exploration of bullying in Margaret Thatcher's England.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAndrew Waggoner has always hung around with his fellow losers at school, desperately hoping each day that the school bullies — led by Drake — will pass him by in search of other prey. But one day they force him into the woods, and the bullying escalates into something more; something unforgivable; something unthinkable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBroken, both physically and emotionally, something dies in Waggoner, and something else is born in its place.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the hills of the West Country a chalk horse stands vigil over a site of ancient power, and there Waggoner finds in himself a reflection of rage and vengeance, a power and persona to topple those who would bring him low.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview(s):\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Cornell brilliantly delineates not only the insular milieu of rural England but the brutal materialism of Thatcher’s Britain, in a slow-building novel of retribution and cycles of abuse. Superb.\" —\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is what horror ought to be: primal, personal, and powerful. Gloriously gutting.  \u003ci\u003eChalk\u003c\/i\u003e is like nothing I've ever read before, or am ever likely to read again. Well, you can just come over here and \u003ci\u003erock\u003c\/i\u003e me to sleep tonight.\"—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Seanan McGuire\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Excellent, petrifying and awful in all the right ways... Hand over mouth in parts. Strongly recommended.\" —Kieron Gillen, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Wicked \u0026amp; The Divine\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePhonogram\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Raw and dark... powerful and inventive. Terrific.\" —Kurt Busiek, Harvey and Eisner Award winning creator of \u003ci\u003eAstro City\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Holy Shit! I love this fucking book! This book kept me up way too late reading it, and then I couldn’t sleep the rest of the night. OMG what a book. Intense and horrific and gorgeous. Damn, dude. I mean… damn.\"\u003cbr\u003e— Diana Rowland, author of the White Trash Zombie series.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eChalk\u003c\/i\u003e is a raw, blistering, horror-ride through the hell of adolescence and the despair of abuse. It is honest and hard-hitting, often uncomfortable to read, yet wonderfully crafted. Gritty realism rubs up against dark folk horror, and the result is a unique literary experience you won't forget in a hurry.\" — Gary McMahon, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Concrete Grove\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Grieving Stones\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eChalk \u003c\/i\u003eis a chilling, compelling tale of youthful violence and ancient evil.\" —Lucy A. Snyder, author of \u003ci\u003eWhile the Black Stars Burn\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Harrowing, astonishing and beautiful. Read it instantly.\" — Laurie Penny, author of \u003ci\u003eEverything Belongs to the Future\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"\u003c\/i\u003eA pitch-perfect blend of familiar cruelties, pop culture and otherworldly horror, Cornell's stand-alone novel has a power all its own.\" —\u003ci\u003eRT \u003c\/i\u003eTop Pick, 4 1\/2 Stars\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eChalk\u003c\/i\u003e bleeds atmosphere... the type that gets under your skin... a creeping horror, the ancient meshing with the modern, a sickening sense of dread cresting like a dark wave that, sooner or later, must hit the shore…\" —Forbidden Planet International\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eChalk\u003c\/i\u003e is a hugely evocative novel... one of the books of the year. Highly recommended.\" —\u003ci\u003eGinger Nuts of Horror\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Cornell weaves human and supernatural horror together in powerful and disturbing ways.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShort-listed Locus Awards - Nominee (2018)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eISBN:  9780765390950\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ","brand":"Tordotcom","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":40597388853454,"sku":"9780765390950","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0600\/7029\/7806\/products\/getimage_72161cb4-5d5f-4fd0-9de9-ee7f640589a4.jpg?v=1637878810","url":"https:\/\/pickwickbookshop.com\/products\/9780765390950","provider":"Pickwick Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}