{"product_id":"9781835628140","title":"No Laughing Matter: Horror Short Stories","description":"\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\/Contributor(s):\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003eChinn, Mike; Coleborn, Peter\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFlame Tree Collections\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003eHardcover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003eNEW\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cb\u003eA chillingly amusing collection in a stunning edition, Peter Coleborn and Mike Chinn's anthology offers a rollercoaster of emotions and original stories guaranteed to make you laugh (and shiver).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDark fantasy, horror and weird fiction is not always about the gruesome or the gross out. It has long been acknowledged that the line between horror and humour is thin to non-existent. The sudden jump shock will often be greeted by nervous laughter with the release of tension, while some forms of comedy can generate unease in the audience (and not simply because it’s bad comedy). Clowns – ostensibly figures of amusement – provoke feelings akin to terror in some people; they even named a phobia after it: coulrophobia. Fear and fun are inextricably mixed. The writers behind such comedy classics as \u003ci\u003eInside No. 9\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003ePsychoville\u003c\/i\u003e knew this all too well (as well as clearly being fans of the old Hammer and Amicus films, which didn’t hurt). Noel Coward’s \u003ci\u003eBlithe Spirit\u003c\/i\u003e used death as the springboard to a well-loved play and film. The number of books, stories, films and comic books (think of EC’s \u003ci\u003eTales from the Crypt\u003c\/i\u003e, for instance) which mix laughs and shudders is legion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnd so it is with this anthology, edited by the seasoned publisher-editor-author team of \u003cb\u003ePeter Coleborn\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eMike Chinn\u003c\/b\u003e. Contributors include some of the top names in speculative fiction – \u003cb\u003eSamantha Lee\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eJoyce Chng\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eRamsey Campbell\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eGary McMahon\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eJoanne Anderton\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eJohn L. Probert\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eGarry Kilworth\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eStephen Gallagher\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eStephen Volk\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eSteve Rasnic Tem\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eThana Niveau\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eMichael Marshall Smith\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ePeter Atkins\u003c\/b\u003e – alongside a handful of stories selected from open submissions. Here you will encounter elements of bleak and black humour, of wry observation with a touch of satire and hints of the absurd. Humanity has always done its best to laugh at darkness and the unknown – how better to deal with it? – and although many things may appear to be no laughing matter, in truth they always are and will be.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe \u003cb\u003eFlame Tree Beyond and Within\u003c\/b\u003e short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.","brand":"Flame Tree Collections","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48306870780159,"sku":"9781835628140","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0452\/0886\/2873\/files\/Jacket_9381da35-411e-4017-9205-32c4df4df8b5.jpg?v=1774363291","url":"https:\/\/massivebookshop.com\/de\/products\/9781835628140","provider":"MASSIVE BOOKSHOP","version":"1.0","type":"link"}