Good Boy

IT meets The Fisherman in this story of supernatural horror, nostalgia and mystery.After a boy vanishes on the outskirts of a small Northern town, a woman spies from her window a mysterious man digging a grave in the exact spot of the disappearance.However, when she confronts him, the man's true purpose is far more chilling than she could have imagined and the history of the town's fatal past unfolds. What has been hiding in this small northern town all these years? PART OF THE NORTHERN WEIRD PROJECTAdvance Praise:"An excellent story – reminded me of classic English stories of the supernatural. People like M.R. James and Arthur Machen. Heady company to be in!" Stephen King"A profoundly moving and genuinely eerie tale about the cruel, persistent horrors of this world, about roads not taken, about love and grief, about courage and sacrifice, about what we do with the time we are given…an extraordinary, utterly unforgettable debut. A beautiful ode to goodness." Rachel Harrison, USA Today bestselling author of So Thirsty and Black Sheep"Somewhere between the cosmic precision of John Langan, the undulating mundanity of Robert Aickman, and the boundless heart of Stephen King, sits Neil McRobert's Good Boy. This is an expertly executed story." Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of When the Wolf Comes Home and Mary"Assured, heartfelt horror firmly rooted in affection, longing and loss and a quiet Northern resignation to things beyond any earthly control. This is a haunting little sting of a book, a sharp nip at the heels." Gemma Amor, Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Award nominated author of Itch"There's good dogs, there's excellent writers, and there's extraordinary novellas. What you're holding in your hands now is all three." Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter"Good Boy is a magical thing, a story where a grander battle of evil versus innocence is made intimate, personal, small enough to hold in your hand – Neil McRobert knows how to tell a damn fine story and if we are so lucky, we will be reading many more stories from him going forward. I read this in one sitting. I fucking loved it." Chuck Wendig, author of The Staircase in the Woods"A chilling tale that breaks your heart. Neil McRobert speaks to one of the truest forms of love there is, that bond between a boy and his dog, written with the elegiac flood of Dylan Thomas and the homespun verve of a fireside ghost story told at the local pub." Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes"Both terrifying and deeply heartfelt. Echoing the best of Stephen King, it's a story of monstrous horror and quiet sacrifice; it's about how we live our lives and the pets that accompany us, if we're lucky. I loved this very English monster story, and I especially loved the titular good boy. You will, too." Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves