Spencer Hamilton

Two women quarantined together. A world falling into chaos.When a virus sweeps across the globe, cities and entire countries shut down overnight. The Fear zooms in on a married couple, Ash and Jack, in one small apartment, growing restless and claustrophobic and paranoid. People are dying in droves. Governments are toppling, imploding, lashing out. Martial law, police states, riots, bioterrorism. No one knows what to believe, who to trust.As the horror ramps up to apocalyptic levels, Jack is slowly unraveling. She shuts herself away and fears everything. Fears the virus has crawled its way inside, down her throat, into the lining of her stomach. Ash is afraid, too-afraid of what her increasingly erratic wife will do to her.In a pandemic none of us are ready for, should we fear the outside world . . . or what's waiting within?

A Pandemic Horror Novel

The Fear

An explosive collection spanning Spencer Hamilton's entire career as a storyteller, Kitchen Sink features stories of literary horror that will unsettle your very core. Inside you will find a splash of something for everyone: a Kafkaesque creature, Frankenstein's Law, a team of time-travelers, a mysterious land of giants and talking cats, a man down on his luck at Christmas, a dusty pool table shop that's more than it seems, the nature of memory, whispers from a kitchen sink's drain . . . Stories of ghosts and of depression, of loss and of fear, of blood and the things we do to one another. Hamilton's gift for writing compelling characters and visceral details will give you glimpses into our nature as human beings and creatures of story. With each turn of the page, Hamilton explores our own perceptions—of ourselves, of our memories, and of each other. Twenty-eight pieces from one person's story, collected here for the first time.

Stories

Kitchen Sink

“Welcome to hell, Sister.” Sister Mary Matthew arrives on the steps of St. Teresa’s Joyous Youths Orphanage determined to be the children’s favorite nun. But she can’t seem to win over the head of the orphanage: stern, withered Sister Agatha Eustace, whom everyone secretly calls Sister Killjoy. Mary tries to rise to the challenge, but things at St. Teresa’s feel . . . off. A mysterious benefactor. Sick children denied medicine. A crowded cemetery. Strange noises from the basement. Cruel punishments. Terrifying dreams. Worst of all, her prayers remain unanswered. She feels as if God has abandoned her and everyone at St. Teresa’s. Until, one full-mooned night, a voice calls to her. A voice that claims to know her heart’s desire. Before there was Smileyland, before Mister Smiley, there was a decrepit orphanage run by an evil nun and full of children who chanted: “Sister Funtime, Sister Funtime, Sister Funtime!” From the author of Welcome to Smileyland and The Fear comes the new religious horror novella, the latest entry in the Smileyverse. Come on in—and don’t forget to say your prayers. “Spencer Hamilton takes you on a rollercoaster ride down to the pits of hell to expose the birth of his theme park abomination. Unsettling and disturbing, Sister Funtime will keep you shivering under the covers until the very last page is turned.” —Mona Kabbani, author of The Bell Chime

Spencer Hamilton

About

Books

Join the club