Sperling & Kupfer  has conceived this new fiction series that explores a territory where the macabre and eerie, horror and gothic and supernatural and fantastic suspense converge. Authored by Italian and foreign writers.

As Stephen King – the absolute master of terror for over forty years – says in Danse Macabre: «Stranger makes us nervous… but we love to try on his face in secret»;. What is alien and dark scares us, but we are inevitably drawn to it. Because it speaks to the least acceptable part of our being that we don’t want to admit exists. Because it embodies our personal and collective fears. Because looking him in the face – or reading about him – is the only way to exorcise him. And here lies the allure of the terror narrative: the power to create demons and then destroy them.

There will be contemporary, still unpublished stories, but also modern classics to be rediscovered, introduced by well-known Italian writers or critics. To enrich the book offering, covers will be designed by highly influential illustrators and cartoonists whose task will be to give visual form to
what’s eerie and scary.

And, as a tribute to the Master, we could only call it Macabre.

Nel buio della casa by Fiore Manni and Michele Monteleone: release date 12 October

A new Italian horror novel, an under-represented genre in Italy, co-authored. Set over two time planes, the novel is a horror story, underpinned by a strong love and family narrative.

Fiore Manni is the author of several novels for children (Rizzoli). Michele Monteleone is a well-known comic book writer. Both authors are passionate about horror stories

The last house on needless street (original title) by Catriona Ward.

Listed by the Guardian (and not only) among the most anticipated books of 2021. It debuted (in March) in fourth place on the Times ranking, and first in ebooks. Sold, for now, in 20 countries.

Chasing the boogeyman (original title) by Richard Chizmar.

It will be released in a month’s time in the US. Chizmar (publisher of the Cemetery Dance and editor of the magazine of the same name, specialising in particular in the horror genre) has penned a solo novel, not co-written with his friend, Stephen King, as his previous fiction.