400 Boys and 50 More

The most Marc Laidlaw stories ever assembled in one book...

Known as co-creator of the blockbuster HALF-LIFE video game series, and veteran writer of the esports phenomenon Dota 2, Marc Laidlaw is primarily a writer of short stories - horror, fantasy, and science fiction. But while his work has appeared in many popular magazines and several landmark collections over the last 40 years, it has never been collected in any form until now.

51 stories.

Over a quarter of a million words.

This is, quite simply, the most Marc Laidlaw thing ever.

Contents:

• INTRODUCTION
• THE SEVENTIES: FAIL EARLY
  • SPAWN OF THE RUINS
  • TISSUE
  • RATTLEGROUND
• THE EIGHTIES: PEAK OMNI
  • SNEAKERS
  • 400 BOYS
  • THE RANDOM MAN
  • SEA OF TRANQUILLITY
  • MUZAK FOR TORSO MURDERS
  • SHUCK BROTHER
  • FAUST FORWARD
  • NUTRIMANCER
  • THE LIQUOR CABINET OF DR. MALIKUDZU
  • GOOD ‘N’ EVIL, OR, THE ONCE AND FUTURE THING
  • LOAVES FROM HELL
  • LOVE COMES TO THE MIDDLEMAN
  • MIDDLEMAN’S RENT
  • THE FARMER ON THE WALL
  • BRUNO’S SHADOW
  • YOUR STYLE GUIDE—USE IT WISELY
  • MARS WILL HAVE BLOOD
  • UNEASY STREET
  • THE DEMONSTRATION
  • HIS POWDER’D WIG, HIS CROWN OF THORNES
• THE NINETIES: FIRST-PERSON READER
  • WARTORN, LOVELORN
  • GASOLINE LAKE
  • WUNDERKINDERGARTEN
  • THE VULTURE MAIDEN
  • GREAT BREAKTHROUGHS IN DARKNESS
  • TERROR FAN
  • THE DIANE ARBUS SUICIDE PORTFOLIO
  • THE BLACK BUS
  • MAD WIND
  • TO LIE BETWEEN THE LOINS OF PERKY PAT
  • NETHER REACHES
  • TOTAL CONVERSION
• THE NEW MILLENNIUM: HALF-LIFE & LESSONS HALF-LEARNED
  • SLEEPY JOE
  • CELL CALL
  • FLIGHT RISK
  • JANE
  • SWEETMEATS
  • EVALUATION OF THE HANNEMOUTH BEQUEST
  • AN EVENING’S HONEST PERIL
  • THE VICAR OF R’LYEH
  • LENG
• BEYOND 2010: OVER THE INFLUENCE
  • POKKY MAN
  • THE BOY WHO FOLLOWED LOVECRAFT
  • FORGET YOU
  • BONFIRES
  • THE FRIGID ILK OF SARN KATHOOL
  • THE GHOST PENNY POST
  • THE FINEST, FULLEST FLOWERING
• AFTERWORD