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The Beautiful Red

A collection by James Cooper

PAPERBACK: $19.⁹⁹ / £11.⁹⁹ [ISBN: 978–0–9811597–0–6]
eBOOK: $4⁹⁹ (about £2⁹⁹ or €3⁴⁹) [ISBN: 978–0–9811597–6–8]

Published: April 2^nd 2010

Red…
The colour that surrounds us as we enter the world;
the colour that consumes us when we die.

Red…
The colour of life and everything in it.

Red…
The colour we produce when we scream…

The Beautiful Red
12 extraordinary tales* of madness and dysfunction,
inhabiting the red world, where only the sound of our violence can be heard…

A collection of twelve horror tales* from James Cooper. This second collection of the writer's work comes complete with a foreword from the Award-Winning Master of Urban Horror Christopher Fowler.

Certain tropes and themes emerge here, repeating and revolving in uncomfortable permutations; human simulacra, corrupted children, acts of creation, the bones beneath the skin, lives warped and poisoned, innocence lost, loneliness and the ever present sensation of impending death. Luckily, James manages to weave these elements into his plots in a way that entertains, otherwise he'd have his readers cutting their throats.

— Christopher Fowler (from his foreword)

Praise for The Beautiful Red:

At the heart of every tale in Cooper's latest collection of meticulously crafted horror is a disquieting, iconic figure or image. … While independent publisher Atomic Fez may not yet be positioned to introduce Cooper to a wider audience, the quality of his output so far easily matches that of the best-known talents in contemporary horror.

— Carl Hays; Booklist

… "There's Something Wrong With Pappy"… chronicles the dissolution of a family after the death of the mother, with sympathetic magic… and all sorts of micro/macro shifts of perspective… but also eerie and strangely compelling… Even better is "Eight Small Men"… with events past and present informing each other, and excellent characterisation throughout… a moving and powerful story, and testament to what Cooper can accomplish when he stretches himself.
     … As so often with Cooper [in "My Secret Children"] there's the suggestion of something else going on in the background… it's the ideal note on which to end this collection by one of the most promising writers to emerge from the small press pack in recent years.

— Peter Tennant; Black Static

Through all the stories run images of impending death, damaged children, broken families and corruption, forming the thematic threads articulating the book's skeleton.
     "There's Something Wrong with Pappy" is one of the best in the book, improving with each re-reading. …
     Like all Cooper's best work, there is something fairytale-like about the story ["The Family Face"]…
     These stories as a whole form a gestalt of a book…The Beautiful Red is more than the sum of its individual stories, and forms an impressive collection which will only add to a reputation that continues to grow.

— Colin Harvey, "Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction", Suite 101

[G]reat stories to curl up with on a wet, stormy night. 4/5

— lkernagh, LibraryThing.com (September 30^th 2010)

I assume you like being a little freaked out otherwise you wouldn't even be considering this wonderfully creepy book. These stories are dark and unnerving and enjoyable. I love short stories and I love horror stories and The Beautiful Red satisfied on both counts.

— @604Heather, a reader (September 1^st 2011)

The Beautiful Red is James Cooper's second collection of short stories. It's twelve stories long, and four of those stories are better than just about anything else you've ever read.
     … The Beautiful Red is packed with fantastic writing and powerful emotion. My skin is still crawling just thinking about it.

— Little Miss Zomcon; "Dark Reviews", Horror Web

Praise for Mr. Cooper:

James Cooper's stories are original, clever and daring. Clearly a writer to watch.

— Graham Joyce (author of The Facts of Life)

…such a peerless collection… Cooper not just eschews the dynamics of modern horror, but also the classics of the genre… I did not find a single dud tale in the book… "In Fetu" is a downright disturbing tale. An absolute classic. Cooper's tales take you to places grounded in the reality of the modern world and the madness that surrounds it. Thoroughly recommended.

— Christopher Teague, Whispers of Wickedness (reviewing Mr. Cooper's first collection, You Are the Fly)

Some writers have a knack of great first lines, some have killer exits and others have that great storytelling ability that's essential to make the two join up in the middle. James Cooper is one of those enviable people who possess all three… This is as dark as it gets — you've been warned.

— Peter Crowther (author of Escardy Gap)

[James Cooper] is intent on stepping inside his characters, instead of simply describing them from the outside. He calibrates his effects instead of going for shocks. He's clearly fascinated by the mournful realities (and dream-states) of life and death. It's been quite a while since I've encountered stories like this, tales that ignore topical tastes in favour of a strange view of humanity that's timeless, classical, and mysteriously sad.

— Christopher Fowler (from his foreword)

• The Good Book
• There's Something Wrong with Pappy
• Eight Small Men
• The Family Face
• F001/01
• Because Your Blood is Darker Than Mine
• We Are the Pigs
• Albion
• Learning to Live in a Pretty Little Town
• In Each Dark Body There Lies
• The Hack
• My Secret Children