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Rhys Hughes
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The Seashell Contract Kindle Edition

by Rhys Hughes (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
See all formats and editions
A collection of previously unpublished stories by a highly regarded writer of modern speculative fiction. The seashell contract is binding on the human race. Once it is signed, the ocean will grow warmer and storms rage across the land. Other tales involve the longest chopsticks, a man who falls afoul of the sons of the sea, the first selfie photograph ever taken and its unexpected consequences, the man who swallowed an apple pip in order to grow a tree in his stomach, and the sasquatch who went to work in an office... 22 stories in total and all for a good cause. The author's profits from the sale of this book will go to The Mariposa Trust, a charity that supports mothers and families who have lost babies...

“It’s a crime that Rhys Hughes is not as widely known as Italo Calvino and other writers of that stature. Brilliantly written and conceived, Hughes’ fiction has few parallels anywhere in the world. In some alternate universe with a better sense of justice, his work triumphantly parades across all bestseller lists. “ —JEFF VANDERMEER

“Rhys Hughes seems almost the sum of our planet's literature... As well as being drunk on language and wild imagery, he is also sober on the essentials of thought. He has something of Mervyn Peake's glorious invention, something of John Cowper Powys's contemplative, almost disdainful existentialism, a sensuality, a relish, an addiction to the delicious. He's as tricky as his own characters... He toys with convention. He makes the metaphysical political, the personal incredible and the comic hints at subtle pain. Few living fictioneers approach this chef's sardonic confections, certainly not in English.” — MICHAEL MOORCOCK

“Every Hughes story implies much, served with wit and whimsy and word-relish, high spirits and bittersweet twists.” — IAN WATSON

“A dazzling disintegration of the reality principle. A rite of passage to the greater world beyond common sense. Raises the bar on profundity and sets a comic standard for the tragic limits of our human experience. Like Beckett on nitrous oxide. Like Kafka with a brighter sense of humour.” — A.A. ATTANASIO

“Hughes' world is a magical one, and his language is the most magical thing of all.” — T.E.D. KLEIN

“There are no easy phrases to describe Hughes' fiction; it's so exotic. His writing is incredibly precise and at the same time his imagination is so unfettered.” — JEFFREY FORD
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 18 years
  2. Print length
    176 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    January 24, 2017
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  8. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rhys Hughes was born in 1966. His first book, Worming the Harpy, was published in 1995, and since that time he has published more than thirty other books and been translated into ten languages. His most recent book is the collection Brutal Pantomimes and he is now at work on a volume of ghost stories. Fantasy, humour, satire, adventure, science fiction, paradoxes, metafiction, thought experiments and philosophy are combined in his work to create a distinctive style.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N14PJYE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gloomy Seahorse Press; 1st edition (January 24, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 24, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 480 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1542722616

About the author

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Rhys Hughes

Rhys Hughes

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I am a writer of Fantastika and Speculative Fiction.

My earliest surviving short story dates from 1989, and since that time I have embarked on an ambitious project of writing a story cycle consisting of exactly 1000 linked tales. Recently I decided to give this cycle the overall name of PANDORA'S BLUFF. The reference is to the box of troubles in the old myth. Each tale is a trouble, but hope can be found within them all.

My favourite fiction writers are Italo Calvino, Stanislaw Lem, Boris Vian, Flann O'Brien, Alasdair Gray and Donald Barthelme, all of whom have a well-developed sense of irony and a powerful imagination. I particularly enjoy literature that combines humour with seriousness, and that fuses the emotional with the intellectual, the profound with the lighthearted, the spontaneous with the precise.

My first book was published in 1995 and sold slowly but it seemed to strike a chord with some people. My subsequent books sold more strongly as my reputation gradually increased. I have been told that I am a "cult author" and I'm pleased with the description, but obviously I also want to reach out to a wider audience!

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