Knife Fight and Other Struggles

A young man at loose ends finds he cannot look away from his new lover’s alien gaze. A young woman out of time seeks her old lover in the cold spaces between the stars. The fleeing worshippers of an ancient and jealous deity seek solace in an unsuspecting New World congregation. In a suburban nursery, a demon with a grudge and a lonely exorcist face off for what could be the last time. And when a big city mayor who delineates his mandate by the slash of a blade faces an unexpected challenger, it turns into a struggle that threatens to consume everything. In Knife Fight and Other Struggles, David Nickle follows his award-winning debut collection Monstrous Affections with a new set of dark tales that span space, time, and genre.

Praise for Knife Fight and Other Struggles

“Genre, unfairly, can be a ghetto.

Scan the cover blurbs on David Nickle’s new collection of horror and dark fantasy – he has an armful of awards to his credit – and you might well wonder how you’ve missed him. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the talent based on preconceptions of what horror might be – read one of these stories and see if you aren’t hooked… Believe the hype: David Nickle is very good.”

Globe and Mail

“David Nickle’s Knife Fight and Other Struggles is a collection of twelve unique glimpses into the weird.

Dynamic imagination, masterful writing of both the every day and the nightmare, characters that breathe, and a dark sense of humour make this a keeper. If you’ve not yet read Nickle’s fiction, Knife Fight is a great place to start. If you have, you’ve no doubt already bought this book.”

Jeffrey Ford

World Fantasy Award-winning author of Crackpot Palace: Stories

“David Nickle doesn’t believe in holding anything back.

WIth this new collection he takes the readers on a series of wild rides at manic velocity, careering through a dozen explosive and surreal stories that dip into fantasy, science fiction and horror, exploring alternate worlds and crazy futures.”

The Toronto Star

“Knife Fight and Other Struggles is a remarkable collection

that drops some hi-fidelity weirdness on the scene. Nickle’s prose has gorgeous lines of symmetry and a steel spine.”

Laird Barron

Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All

“When it comes to this book, only two things are certain;

the stories never travel where you expect, and David Nickle is a monumental talent.”

Publisher’s Weekly

Starred Review

“David Nickle is Canada’s answer to Stephen King.

His writing charms even as it slices like a blade between the ribs: sharp, subtle, and never less than devastating.”

Helen Marshall

British Fantasy Award Winning author of The Migration

“This not only describes hauntings. It is a haunting.”

This Magazine

“Anyone even vaguely interested in horror or weird fiction owes it to themselves to give David Nickle a look,

and Knife Fight and Other Struggles is a great place to start. Those already familiar won’t be disappointed.”

The Winnipeg Free Press

“David Nickle is my favourite kind of writer.

His stories are dark, wildly imaginative, and deeply compassionate—even when they’re laced with righteous anger. He’s at the top of his game in this new book of short stories, and that’s about as good as it gets.”

Nathan Ballingrud,

Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Wounds