Conrad Williams - One

Critical acclaim for The Unblemished

'His carefully crafted descriptions of horrific images, along with theability to suggest they are even worse than words can tell, is reminiscentof Poe and the early stories of Clive Barker. Not for the squeamish, butno fan of literary horror should miss it.' The Times

'The Unblemished, winner of the International Horror Guild's Best Novelaward, is cleverly constructed, building relentlessly from intense, intimateterror to something on another scale altogether... the ruined London inthe closing chapters of this stark gripping novel will stay with you a longtime.' Guardian

'Top-notch writing skills, poetic vision and beautiful prose raise this wayabove your Hammer House of Horror... unusual as well as highlyaccomplished terror.' Sunday Express

'Williams is so good at what he does that he probably shouldn't beallowed to do it any more, for the sake of everyone's sanity.' PublishersWeekly (starred review)

'Williams has built a whole mythology, one that makes the book feel likea cobwebbed relic from another time. Dust it off, if you like. Just do itat, say, ten in the morning. In a crowded room. In a military compound.'Time Out

'The Unblemished scooped last year's highly coveted InternationalHorror Guild Award, beating off some pretty stiff competition (whichincluded some bloke called Stephen King). The Unblemished is astomach-churning vision by an accomplished and courageous author anddefinitely not for the faint of heart.' John Berlyne, SFREVU

'The Unblemished is a strong book that gets in your face and doesn'tback down. Its unsettling nature is one of its biggest assets. This is oneof the best books that I've read this year.' Bookspotcentral

'Williams' threat emerges from the world like an optical illusion beingrevealed, then you find that society fell apart while you were lookingsomewhere else.' SF Site

'A terrifying tale of violence and determination to survive. Highlyrecommended.' Monster Librarian

'This book scared the crap out of me... In my estimation, Williams doesso many things so well that there's really not much he can't do. He is oneof the few writers working in the area of horror and dark fantasy whohas my full attention all of the time. The Unblemished is further evidenceof his superlative talent.' Jeff VanderMeer

'[A] rich, emotionally engaging and extremely fast-paced novel... TheUnblemished achieves the admirable, tricky task of interweaving physicalhorror with spiritual terror... an unapologetic white-knuckle thriller.'William P Simmons, Infinity Plus

'Conrad Williams takes us on a roller-coaster ride through ancient buriedsecrets and body-horror invasion into the pulsing gut of apocalypticBritish horror.' Christopher Fowler

'The Unblemished combines a carefully orchestrated accumulation ofparanoid detail reminiscent of Ramsey Campbell with passages of vividlydescribed transformations evocative of early Clive Barker.' Steve RasnicTem

'An apocalyptic nightmare narrated with great vigour, clarity andstylishness. Steel yourself for some hideous sadism there's awe along theway.' Ramsey Campbell

'A tour de force. Awe-inspiring in its sheer unsparing, unflinching, grimlyhorrifying view. One nasty piece of work.' Ed Bryant, Locus

ONE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Conrad Williams is the author of the novels Head Injuries,London Revenant and The Unblemished as well as a collection,Use Once Then Destroy, and the novellas Nearly People, Game,The Scalding Rooms and Rain. Born in 1969, he sold his firstshort story at the age of eighteen and has gone on to sell over 80more. He is a past recipient of the British Fantasy Award and theInternational Horror Guild Award. He lives in Manchester withhis wife, three sons and a monster Maine Coon cat.

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ISBN 9780753520529

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Published by Virgin Books 2009

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CopyrightConrad Williams 2009

Conrad Williams has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and PatentsAct 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

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First published in Great Britain in 2009 by
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ISBN: 9780753520529

Version 1.0

For Zachary
All these miles, and more.