ABSENT COMPANY collects two of Steve Rasnic Tem's early books of ghostly, supernatural tales: the 33 stories in The Far Side of the Lake combined with his haunting exploration of the intersection of reality and delusion, the novelette Among the Living. "It's not uncommon to believe yourself awake when you are, in fact, sleeping. Far less common is to believe yourself sleeping when you are, in fact, awake."
One of the most prolific and respected voices in modern supernatural fiction, Tem's stories reveal the enduring power of the past over a seemingly safe present day world in which both real and imaginary horrors lurk along the edges of vision.
These books are hard to find except in expensive hardcover limited editions. ABSENT COMPANY is the only available source for the electronic editions of these tales.
Comments on some individual stories:
"Crutches"--"an unforgettable surrealistic nightmare" -- Washington Post Book World
"The Sky Come Down to Earth"--"No one has written so well of the inward spirit of the unwanted child since Shirley Jackson." -- Stephen King
"Leaks"--winner of the British Fantasy Award
