Most Popular Books by Richard Chizmar

Das Böse kommt zurück nach Castle Rock Mit dem Winter hält das Böse wieder Einzug in der kleinen Stadt Castle Rock in Maine. Sheriff Norris Ridgewick und sein Team suchen verzweifelt nach vermissten Mädchen. Die Zeit läuft ihnen davon, sie lebend zu finden. Die 37-jährige Gwendy Peterson ist nun Politikerin in Washington. Vor 25 Jahren wurde sie hier in Castle Rock von einem mysteriösen Mann mit einem seltsamen Wunschkasten betraut – oder verflucht? Damals konnte sie ihn wieder loswerden und hat ihn längst vergessen. Das mysteriöse Wiederauftauchen des Kastens führt Gwendy nun nach Hause ... wo sie vielleicht helfen kann, die vermissten Mädchen zu retten und einen Verrückten zu stoppen, bevor Grässliches passiert.

Castle Rock, wir haben ein Problem! Gwendy, inzwischen in einem hohen politischen Amt und für Klimafragen zuständig, begibt sich zu wissenschaftlichen Zwecken in die Erdumlaufbahn. Dabei ist sie aber auf ihrer eigenen geheimen Mission unterwegs. Der Wunschkasten ist zu ihr zurückgekehrt, mächtiger und zerstörerischer denn je. Die Aufgabe, die Welt zu retten, könnte für sie zu einer Reise ohne Rückkehr werden.

Che cosa accomuna una ragazza che non si arrende e un seducente uomo in nero? Una cosa preziosa: la scatola dei bottoni di Gwendy.

Kouzelná skříňka pro Gwendy je dalším Kingovým dílem situovaným do fiktivního maineského městečka Castle Rock. Tentokrát se však, na rozdíl od těch ostatních, jedná o poměrně krátkou novelu, napsanou navíc ve spolupráci s Richardem Chizmarem. Na začátku příběhu je Gwendy 12 let. Je to bystrá holčička, která má problémy s nadváhou, s nimiž se dokáže svou vůlí a kázní vypořádat. Jednoho dne ji v parku osloví záhadný černě oděný muž, který jí z neznámých důvodů dá jedinečný a nebezpečný dárek – kouzelnou skříňku s páčkami a různobarevnými tlačítky. Stisknutím páček skříňka vydává buď vzácné stříbrné dolary, nebo nesmírně chutné čokoládičky. Barevná tlačítka jsou destruktivní a mají přímo katastrofické následky. Co se stane, má-li osud města a vlastně i celého světa v rukách dvanáctiletá dívenka?

Clive Barker: »Richard Chizmar schreibt wie ein Mann, der durch die Hölle und zurück gegangen ist und nur überlebt hat, um davon zu erzählen.« Das Leben in der Vorstadt meint es gut mit Robert und Katy Howard. Sohn Grant ist am College und besonders zu dem älteren Nachbarn James besteht eine sehr enge Beziehung. Für Robert ist er wie eine Vaterfigur. Als an einem kühlen Dezembermorgen die Familie von Sirenen und Blaulicht geweckt wird, erfährt Robert von der Polizei, dass James nicht nur verschwunden, sondern Hauptverdächtiger in einer Mordserie ist. Robert muss erkennen, dass sein einstig bester Freund nicht der ist, für den er ihn jahrelang gehalten hat. Seine Nachforschungen führen ihn zurück zu einem dunklen Geheimnis aus seiner Kindheit, das er längst verdrängt hatte und dessen brutale und herzzerreisende Wahrheit ihm nun offenbart wird. Robert McCammon: »Chizmars Geschichten sind knallhart, gruselig, spannend, ergreifend, erschütternd, herzzerreißend und vor allem sehr gut geschrieben!« Stewart O''Nan: »Wie Ray Bradbury hat auch Richard Chizmar eine herzliche, nostalgische Ader. Die Vergangenheit ist in seinen Geschichten immer ein warmer, perfekter Ort. Die Gegenwart hingegen gehört eher zu Robert Bloch, denn das Staunen weicht dem Horror. Die Wendungen sind der alten Twilight Zone würdig.« Scott Smith: »Chizmar gelingt es hervorragend, die äußerlich glänzenden Schichten seiner Welt abzuschälen und die darunter liegende Fäulnis zu enthüllen. Seine Geschichten sind wie Reißzähne: scharf und bereit, Blut zu vergießen.« John Saul: »Ich liebe Schriftsteller wie Richard Chizmar - seine Prosa ist direkt, simpel und auf den Punkt gebracht. Er fesselt deine Aufmerksamkeit mit dem ersten Absatz und lässt sie nicht wieder los.« Graham Masterton: »Richard Chizmar hat ein ganz besonderes Talent dafür, eine heimelige, glaubwürdige Welt zu schaffen - die Art von Welt, in der Sie und ich tagtäglich leben. Aber nach und nach verleiht er dieser Welt ein schleichendes Unbehagen, und dann öffnet er die Türen der Vorstadthäuser und lässt uns all den unvorstellbaren Horror sehen, der sich dahinter verbirgt.«

Když bylo Gwendy Petersonové dvanáct let, dal jí cizinec jménem Richard Farris do úschovy tajemnou skříňku. Nabízela pamlsky a staré mince, ale byla také nebezpečná. Stisknutí kteréhokoliv ze sedmi barevných tlačítek přinášelo smrt a zkázu. O několik let později skříňka znovu vstoupila do jejího života. Jako úspěšná spisovatelka a vycházející politická hvězda byla Gwendy opět nucena vypořádat se s pokušením, které představovala – úžasný pocit pohody vyvážený děsivě temným nutkáním vyvolat katastrofu. Ve třetí, závěrečné knize bojuje Gwendy Petersonová, nyní senátorka Spojených států, s ranými příznaky Alzheimerovy choroby, které se snaží tajit. Ale čeká ji mnohem náročnější úkol, tajná mise, aby zachránila svět.

Vuelve Stephen King con una impactante novela corta en un formato muy especial. La pequeña ciudad de Castle Rock, en Maine, ha sido testigo de algunos extraños sucesos, pero solo hay una historia que no se ha contado... hasta ahora. Existen tres vías para llegar a Castle View desde la ciudad de Castle Rock: por la carretera 117, por Pleasant Road y por las Escaleras de los Suicidios. Cada día del verano de 1974, Gwendy Peterson, de doce años de edad, toma el camino de las escaleras, que ascienden en zigzag por la ladera rocosa. Pero un día, al llegar a lo alto, mientras recupera el aliento con la cara roja y las manos apoyadas sobre las rodillas, un desconocido la llama. Allí, en un banco a la sombra, se sienta un hombre con una chaqueta negra y un pequeño sombrero. Llegará un día en el que Gwendy sufra pesadillas con ese sombrero... ENGLISH DESCRIPTION Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine Stephen King teams up with long-time friend and award-winning author Richard Chizmar for the first time in this original, chilling novella that revisits the mysterious town of Castle Rock. There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong—if time-rusted—iron bolts and zig-zag up the precarious cliffside. Then one day when Gwendy gets to the top of Castle View, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat… The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told—until now.

RACCONTO LUNGO HORROR - Sprangate le porte durante la Notte del Diavolo, perché è allora che sono in giro i veri mostri. Cominciò tutto in un gelido venerdì notte di ottobre. Era la notte precedente ad Halloween, quella che da sempre veniva chiamata la Notte del Diavolo, quando eravamo bambini e nel nostro cuore Halloween era secondo soltanto al Natale. Se non altro, i giornali azzeccarono almeno "questo". Il giorno, intendo. Quanto al resto, non scrissero una sola cosa giusta di ciò che resta della storia. Io c''ero, quella notte. Lasciate che vi dica cosa è successo "davvero"... Richard Chizmar è il fondatore e il direttore della Cemetery Dance Publications e della rivista horror "Cemetery Dance". Ha curato ed editato dozzine di antologie, incluse: "The Best of Cemetery Dance", "The Earth Strikes Back", "Night Visions 10", "October Dreams" (con Robert Morrish), e la serie "The Shivers". Insieme a Jonathon Schaech ha fondato la casa di produzione Chesapeake Films, firmando sceneggiature cinematografiche e televisive per United Artists, Showtime, Sony Screen Gems, Lions Gate, NBC e molte altre case di produzione. Tra i progetti più importanti di adattamento, ricodiamo: "From a Buick 8" dall''omonimo romanzo di Stephen King, "The Hour Before Dark" tratto dal romanzo di Douglas Clegg, "Black House" firmato da Stephen King e Peter Straub e alcuni episodi di "Masters of Horror" trasmessi da Showtime e di "Fear Itself" andati in onda su NBC.

Vuelve Stephen King con una impactante novela corta en un formato muy especial. La pequeña ciudad de Castle Rock, en Maine, ha sido testigo de algunos extraños sucesos, pero solo hay una historia que no se ha contado... hasta ahora. Existen tres vías para llegar a Castle View desde la ciudad de Castle Rock: por la carretera 117, por Pleasant Road y por las Escaleras de los Suicidios. Cada día del verano de 1974, Gwendy Peterson, de doce años de edad, toma el camino de las escaleras, que ascienden en zigzag por la ladera rocosa. Pero un día, al llegar a lo alto, mientras recupera el aliento con la cara roja y las manos apoyadas sobre las rodillas, un desconocido la llama. Allí, en un banco a la sombra, se sienta un hombre con una chaqueta negra y un pequeño sombrero. Llegará un día en el que Gwendy sufra pesadillas con ese sombrero... La crítica ha dicho... «Esta novela sobre el fin de la infancia mezcla un tono dulce con otro más amenazante... La historia brilla especialmente cuando se hace preguntas universales: ¿Cuánto de lo que pasa en nuestras vidas es fruto de nuestras acciones y no el resultado de fuerzas impredecibles? ¿Y cuánto poder tenemos cualquiera de nosotros para salvar el mundo... o destruirlo? Los lectores devorarán esta estimulante historia.» Booklist «Una joya de pequeño tamaño pero llena de fuerza.» Publishers Weekly «Una fábula para un mundo que se vuelve más loco cada día.» Washington Post «Una lectura muy entretenida que nunca pierde su impulso inicial.» USA Today

On March 21st, 2013, I received a phone call from Holly Newstein telling me that her husband, Rick Hautala, had suffered a massive heart attack. That piece of information shocked me into a surreal sort of panic, so much so that at first I could not make the leap to the next thing she said...that he had died. It seemed impossible. Rick had been such a good friend, such a consistent and stable force in my life, that the idea of him being so suddenly removed from this world...I just couldn''t make sense of it. I have no doubt that readers will treasure this two-volume set. It is my hope that as you read, you will ruminate a little bit about the man for whom we all have come together within these pages. And I hope you''ll urge others to pick up their own copies of MISTER OCTOBER as well.

Sulle coste spazzate dal vento di Harper''s Cove, all''estremo nord della Nuova Scozia, si erge il Faro di Widow''s Point. Dal giorno in cui è stato edificato, ha causato parecchie morti misteriose, conquistandosi la fama di luogo maledetto. Sono trascorsi circa trent''anni dalla sua chiusura quando Thomas Livingston, scrittore di libri sul paranormale, decide di sfidarlo: vi resterà segregato, da solo, per tre giorni e tre notti, al fine di svelarne il mistero e scrivere un nuovo bestseller. Dopotutto, 268 gradini da scalare e un breve periodo di reclusione sono un prezzo ragionevole per scoprire la verità, ma sarà davvero il solo tributo da pagare? Per scoprirlo non vi resta che prendere fiato e cominciare a salire. Illustrazione di copertina di Wendy Saber Core

Halloween just got a whole lot darker... DARK HALLOWS: 10 Halloween Haunts is a wonderfully chilling collection of creepy tales that will have readers up late into the night--but only if they leave a light on! This new offering from Scarlet Galleon Publications and Editor Mark Parker, includes stories from industry luminaries and new voices alike: Brian James Freeman, Al Sarrantonio, Robert Morrish, Norman Partridge, Ronald Malfi, Aaron Dries, Adam Cesare, Mark Parker, and Lisa Morton. And features a never-before-published tale from Cemetery Dance founder and publisher, Richard Chizmar! Each story is beautifully accompanied by original artwork from Aaron Dries, making this a must-have for book lovers and collectors everywhere. It''s one frightful ride readers won''t want to miss. Exploring the chilling haunts of Dark Hallows, is to take a journey into the very heart of Halloween, where readers are reconnected with the best, and hopefully worst, the ''dark holiday'' has to offer.

October Screams brings you twenty-seven tales of the greatest holiday of all, Halloween! Featuring stories from authors like Brian Keene & Richard Chizmar, Philip Fracassi, Gwendolyn Kiste, Ronald Malfi, Bridgett Nelson and more!

Climate change can be terrifying as we navigate through climate action-- haunted by our past which dictates our future. In this anthology-- Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action-- twenty-one legendary horror authors bring both dark tales and awareness to our worldview. Apocalyptic futures, dire warnings, things unleashed from icy tombs... this collection gets under your skin and gives readers a peek into worldswhere prophecy and nihilism reign. Herein are stories FROM authors such as Nuzo Onoh, Clive Barker, Stephen King, Gwendolyn Kiste, Paul Tremblay, and many others-- all brought together to give us fiction that redefines the realities of global warming and climate change.Proceeds from this anthology benefit Climate Outreach-- the leading experts in climate change communications. The organization helps people understand the complexities of the issue in ways that resonates with their identity, values and worldview. Informed consent and support from people across society and around the world creates what CLIMATE OUTREACH calls a social mandate for climate action-- and they believe it'' s how real change happens.May Revelations: Horror Writers for Climate Action resonate with you.

This will be another World''s 1st Edition from Cemetery Dance Publications: a unique new book published in the old-fashioned double tradition! A Face in the Crowd by Stephen King and Stewart O''Nan (FIRST TIME IN PRINT!) Dean Evers, an elderly widower, sits in front of the television with nothing better to do than waste his leftover evenings watching baseball. It''s Rays/Mariners, and David Price is breezing through the line-up. Suddenly, in a seat a few rows up beyond the batter, Evers sees the face of someone from decades past, someone who shouldn''t be at the ballgame, shouldn''t be on the planet. And so begins a parade of people from Evers''s past, all of them occupying that seat behind home plate. Until one day Dean Evers sees someone even eerier... The Longest December by Richard Chizmar (EXPANDED VERSION!) Bob and Katy Howard are a typical middle-aged couple living the good life in the suburbs. They''re happily married, have successful careers, and a grown son starting college. Their recently widowed next-door neighbor, James Wilkinson, is practically a member of the Howard family. When police show up at the Howard''s doorstep one snowy December morning with the news that they have been investigating Wilkinson for a series of violent crimes, Bob and Katy are left in shock and disbelief. The elderly James Wilkinson they know and love is kind and gentle. He shared their Thanksgiving table just a couple weeks earlier. He couldn''t possibly be responsible for the gruesome deeds of which he''s being accused. Or could he? The Longest December (a revised and expanded version of Chizmar''s acclaimed novella, A Long December) is a cat-and-mouse, Hitchcockian thriller that will shock you with its brutal twists and turns while also breaking your heart. Stephen King calls it ...a really terrific piece of work. I couldn''t put it down. Chizmar played his cards with great craft. I''m an old hand at this, but I kept chasing the red herrings.

A drabble is a short form of fiction that is exactly 100 words long (not including the title). Kevin J. Kennedy, has once again brought together the best of the horror world to bring you an anthology that is packed with creepy tales. Between these pages you will find over one hundred drabbles, written by a wealth of talented authors. From the best indie horror authors to Bram Stoker award winners and Amazon top sellers. We have monsters, mayhem and madness. Come join us. Contains drabbles by, Amy Cross, William F. Nolan, Lisa Morton, Gord Rollo, Michael A. Arnzen, Mark Lukens, Richard Chizmar, Rick Gualtieri, Jeff Strand, Kevin J. Kennedy, P. Mattern, Lee Mountford, Ike Hamill, Michael Bray, Andrew Lennon, Craig Saunders, Matt Hickman, Glenn Rolfe and many more. Praise for the book: "A collection of terse, eerie, and delightful little creepers, each one like a swift uppercut to the solar plexus, proving that dynamite truly does come in small packages!" --Ronald Malfi, author of Bone White "Wow! With the amazing talent involved in this anthology, it''s no wonder 100 Word Horrors is such a powerful gut-punch of horror!" --Joe Mynhardt, Crystal Lake Publishing "A delicious collection of tiny tales of horror." --Kelley Armstrong, author of Bitten

The third - and incredibly special volume in HellBound Books¿ flagship horror anthology - this one bursting at the seams with even more fantastically dark horror from the cream of today¿s horror scene, each one of whom was specially invited to contribute and support the fantastic Hilarity for Charity and its fight againt Alzheimer¿s - proceeds from this mighty tome will be donated accordingly... Featuring: Jack Ketchum, Michael Bray, Jeff Strand, Chad Lutzke, Eddie Generous, Lance Tuck, Wade H. Garrett, Richard Chizmar and Billy Chizmar, James H Longmore, Jaap Boekestein, Iain Rob Wright, Michael McBride, Edward Lee, David Owain Hughes, Ray Garton & Benjamin BlakeTwenty-two tales of disturbing terror and nefarious imagination - the perfect antidote to a peaceful night¿s sleep!

"If you enjoy short, gritty crime fiction, you need to check out this anthology!" -- Debbi Mack, The Crime Cafe. Joe R. Lansdale Richard Chizmar Richard Christian Matheson Max Allan Collins John A. Russo Stewart O''Nan, and more... Throughout the years countless wordsmiths have produced their own story collections, but the book you are now holding is a love letter to the great anthologies of yesteryear, assembling stories by a variety of talents, packaged neatly and often connected by a singular theme.

Cuando tenía doce años, Gwendy Peterson conoció a Richard Farris, un tipo misterioso que le pidió que cuidara de una extraña caja. Aunque no lo parecía, el artilugio escondía un enorme secreto: tocar cualquiera de los siete botones de colores que contenía podía causar una destrucción sin igual. Ahora, Gwendy es una afamada novelista y su carrera política está empezando a despegar. Parece que lo tiene todo a su alcance, pero entonces el insólito objeto vuelve a su vida. Las fuerzas del mal se han apoderado por completo de la caja de botones y recae sobre Gwendy la responsabilidad de alejarlas de ella. ¿Su última misión? Salvar al mundo. Y puede que a todos los mundos.

The Man may mean different things to different people: society, the government, a parent, a boss, a significant other, a shady organization that only controls a subset of a group or society, men in general, women in general. The Man makes the rules, and those rules exist to keep us in line. To make society run smooth and stop us from regressing back to the wild animals that lurk within us. But what happens when we break the rules? What happens when we buck against The Man and his machine that we''re slaves to?F*ck the Rules features rule-bending stories from writing masters such as Guy N. Smith, Richard Chizmar, Adam Millard, Antonio Simon, Jr., Suzanne Fox, and more. Find out what happens when you throw your middle fingers up and defy those who hold you down.

This book is to honor those who lost their lives in the May 31, 2019 attack in Virginia Beach, Virginia.