The Dancing Bears: Queer Fables for the End Times

  • “In the heartbreak fairytales of THE DANCING BEARS, Rob Costello braves the deeps of loss and the fury of endurance, and invites us to dance in that darkness too."

    -Kathe Koja, author of DARK FACTORY and THE CIPHER

  • "Hauntingly moving and evocative, this collection's got teeth. From a bottomless hole that returns things different but changed, to a former child actor's deadly aspirations to return to the big screen, THE DANCING BEARS: Queer Fables for the End Times will linger with readers long after they reach the final page."

    -Aden Polydoros, author of THE CITY BEAUTIFUL and WRATH BECOMES HER, and finalist for the World Fantasy and Lambda Awards.

  • "The tales drift from melancholic to dreamlike and the manner in which Rob Costello frames his weird or supernatural events around very believable, often sympathetic characters, is second to none."

    -Tony Jones, HorrorDNA

  • It is rare for a book that made me so angry reading it to become one that I will recommend as highly as this, but THE DANCING BEARS: Queer Fables for the End Times truly is an exceptional collection of incredible short stories."

    -Jim Mcleod, Ginger Nuts of Horror

  • "Each story in this collection is fueled by a heart beating with the dark, rich blood of longing and loss. Searching for connection, redemption, and love, the characters open doors best left closed, share secrets best kept buried, and go down paths best left untraveled. Fortunately for us, their choices result in revelations both terrible and marvelous."

    - Michael Thomas Ford, author of SUICIDE NOTES and LILY

  • "This book is heart-wrenching, beautiful and deeply thought-provoking in a disturbing and surprisingly personal way. A love story for those who've been damaged, misunderstood, and deliberately unseen."

    -Jo Knowles. author of LESSONS FROM A DEAD GIRL and READ BETWEEN THE LINES

My debut short story collection from Lethe Press!

  • A lost boy under the spell of a seductive killer suffers the sting of betrayal while on the hunt for fresh blood.

  • A misanthrope obsessed with death carries on a torrid affair with the malevolent spirit haunting the house in his favorite novel.

  • The dead son of an abusive horror novelist returns from the grave to tell his father what really happened the night he died.

  • An ex-child star desperate for a comeback meets a sinister stranger who reveals the terrible price of attaining his heart’s desire.

  • A headstrong girl determined to seduce her gay ex-boyfriend discovers what being trapped in the closet really means.

THE DANCING BEARS: Queer Fables for the End Times showcases eleven dark speculative tales of the queer and uncanny. With eight previously published and three brand new stories, this debut collection features young queer characters grappling with love and desire in a heartless world hurtling toward the abyss.

Lethe Press, 2024/Paperback/ISBN: 9781590214725

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