Contagion, and Dark Property — Brian Evenson

“There is not a more intense, prolific, or apocalyptic writer of fiction in America than Brian Evenson.” (George Saunders)In Dark Property, a woman carries a dying baby across a desert waste, moving toward a fortress harboring a mysterious resurrection cult. Menaced by scavengers, she nevertheless begins to suspect that the reality within the fortress may be even more unsettling than the blasted environment outside. As she slips unobtrusively toward the city of the dead, she is pursued by a bounty hunter who cuts a bloody swath after her. This brooding tale is reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and J. G. Ballard's more disturbing works of fiction.Long out of print, Contagion and Other Stories is one of Brian Evenson's most sought-after and lauded collections of fiction. With short stories like the O. Henry Award-winning Two Brothers, Evenson takes his audiences into a world that is at once apocalyptic, dark, observant, and grotesque without ever dipping into static genre conventions. Contagion and Other Stories shows Brian Evenson at his best—taut sentences, sharp dialogue, and deep psychological subtext. A must-have for any fan of contemporary fiction or fans of Brian Evenson.