Copyright © 2018 by Paul Kane
Introduction copyright © 2018 by Barbie Wilde
Cover art copyright © 2018 by Dave McKean
Copyright © Paul Kane 2018
The right of Paul Kane to be identified as the
Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, scanning, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78858-014-4
2018 SST Publications eBook Edition
Published by
Short, Scary Tales Publications
15 North Roundhay
Birmingham
B33 9PE
England
www.sstpublications.co.uk
eBook design by Paul Fry
First Digital Edition: November 2018
Praise for RED & Blood RED:
‘RED not only tips its hat to “Little Red Riding Hood,” but “Peter and the Wolf,” and “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” and every werewolf type motif in between ... This time around Kane puts a twisted horror spin to it, with even a fair amount of social criticism thrown in for good measure ... Kane does an incredible job of combining horror and humour into one tasty morsel.’
(Cemetery Dance Magazine)
‘Kane expands on the “Little Red Riding Hood” mythos with a sharply-written novella that pits a descendent of the classic fairy tale character against the “real” creature of the same story. But make NO mistake: this isn’t for kids! You can tell Kane had a real ball-twisting time updating “Riding Hood”, especially in how he has crafted this new, psycho-sexual “wolf.” For the sake of not ruining anything else, let’s just say RED is a real BLOODY good time!’
(Horror Fiction Review)
‘RED is a gleefully gruesome tale that moves at an excellent pace. Its length is a joy, reminiscent of a line from another fairy tale: “Not too big, not too small, just right.” Paul Kane does a rip-roaring rendition of the Red Riding Hood story ... He has the gift of summing up a situation in a sentence. RED is wonderfully written; it is easy to sink one’s teeth into it and devour it with relish.’
(Hellnotes)
‘This is a good scary story for those stormy nights or bright days. It is strong enough to terrify either way and will stay in your mind for days afterwards. Stories like this don’t come along very often, as all readers know.’
(Horror Bound Magazine)
‘RED is bloody brilliant—clever, classy and bound to chill you to the bone!’
(Horror World)
‘Paul Kane has enriched the werewolf mythos with a seamless re-imagining of a hypnotically suggestive fairy tale, embellishing it with the harsh, alluring scent of an ages-old psychosexual predator who easily rivals that other undead villain from Eastern European folklore, the vampire. A relentless and grisly fairy tale for dark times, RED is filled with the blackest blood from the deepest parts of our bodies, and is thoroughly recommended.’
(Mathew Riley, BookGeeks)
‘I adored fairy tales as a small child, and I enjoyed reading Blood RED. Whilst being modern, it keeps returning in new and apt ways to the early version we know from the nursery, paying its dues while reinterpreting the tale in ways that will give you the shivers. And Kane is adept at putting flesh on the bones: all the more horrifying, my dear, when he strips it off again.’
(Alison Littlewood, bestselling author of A Cold Season, The Unquiet House, The Hidden People and The Crow Garden)
‘Pleasingly accessible, fast-paced and gloriously gruesome,Blood REDgives a fresh lick of paint (red, obviously!) to an old tale and adds a distinctly adult tone. Good fun.’
(Mark Yon, SFF World)
‘I loved the twisted take onLittle Red Riding Hood. Who doesn’t love dark and twisted tales inspired by disturbing and unsettling fairy-tales? I loved every page. I had a great time readingREDandBlood RED!’
(5 * Review, Book Lover’s Boudoir)
‘One taste is all it will take to get you hooked, and after that, your thirst for the sweet Blood REDstuff that Paul Kane has to offer will undoubtedly be as voracious as any beast’s.’
(A Girl’s Guide to Horror)
‘You cheeky bastard! Not only have you revamped the Robin Hood legend, now you have taken Little Red Riding Hood and turned what was already a dark fable into a descent into pure, action-packed horror ... Thanks Paul!’
(Zero Signal Magazine on Blood RED)
Other Books by Paul Kane:
Novels
Arrowhead
Broken Arrow
Arrowland
Hooded Man (Omnibus)
The Gemini Factor
Of Darkness and Light
Lunar
Sleeper(s)
The Rainbow Man (as P.B. Kane)
Blood RED
Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell
Before
Forthcoming: Arcana
Novellas & Novelettes
Signs of Life
The Lazarus Condition
Dalton Quayle Rides Out
RED
Pain Cages
Creakers (chapbook)
Flaming Arrow
The Bric-a-Brac Man
The P.I.’s Tale
Snow
The Rot
Beneath the Surface (with Simon Clark)
Collections
Alone (In the Dark)
Touching the Flame
FunnyBones
Peripheral Visions
The Adventures of Dalton Quayle
Shadow Writer
The Butterfly Man and Other Stories
The Spaces Between
Ghosts
Monsters
The Dead Trilogy
The Spirits of Christmas
Shadow Casting
Nailbiters
Death
The Life Cycle