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World of Hurt: Selected Stories
World of Hurt gathers together for the first time twenty eight short stories and novellas by the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of horror and suspense, Thomas Tessier. By turns disturbing, mysterious, harrowing and horrifying, these tales illuminate the darkness swirling on the edge of what is real and what is not -- in both the world around us and in the lives of people caught up in it. Thomas Tessier's novels and stories have defied and pushed beyond genre expectations and norms, and World of Hurt is a milestone collection of his work.Stories included in this the Desert of DesertsThe Vacant LotEvelyn GraceThe BansheeBlancaA Grub Street TaleGhost MusicLa MouranteThe Infestation at RallsInfidelThe Woman in the Club CarCuring HitlerThe Green MenaceIn Praise of FollyThe VentriloquistTorching the EscaladeFoodNocturneClub SaudadeFor No OneLuluIf You See Me, Say HelloIn the Sand Hills10-31-2001I Remember MeThe Dreams of Dr. LadybankScramburg, USAFather Panic’s Opera Macabre
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
572 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2019
25 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Tessier
197 books106 followersThomas Tessier grew up in Connecticut and attended University College, Dublin. He is the author of several acclaimed novels of terror and suspense, plays, poems, and short stories. His novel Fog Heart received the International Horror Guild's Award for Best Novel, was a Bram Stoker Award finalist, and was cited by Publishers Weekly as one of the Best Books of the Year. He lives in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 12, 2022
Thomas Tessier’s new collection is a culmination of a storied career in writing profound, erotic, and ambiguous horror stories.
Of all the 80s horror authors, who do you think is the least appreciated? Thomas Tessier would always be my pick. Tessier’s prose is sparse but lyrical and through it, he explored themes of sexual perversion, loss, guilt, doubt, and helplessness in the face of unknown horror. That’s right; he was already digging into Paul Tremblay's ambiguous horror territory before such became the “it” factor in horror bestsellers. Tessier’s first novel The Fates maintained its ambiguity throughout the whole book which is a bold move considering the tastes of the buying public that time was for more straight-edged and relatable horror. (In hindsight, that’s why Stephen King’s books sold so well; everybody can relate to killer cars, killer dogs, and killer zombie-kids!) Tessier ramped up the intensity and ambiguity of his next books, providing us with the perverted and disturbing Finishing Touches as well as the mysterious The Nightwalker (What was the main character? Werewolf? Madman? A man pretending to be an animal?). Even with the occasional foray into dark fantasy and crime, Tessier would return to his ambiguous horror with Fog Heart and his apparently-final novel (God I hope not) Wicked Things .
Is that all to Tessier? No, there’s still his short stories.
I was planning to discuss all 28 stories in this collection but I’ve learned that there is a word count limit here. What I will do instead is to highlight what I think are the best representatives of Tessier’s work or what I think are under-read or unnoticed.
1. In the Desert of Deserts
“Before dawn, as I prepared to leave, I found the footprints. I knew at once that they were not mine.”
A man traveling alone in the vast Sahara Desert in his Rover wakes up to discover that somebody was in his temporary camp last night. There seems to be somebody following him for footprints seem to pop up in places he stops for the night. After a while, he realizes that he must take violent action against this man and when he does, only the desert will know what happened.
In the Desert of Deserts is the perfect story to start this collection. It is a masterclass on how to make a compelling, psychological horror story that just hooks you right into the proceedings. Throughout the story, Tessier makes you wonder and question the identity, purpose, and morality of the main character; just who is he, and what had he done to deserve this constant stalking? The resolution might baffle and even underwhelm the reader but at this point, the story had done its job: entertain and scare on you with such a simple premise that is brilliantly executed. Oh, and did I mention Tessier captures the loneliness and the harshness of the Sahara Desert making it as if it were a silent and indifferent witness?
Appeared in Stranger: Dark Tales of Eerie Encounters by Michele Slung and in Best New Horror 5 by Stephen Jones and Ramsey Campbell
2. The Banshee
“… she began crying in a loud and piercing screech.”
Dermot is not having the time of his life: he has attracted the attention of an eccentric woman who has an unhealthy attachment to him and -to make things worse- he has to go back to Ireland to take care of his dying father. After a violent altercation with the strange and kooky woman, Dermot goes back to his father and sister. But what is the nature of that woman and the dreams of death and disaster she brings?
With a title like The Banshee , you immediately wonder where this mythic entity is and how it manages to be the driving engine of the short story. Tessier does not lay it out like that, as he portrays everybody in the opening act to be perfectly human and a little disappointed in their lives. When the “hauntings” start, you presume that he’s only symbolically using the Banshee myth; there is no Banshee but people who act like it. When you get to the end, you start reading the story again, this time carefully since you might have missed something out. Is there a Banshee in this story? Yes, and No, but surely there is a sense of creeping dread, something that I no longer encounter in recent horror stories.
The redoubtable Thomas F. Monteleone picked this story for Borderlands 3 and he mentions that he considered the tale a “subtle, graceful, emotionally charged piece”. I can’t argue with that.
3. A Grub Street Tale
A lecherous editor responds to a query of a young woman who seeks to know the details of his relationship with his former client, a famous eccentric author who committed suicide. Thinking of this as a way of seducing the young woman, he invites her for the night. But the woman has her own story, too, and it is infinitely more horrifying than the broken life of any dead author.
A Grub Street Tale has been described in the past as a metaphor for the vampire-like relationship between the editor and the writer and could they have been referring to the twist? Once the woman’s story comes into play, your heart is racing and you’re curious as to how it connects with the story of the dead author. As mentioned, a variation on the theme of vampirism is present and Tessier would expound on this idea in several other works like For No One and Lulu . (both included in this collection)
Appeared in Lethal Kisses: 18 Tales of Sex, Horror, and Revenge by Ellen Datlow
4. La Mourante
Alex and Lawrence are two yuppies who are part of a hedonistic private club called Feathers. Unable to be satisfied with his sexual tour of India and Southeast Asia, Alex longs for a more thrilling sexual adventure. Lawrence suggests going to the infamous yet discreet island of Fado, an island dedicated to the enjoyment of “individual practices unfettered by national laws or treaties or international conventions.” The catch? You get to have sex with a dead woman. Alex goes to Fado and meets the woman. But what was merely a thrilling challenge soon transforms into something else as Alex becomes too infatuated with this oddity of nature and her charms.
La Mourante is about death and sex, specifically how the emptiness of life makes people pursue the highest and lowest ends of sexual pleasure. Alex in the story is portrayed by Tessier to be a glorified thrill-seeker and this would have been an empty character had he not added the fact that Alex is bored with his life and wants to experience it on another level. In the ultimate irony, Tessier posits that Alex might have found meaning in life through death through its gorgeous and sexy representative. Overall, it is a very erotic yet profound horror story and its poetic ending will stay with you long after you read it.
To help you analyze the tale, “La Mourante” means “The Dying”. I’m sure it refers to more than one person.
Appeared in Kiss and Kill by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett. I can’t stress enough the quality of stories that they have procured over the years and yet still be bashed by certain editors for tastelessness. The story above is a masterpiece, and they recognized that.
5. The Infestation at Ralls
Van Helsing and Dr. Charles Pollard are called to investigate a strange case in an all-girls school in Amsterdam. It turns out that one of the girls had been raped by an unknown assailant and after three days, she is already pregnant. Van Helsing suspects it to be the work of an evil supernatural force and he may be right. But where does this evil hide and what were its intentions in raping the girl?
After making us read a ton of serious, philosophical, and ambiguous horror, Tessier treats us with a no-holds-barred supernatural action blood fest! Tessier wastes no time and throws us immediately into the fray as Van Helsing and co. try to stop the evil creatures from well… killing innocents! Blood! Gore! Axes! Mangled Faces! Shotguns! Van Helsing is back and he’s here to help!
Appeared in: The Many Faces of Van Helsing by Jeanne Cavelos. (This anthology contains a more restrained yet equally disturbing Van Helsing story from Brian Hodge, so seek it out)
6. Infidel
A young woman gets the thrill of her life when she is granted access to the secretive library of the Vatican. But as she makes her way into its bowels, she unknowingly discovers somebody, a person who should have been dead a long time ago. What this person is and what he represents is enough to change the world and end the Church. But he has to change her first.
I found Infidel to be my kind of horror story: one that is laced with history, written with nuance and intelligence, and disturbingly erotic. Read it and be surprised.
Appeared in: A Whisper of Blood: Stories of Vampirism by Ellen Datlow
7. Nocturne
Tessier’s short tale feels safe from the get-go, then it turns mysterious and foreboding, eventually cascading into the grotesque and back to normal again. I have not read any flash fiction-horror or otherwise-that made me experience those aforementioned beats. John Langan in the introduction does a great job of analyzing this puzzling short tale and I suggest that you read the story first before reading his analysis for maximum enjoyment.
Appeared in: American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940's Until Now Edited by Peter Straub
I think these tales are representative of the themes and varying styles of Tessier’s work and I leave it up to you to read the rest.
Last Things
1. After you read The Ventriloquist , ask yourself why Tessier chose that title.
2. The story that introduced me to Tessier’s genius is The Last Crossing . It is not in this collection, but it is worth reading for the incredible restraint Tessier exercises for such a disturbing topic. It is in the Hottest Blood anthology by Gelb and Garrett.
Of all the 80s horror authors, who do you think is the least appreciated? Thomas Tessier would always be my pick. Tessier’s prose is sparse but lyrical and through it, he explored themes of sexual perversion, loss, guilt, doubt, and helplessness in the face of unknown horror. That’s right; he was already digging into Paul Tremblay's ambiguous horror territory before such became the “it” factor in horror bestsellers. Tessier’s first novel The Fates maintained its ambiguity throughout the whole book which is a bold move considering the tastes of the buying public that time was for more straight-edged and relatable horror. (In hindsight, that’s why Stephen King’s books sold so well; everybody can relate to killer cars, killer dogs, and killer zombie-kids!) Tessier ramped up the intensity and ambiguity of his next books, providing us with the perverted and disturbing Finishing Touches as well as the mysterious The Nightwalker (What was the main character? Werewolf? Madman? A man pretending to be an animal?). Even with the occasional foray into dark fantasy and crime, Tessier would return to his ambiguous horror with Fog Heart and his apparently-final novel (God I hope not) Wicked Things .
Is that all to Tessier? No, there’s still his short stories.
I was planning to discuss all 28 stories in this collection but I’ve learned that there is a word count limit here. What I will do instead is to highlight what I think are the best representatives of Tessier’s work or what I think are under-read or unnoticed.
1. In the Desert of Deserts
“Before dawn, as I prepared to leave, I found the footprints. I knew at once that they were not mine.”
A man traveling alone in the vast Sahara Desert in his Rover wakes up to discover that somebody was in his temporary camp last night. There seems to be somebody following him for footprints seem to pop up in places he stops for the night. After a while, he realizes that he must take violent action against this man and when he does, only the desert will know what happened.
In the Desert of Deserts is the perfect story to start this collection. It is a masterclass on how to make a compelling, psychological horror story that just hooks you right into the proceedings. Throughout the story, Tessier makes you wonder and question the identity, purpose, and morality of the main character; just who is he, and what had he done to deserve this constant stalking? The resolution might baffle and even underwhelm the reader but at this point, the story had done its job: entertain and scare on you with such a simple premise that is brilliantly executed. Oh, and did I mention Tessier captures the loneliness and the harshness of the Sahara Desert making it as if it were a silent and indifferent witness?
Appeared in Stranger: Dark Tales of Eerie Encounters by Michele Slung and in Best New Horror 5 by Stephen Jones and Ramsey Campbell
2. The Banshee
“… she began crying in a loud and piercing screech.”
Dermot is not having the time of his life: he has attracted the attention of an eccentric woman who has an unhealthy attachment to him and -to make things worse- he has to go back to Ireland to take care of his dying father. After a violent altercation with the strange and kooky woman, Dermot goes back to his father and sister. But what is the nature of that woman and the dreams of death and disaster she brings?
With a title like The Banshee , you immediately wonder where this mythic entity is and how it manages to be the driving engine of the short story. Tessier does not lay it out like that, as he portrays everybody in the opening act to be perfectly human and a little disappointed in their lives. When the “hauntings” start, you presume that he’s only symbolically using the Banshee myth; there is no Banshee but people who act like it. When you get to the end, you start reading the story again, this time carefully since you might have missed something out. Is there a Banshee in this story? Yes, and No, but surely there is a sense of creeping dread, something that I no longer encounter in recent horror stories.
The redoubtable Thomas F. Monteleone picked this story for Borderlands 3 and he mentions that he considered the tale a “subtle, graceful, emotionally charged piece”. I can’t argue with that.
3. A Grub Street Tale
A lecherous editor responds to a query of a young woman who seeks to know the details of his relationship with his former client, a famous eccentric author who committed suicide. Thinking of this as a way of seducing the young woman, he invites her for the night. But the woman has her own story, too, and it is infinitely more horrifying than the broken life of any dead author.
A Grub Street Tale has been described in the past as a metaphor for the vampire-like relationship between the editor and the writer and could they have been referring to the twist? Once the woman’s story comes into play, your heart is racing and you’re curious as to how it connects with the story of the dead author. As mentioned, a variation on the theme of vampirism is present and Tessier would expound on this idea in several other works like For No One and Lulu . (both included in this collection)
Appeared in Lethal Kisses: 18 Tales of Sex, Horror, and Revenge by Ellen Datlow
4. La Mourante
Alex and Lawrence are two yuppies who are part of a hedonistic private club called Feathers. Unable to be satisfied with his sexual tour of India and Southeast Asia, Alex longs for a more thrilling sexual adventure. Lawrence suggests going to the infamous yet discreet island of Fado, an island dedicated to the enjoyment of “individual practices unfettered by national laws or treaties or international conventions.” The catch? You get to have sex with a dead woman. Alex goes to Fado and meets the woman. But what was merely a thrilling challenge soon transforms into something else as Alex becomes too infatuated with this oddity of nature and her charms.
La Mourante is about death and sex, specifically how the emptiness of life makes people pursue the highest and lowest ends of sexual pleasure. Alex in the story is portrayed by Tessier to be a glorified thrill-seeker and this would have been an empty character had he not added the fact that Alex is bored with his life and wants to experience it on another level. In the ultimate irony, Tessier posits that Alex might have found meaning in life through death through its gorgeous and sexy representative. Overall, it is a very erotic yet profound horror story and its poetic ending will stay with you long after you read it.
To help you analyze the tale, “La Mourante” means “The Dying”. I’m sure it refers to more than one person.
Appeared in Kiss and Kill by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett. I can’t stress enough the quality of stories that they have procured over the years and yet still be bashed by certain editors for tastelessness. The story above is a masterpiece, and they recognized that.
5. The Infestation at Ralls
Van Helsing and Dr. Charles Pollard are called to investigate a strange case in an all-girls school in Amsterdam. It turns out that one of the girls had been raped by an unknown assailant and after three days, she is already pregnant. Van Helsing suspects it to be the work of an evil supernatural force and he may be right. But where does this evil hide and what were its intentions in raping the girl?
After making us read a ton of serious, philosophical, and ambiguous horror, Tessier treats us with a no-holds-barred supernatural action blood fest! Tessier wastes no time and throws us immediately into the fray as Van Helsing and co. try to stop the evil creatures from well… killing innocents! Blood! Gore! Axes! Mangled Faces! Shotguns! Van Helsing is back and he’s here to help!
Appeared in: The Many Faces of Van Helsing by Jeanne Cavelos. (This anthology contains a more restrained yet equally disturbing Van Helsing story from Brian Hodge, so seek it out)
6. Infidel
A young woman gets the thrill of her life when she is granted access to the secretive library of the Vatican. But as she makes her way into its bowels, she unknowingly discovers somebody, a person who should have been dead a long time ago. What this person is and what he represents is enough to change the world and end the Church. But he has to change her first.
I found Infidel to be my kind of horror story: one that is laced with history, written with nuance and intelligence, and disturbingly erotic. Read it and be surprised.
Appeared in: A Whisper of Blood: Stories of Vampirism by Ellen Datlow
7. Nocturne
Tessier’s short tale feels safe from the get-go, then it turns mysterious and foreboding, eventually cascading into the grotesque and back to normal again. I have not read any flash fiction-horror or otherwise-that made me experience those aforementioned beats. John Langan in the introduction does a great job of analyzing this puzzling short tale and I suggest that you read the story first before reading his analysis for maximum enjoyment.
Appeared in: American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940's Until Now Edited by Peter Straub
I think these tales are representative of the themes and varying styles of Tessier’s work and I leave it up to you to read the rest.
Last Things
1. After you read The Ventriloquist , ask yourself why Tessier chose that title.
2. The story that introduced me to Tessier’s genius is The Last Crossing . It is not in this collection, but it is worth reading for the incredible restraint Tessier exercises for such a disturbing topic. It is in the Hottest Blood anthology by Gelb and Garrett.
May 8, 2021
I bought this collection because of the John Langan intro and ended up discovering a new favorite writer. Thomas Tessier has a spare, fast, non-expository style, and his stories, usually very creative, are full of memorable characters whether likeable or not. His world is full of people tired of life, staying up past midnight, probably drinking and smoking too much. I don't remember there being any bad stories in the whole bunch. Great book, can't wait to read more by him.
April 30, 2020
A massive collection of dark stories that will keep you entertained for days. Highly recommend!
July 27, 2021
Some of these short(ish) stories are really good and still stick with me. Some were a bit less enthralling, either they felt like a supernatural twist was added on the last page or they just didn't capture my interest early enough to feel very invested. A few were a little too gory, but they fit well with the storytelling in those instances.
All in all, this is a pretty good collection of unpleasantness in the best way possible. If you like scary stories and want something beyond King, Barker, and a few other of the bestsellers, this is definitely worth a read!
All in all, this is a pretty good collection of unpleasantness in the best way possible. If you like scary stories and want something beyond King, Barker, and a few other of the bestsellers, this is definitely worth a read!
May 5, 2025
A good collection, with its ups and downs. There were some really good stories, like The infestation at Ralls and If you see me, say hello, and others that I didn't like it at all (In praise of folly or Club Saudade).
My favorites:
-The infestation at Ralls
-If you see me, say hello
-Ghost music
I do not recommend:
-Club Saudade
-In praise of folly
-The dreams of Dr. Ladybank (novella)
My favorites:
-The infestation at Ralls
-If you see me, say hello
-Ghost music
I do not recommend:
-Club Saudade
-In praise of folly
-The dreams of Dr. Ladybank (novella)
March 30, 2021
Hugely disappointing. At times it feels like a supernatural element is tacked clumsily into the end of a story. In another story the level of violence and gore was pornographic.
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