by Simon Berman
The premium edition of Orrin Grey’s “Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings.” Horror for fans of Lovecraft, Mike Mignola, & Clive Barker.
Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings is a premium edition of a modern horror classic. First published in 2012 by Evil Eye Press, this collection put Orrin Grey on the map as an up and coming horror author of note. Grey has since become a renowned voice in the genre with such works at Painted Monsters & Other Strange Beasts, Gardinel’s Real Estate, and Mutagenesis.
This new edition from Strix Publishing includes all ten stories from the original, including the novella, “The Mysterious Flame”, as well as the heretofore hard-to-find “A Night for Mothing” and an all new story, “Goblins.” Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings will be approximately 220 pages illustrated by the brilliant M.S. Corley. This edition will feature a beautiful 6 x 9″ clothbound, foil-stamped cover, and a foreword by author Nathan Ballingrud.
Black Hill, a Lovecraftian tale of oil, greed, and all-consuming blackness.
Never Bet the Devil
A description of a mysterious device. Manufactured in America, but of otherwise unknown provenance.
Count Brass
An unpaid debt and the sins of the father haunt the granddaughter of a jazz musician.
Black Hill (read “Black Hill” now!)
More than oil waits beneath Black Hill. That which is not dead lays dreaming of a future drilled open by the greed of men.
The Devil in the Box
Madness and suicide follow obsession and art in this story of love and galleries.
Nature vs. Nurture
Even hunting monsters can be just another job. A working man is forced to uneasily confront his own assumptions in this grisly tale.
The Barghest
The skeleton was wrong. Wrong-size skull, wrong-way legs. Just a drop of blood sets a gruesome chain of events in motion in the lab.
The Seventh Picture
A documentary crew investigates a never-completed film titled, “The King in Yellow.”
The Reading Room
An ancient curse haunts the House of De la Court and its library. Its sole remaining heir must fulfill an evil obligation handed down from generations past in this gothic tale.
Nearly Human
The house on the cliff has a bloody past. A man who knows its history better than any plumbs its surprising depths.
The Mysterious Flame
A golem, a crazed necromancer, and a few unfortunate mortals face their destinies in this novella of the fantastic and weird.
A Night for Mothing (a new addition to this collection!)
A drug addiction is a horror. Addiction to drugs of unnatural origin is a nightmare.
Goblins (never before published!)
The boys have always been afraid of the undertaker’s house. What better night than Halloween for them to uncover its secrets?
“Never Bet the Devil is a creepy foray into the realm of the weird and the sinister. An intriguing exploration of traditional and modern horror modes. Grey’s debut shows a great deal of promise.” – Laird Barron, author of Swift to Chase
“The stories of Orrin Grey are fun, fast, and, surprising enough in a genre where doom, gloom, and ultra-gore are standard issue, rather good-natured. It’s not often you come across ‘pleasant horror,’ but that’s the best way to describe this collection—put a load of classic horror movies and comic books in a blender, liberally add some splashes of Mike Mignola-cool, and you’ve got yourself a monster mash to be reckoned with.” – Jesse Bullington, author of The Folly of the World
“Orrin Grey writes tales that are as eloquent as they are eerie. He deftly blends the high Gothic aesthetics of classical horror with a raconteur’s innate knack for storytelling. Grey is a unique talent, and is destined to become a major name in weird fiction.” – Richard Gavin, author ofSylvan Dread
“Ghosts. Ghouls. Monsters of all sorts. These are what line the pages of Orrin Grey’s Never Bet the Devil. Grey’s voice is solid and secure, with the sort of natural joyful ease other writers only envy. A marvellous debut collection. “ – Simon Strantzas, author of Burnt Black Suns
Jesse Bullington, Innsmouth Free Press
J.T. Glover, Dark Stories, Hidden Roads
Justin Steel, The Arkham Digest
Mr. Twilight, AKA Robert, TwilightRidge.net
Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings is included with all rewards starting at the $30 reward level. This book is expected to retail for $34.99, and we are pleased to be able to make it available at a lower price for our Kickstarter backers. All rewards that include the physical book also include a digital eBook version. The digital edition is also available alone as a reward at the $20 level, and has been made available primarily for international backers who wish to support this Kickstarter but are unable to afford international shipping.
Backers at the $50 reward level will receive both physical and digital editions of Never Bet the Devil, and a Kickstarter exclusive 8″x10″ giclée “Devil Puppet” art print by M.S. Corley.
Backers at the $70 reward level will receive both physical and digital editions of Never Bet the Devil, a Kickstarter exclusive 8″x10″ giclée “Devil Puppet” art print by M.S. Corley, and a 8″x10″ giclée of M.S. Corley’s illustration for “Black Hill.”
Backers at the $450 reward level will receive both physical and digital editions of Never Bet the Devil, a Kickstarter exclusive 8″x10″ giclée “Devil Puppet” art print by M.S. Corley, a 8″x10″ giclée of M.S. Corley’s illustration for “Black Hill”, and a limited, hand sculpted cover edition of Never Bet the Devil by renowned sculptor, Jason Soles. Limit 4.
The backer of this single reward level will receive both physical and digital editions of Never Bet the Devil, a Kickstarter exclusive 8″x10″ giclée “Devil Puppet” art print by M.S. Corley, a 8″x10″ giclée of M.S. Corley’s illustration for “Black Hill”, a limited, hand sculpted cover edition of Never Bet the Devil by renowned sculptor, Jason Soles, and the original “Devil Puppet” graphite illustration: 5″x8″ centered on an 8.5″x11″, matted and framed. Limit 1.
Add-ons are additional items you may purchase in addition to your chosen reward. Add-ons are only available to backers who have pledged $30 or more.
Select an add-on by doing the following:
Click the “manage your pledge” button on the project page.
Increase your pledge by the amount needed to claim the add-on(s).
Save your pledge. Do not change the tier that you originally pledged at.
Backers at the $30 reward and higher may choose to pledge for multiple copies of Never Bet the Devil & Other Warnings, up to a total of 5, for an additional $30 per copy.
Backers at the $30 reward and higher may choose to increase their pledge by $15 to receive a Never Bet the Devil’ themed card deck. These decks feature a beautiful card back based on M.S. Corley’s cover design for Never Bet the Devil, standard playing card faces, and a linen finish. There is no limit to the number of card decks that may be added on.
Shipping will be charged after the Kickstarter finishes based on actual costs incurred to ship. We will collect shipping from you when you receive your survey from Backerkit later this year. The following shipping estimates are for your general information at this time. You will be charged for shipping via the survey later in the year, so please do not add shipping to your Kickstarter pledge!
At this time international shipping is unavoidably expensive. We’re sorry we can’t do more but for a small press publisher international distribution options are unrealistic.
Shipping estimates are based on projections for the 6 x 9″, 220 page book. These estimates are subject to change based on final book weight, dimensions, and pledge information.
Shipping Estimates
United States: $6 – $7 (book only), $14.75+ (with art prints and card decks)
International: $20+
Orrin Grey is a writer, editor, amateur film scholar, and monster expert who was born on the night before Halloween. His stories of monsters, ghosts, and sometimes the ghosts of monsters have appeared in dozens of anthologies, including Ellen Datlow’s Best Horror of the Year. In addition to Never Bet the Devil, he’s also the author of Painted Monsters & Other Strange Beasts and Monsters from the Vault, which collects five years worth of his columns on vintage horror cinema. You can visit him online at orringrey.com.
M.S. Corley is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer specializing in book covers and character design. His interests include Jesus, weird fiction, video games, monsters and the early 19th Century. Corley has worked on everything from comic books to video game concept art, producing work for clients such as: Simon & Schuster, Thomas & Mercer, Crossing, Skyscape, 47North, Valancourt Books, Henry Holt Macmillan, Dark Horse Comics, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Microsoft, Random House, and Penguin Publishing. He lives with his wife, daughter, son and cat named Dinah in Central Oregon.
Founded in 2015, Strix Publishing produces premium print editions of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and occult art. Strix Publishing is based in Seattle, Washington and is owned and operated by Simon Berman.
Simon Berman worked as a Social Marketing Manager and staff writer for Privateer Press from 2008-2016. He worked in both capacities for the award-winning miniatures war games, WARMACHINE and HORDES, and the Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game, winner of 4 ENnies awards. He also works on the ENnies nominated roleplaying game, Unhallowed Metropolis. He has also worked as a social media manager on Kickstarter projects for WARMACHINE: Tactics, Widower’s Wood, The Book of Starry Wisdom, the Problem Glyphs art book, and APOCRYPHA: The Art of Jason Soles.
Any publishing endeavor carries with it certain challenges, particularly when dealing with overseas printers. Last minute typographical errors during final proofing or shipping delays caused by weather can result in delays. However, the main work on this book has been completed and the files are nearly press ready. We expect no significant problems in the production of our print run. As well, I, as owner of Strix Publishing, have several years of experience with Kickstarter both in terms of campaigns and rewards fulfillment, and am supported by a team of professionals with decades of experience in printing and publishing. I have previously overseen five ambitious Kickstarters with thousands of satisfied backers. While I am very confident in my ability to fulfill your pledges, I will maintain transparency throughout the process and keep you informed as to any delays that may arise. I understand that you are placing not just your trust in my hands, but your hard earned dollars, and I am committed to making good on my promises. Thank you so much for your trust and support.