Mark Samuels (author)

Mark Samuels (1967–2023) was a British author of horror and fantastic fiction in the tradition of Arthur Machen and H. P. Lovecraft.[1] His fiction was first published in 1988, and many of his early short stories are set in a shadowy modern London in which the protagonists gradually discover a dark and terrifying reality behind the mundane urban world. Thomas Ligotti wrote of Samuels's first short story collection, The White Hands (2003), that it is "a treasure and a genuine contribution to the real history of weird fiction".[2]

The White Hands was shortlisted for the British Fantasy Award in the Best Collection category in 2004.[3] The title story of The White Hands was also on their shortlist for the Best Short Story category. A paperback reprint was reviewed in The Guardian newspaper.[4] In 2011, he wrote The Man Who Collected Machen and Other Weird Tales.[5] The Age of Decayed Futurity: The Best of Mark Samuels received a starred review from Publishers Weekly in 2020.[6]

The short fiction collection Marked to Die: A Tribute to Mark Samuels (2016) was edited by Justin Isis and dedicated to Samuels.[7]

Samuels died in 2023.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Mark Samuels".
  2. ^ "Interview with Mark Samuels". 21 April 2015.
  3. ^ "British Fantasy Award | Collection | Awards and Honors | LibraryThing".
  4. ^ Hickling, Alfred; Seymenliyska, Elena (1 January 2005). "Families and Other Animals". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "The Man Who Collected Machen and Other Weird Tales by Mark Samuels". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  6. ^ "The Age of Decayed Futurity: The Best of Mark Samuels by Mark Samuels". www.publishersweekly.com. 2020. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  7. ^ "Book review of Marked to Die: A Tribute to Mark Samuels by Justin Isis". sfbook.com. Retrieved 2025-09-08.
  8. ^ "REMEMBERING MARK SAMUELS". Adam LG Nevill. 2023-12-09. Retrieved 2025-09-08.