Thank You for the Flowers: A Story Collection [Paperback]

Scott Nicholson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Thank You For The Flowers is a collection of thirteen stories of suspense and imagination by award-winning author Scott Nicholson. The stories are a mixture of mystery, fantasy, and ghost stories. All have previously appeared in national publications.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Scott Nicholson has a gift for quirky, twisted, finely crafted tales that carry a powerful emotional impact... -- Dave Wolverton, author of Lords of the Seventh Swarm.

"Scott Nicholson is a very entertaining writer..." -- World Fantasy Award winner Tim Powers.

...He has moved into that literary shadow land between Neil Gaiman and Ray Bradbury. Send out the Welcome Wagon! -- Sharyn McCrumb, author of The Ballad novels.

He has a fresh and true voice that will affect you, disturb you, enrage you, or make you laugh... -- Kevin J. Anderson, co-author of Dune: House Atreides.

About the Author

Scott Nicholson is a journalist living in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. He won the Hubbard Gold Award in 1999 and was First Runner-Up for the 1999 Darrell Award. He studied Creative Writing at UNC-Chapel Hill and Appalachian State University. Nicholson operates a writer's website, and his e-mail is at [e-mail].

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Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Parkway Publishers (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887905243
• ISBN-13: 978-1887905244
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything a Collection Should be!, July 18, 2003

By 

Sebastien Pharand (Orléans, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thank You for the Flowers: A Story Collection (Paperback)

Scott Nicholson, author of the very successful The Red Church, first began his career writing short stories. This short story collection assembles some of his quieter, more affecting pieces. And what a collection it is! You will not find a single story that rings false in this book.

Two of the best pieces, The Boy Who Saw Fire and Thirst, are two stories set in a strange mythology Nicholson has created. These stories explain the reasons behind rain and wind and the sunset/sunrise. They fully display Scott's great imagination and his skill with words.

There are also many ghost stories in this book. Haunted is a traditional haunted house story (every author needs to have one!) and The Three-Dollar Corpse is a strange ghost tale set in a concentration camp. Then, there is also In The Heart of November a very poignant and sad love story set around a ghost.

These are only some of the good pieces. The great ones are the ones we should talk about. First, there is Kill Your Darlings, a great little story that borders satire about writers and where they get their ideas. There is also The Vampire Shortstop, a great vampire tale about a little boy who just wants to play baseball. The ending will leave you all choked up.

The one story I enjoyed most was Dead Air, about a radio dj who receives calls from a murderer. The story is simple but the characters so likeable and the dialog so witty that I found myself grinning through the whole thing.

This is a great collection to have in your personal library. Every story has its own voice and style. Scott will surely become a great name in horror fiction, so you should grab his debut before they're all gone.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nicholson Shines, February 17, 2004

By 

Jeannette Trayser (Golden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thank You for the Flowers: A Story Collection (Paperback)

The only short story collection where each story shines. From touching your heart in The Vampire Shortstop, to chills and thrills, this is by far the best collection of stories I have ever read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for the Stories...., January 10, 2004

By 

Schtinky "Schtinky" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Thank You for the Flowers: A Story Collection (Paperback)

In this collection of 13 chilling stories by Scott Nicholson, you will not be disappointed if you have an appreciation of that tingly odd shiver that teases your spinal cord from time to time. In summary, here are the stories.

Haunted - One of my favorites, a story of who's-haunting-who?

The Vampire Shortstop - Probably my least favorite. I'm not a fan of humanized vampires or sports either. A young vampire boy just wants to play baseball.

Skin - Another favorite. Do donors haunt their parts?

Dead Air - Great story of a disc jockey's telephone relationship with a serial killer.

In The Heart Of November - A haunting relationship between two friends that crosses the border of the living.

The Three Dollar Corpse - A tale of prisoner's who sell the right to take corpses out from their camps in order to buy goods, and a revelation of who watches them.

Thirst - What, or Who, are the elements anyway?

Do You Know Me Yet? - The madness of a writer, and a bit of a dig at S. King.

Homecoming - Another of my favorites. A down to earth man is visited by the corpse of his son.

Kill Your Darlings - Not one of my favorites, another surrealistic writer's fantasy of his pages coming to life.

Metabolism - Not one of my favorites, a walk through insanity with a frail woman.

The Boy Who Saw Fire - Another story of what, or who, are the elements? Similar to Thirst.

Constitution - Another favorite. Loves crosses all boundaries, even death.

Afterwards - I listed this like it was a story, but it is not. It is Mr. Nicholson's tales of each of the 13 stories here, how he thought them up and where they were first published. Since I enjoyed his musings on his selection of tales, I included it as a story worth reading.

All in all, a fine collection of dreamy tales that are short and easily read, a worthwhile addition to your collection. Enjoy!