Neighbourhood Watch (short story)

Last updated
"Neighbourhood Watch"
Short story by Greg Egan
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Horror
Publication
Published inAphelion

"Neighbourhood Watch" is a horror short story by Australian writer Greg Egan. It was first published in the Australian magazine Aphelion in 1987, and reprinted in The Year's Best Horror Stories in 1988.

Contents

Plot summary

In order to eliminate local crime, a town council signs a contract with a demon, intending that the demon devour anyone who breaks the law after 11pm.

Reception

The Science Fiction Research Association called the story "outstanding", and said that by selecting the story to be published in The Year's Best Horror Stories and thereby bringing Egan's work to a wider audience, editor Karl Wagner could "be credited with at least one major 'discovery'." [1]

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References

  1. Fantasy and Horror Annuals, reviewed by Stefan Dziemianowicz, in the Science Fiction Research Association Newsletter; page 27; number 163 (December 1988); archived online at the University of South Florida; retrieved May 4, 2016