Night of the Mannequins

Last updated
Night of the Mannequins
Author Stephen Graham Jones
Audio read byGary Tiedemann
CountryUnited States
GenreHorror, slasher
Set inU.S.
Publisher Tor.com
Publication date
2020
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
ISBN 9781250752079
First edition US paperback

Night of the Mannequins is a 2020 novella by Stephen Graham Jones. The book was released through Tor.com and was awarded the 2020 Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction and the 2021 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella.

Contents

Synopsis

Per the publisher's synopsis: [1]

We thought we'd play a fun prank on her, and now most of us are dead.

One last laugh for the summer as it winds down. One last prank just to scare a friend. Bringing a mannequin into a theater is just some harmless fun, right? Until it wakes up. Until it starts killing.

Luckily, Sawyer has a plan. He’ll be a hero. He'll save everyone to the best of his ability. He'll do whatever he needs to so he can save the day. That's the thing about heroes—sometimes you have to become a monster first.

Development

While developing the story, Stephen Graham Jones wanted to write a "short slasher, but a different kind". He chose to have the plot's action start as the result of a prank. He finds "When you’re writing a slasher, they always start with a prank, crime, or trespass to open the cycle of injustice". Jones wrote the story with Sawyer as the central character and narrator to explore the concept of the villain being "the hero of his own story", as Jones wanted to know what it would be like from their point of view. [2]

Release

Night of the Mannequins was first published in paperback and ebook formats in the United States on September 1, 2020 through Tor.com. [3] An audiobook adaptation narrated by Gary Tiedermann was published through Tantor Audio on February 23, 2021. [4]

Reception

Critical reception for Night of the Mannequins has been favorable. Common elements of praise centered upon the character Sawyer, [5] who Paula Guran of Locus felt was a "convincing and endearing protagonist". [6] Reviewing for Booklist , Emily Whitmore noted that the book was "a fever dream of a horror novella, where the reader is never quite sure what is happening or whom to trust." [7] The book was also reviewed for Transmotion by Gage Karahkwí:io Diabo, who compared the work to Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians , noting that "whereas The Only Good Indians signalled its ties to coloniality and Indigenous kinship principles right from the title, Mannequins, which does not identify its characters as Indigenous or otherwise, takes an approach that is perhaps easier to miss." [8]

Awards

Related Research Articles

The Bram Stoker Award for Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for novels.

The Bram Stoker Award for First Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an author's first horror novel.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for long fiction.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for best screenplay.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for best fiction collection.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for non-fiction.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for an anthology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Datlow</span> American editor and anthologist (born 1949)

Ellen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Graham Jones</span> Native American fiction author

Stephen Graham Jones is a Blackfeet Native American author of experimental fiction, horror fiction, crime fiction, and science fiction. His works include the horror novels The Only Good Indians, My Heart is a Chainsaw, and Night of the Mannequins.

The Bram Stoker Award for Poetry Collection is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for a poetry collection.

Gary A. Braunbeck is an American science fiction, fantasy, mystery and horror author.

Nancy Holder is an American writer and the author of several novels, including numerous tie-in books based on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has also written fiction related to several other science fiction and fantasy shows, including Angel and Smallville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Hill (writer)</span> American writer (born 1972)

Joseph Hillström King, better known by the pen name Joe Hill, is an American writer. His work includes the novels Heart-Shaped Box (2007), Horns (2010), NOS4A2 (2013), and The Fireman (2016); the short story collections 20th Century Ghosts (2005) and Strange Weather (2017); and the comic book series Locke & Key (2008–2013). He has won awards including Bram Stoker Awards, British Fantasy Awards, and an Eisner Award.

Owl Goingback is an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul G. Tremblay</span> American author and editor

Paul Gaetan Tremblay is an American author and editor of horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction. His most widely known novels include A Head Full of Ghosts, The Cabin at the End of the World, and Survivor Song. He has won multiple Bram Stoker Awards and is a juror for the Shirley Jackson Awards.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Young Adult Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for young adult novels.

The Bram Stoker Award for Best Graphic Novel is an award presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in horror writing for graphic novels.

Centipede Press is an American independent book and periodical publisher focusing on horror, weird tales, crime narratives, science fiction, gothic novels, fantasy art, and studies of literature, music and film. Its earliest imprints were Cocytus Press and Millipede Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Bailey (editor)</span> American editor and author (1979–present)

Michael Bailey is an American writer and editor who primarily works with horror and science fiction. His work occasionally blends into other genres such as mystery, western, and thriller, usually with a speculative angle. Most of his fiction and poetry can be categorized as psychological or literary horror. He has authored numerous novels, novellas, novelettes, and fiction & poetry collections.

Philip Fracassi is an American writer of horror, thriller, and science fiction. He has written multiple novels, screenplays, and short stories. His 2021 collection of short stories, Beneath a Pale Sky, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection. The short story "Death, My Old Friend", featured in this collection, was optioned in 2022 by Christopher Riggert for a feature film adaptation.

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Stephen Graham (2023). Don't Fear the Reaper. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   1982186593.
  2. ↑ Mercurio, Marisa (2020-09-17). "Stephen Graham Jones: 'If I don't get scared then I'm not playing with the right kind of fire'". Sublime Horror. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  3. ↑ Publishing, Tor com. "Night of the Mannequins". Tordotcom Publishing. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  4. ↑ Jones, Stephen Graham (2020). Night of the Mannequins. Tordotcom. ISBN   9781705282427.
  5. ↑ Gilliand, Blu (2020-06-26). "Review: Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones". Cemetery Dance Online. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  6. ↑ "Paula Guran Reviews Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones". Locus Online. 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  7. ↑ Whitmore, Emily (2020). "Night of the Mannequins (review)". Booklist.
  8. ↑ Diabo, Gage Karahkwiio (2023-01-29). "Review Essay: Little Books, Big Horror". Transmotion: 164–171 Pages. doi:10.22024/UNIKENT/03/TM.1073.
  9. ↑ Templeton, Molly (2021-06-01). "Announcing the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards Winners". Tor.com . Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  10. ↑ "2020 Stoker Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2021-05-24. Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.