A novella by Joshua Skye. BrazenHead/Lethe Press, 2012.
Mr. A lurks in the derelict grand hotel, a haunt of junkies and their dealers, hustlers and runaways, petty criminals.
On a night like any other, a man, a notorious family-values politician, dies in the hotel’s ruined lobby. Suspended from a splendid chandelier, the body is bound with duct tape as if for some sordid S&M scene gone terribly wrong. The man has been disemboweled, intestines spilling from the gash in his belly to the dusty floor. Mr. A is watching, watching.
“You know, everyone seems to think that angels are these cute little innocent baby-looking motherfuckers but the Bible describes them very, very differently… Angels are angry, crazy and mean as hell. They have four faces and only one of them is human. Their primary job isn’t to save our souls or help us find love. They like to kill and they’re good at it.”
Who is Mr. A? Mr. A is death. Mr. A is salvation. Mr. A is love.
MR. A IS THE GRIGORI.
Praise for The Grigori
The Grigori answers the question, ‘What would happen if we met an old-school angel?’ That it happens in Pittsburgh amid a wasteland of hustlers and drugs does not diminish either angel’s—or this story’s—reckless dominion.
—Steve Berman, editor of the Wilde Stories annual anthology series
Joshua Skye is definitely a new talent to watch. I enjoyed this thoroughly, and can’t wait for the next.
—Greg Herren, two-time Lambda Literary award-winning author and editor
In The Grigori, Joshua Skye offers a potent, bitter antidote to the notion that Abrahamic angels are saccharine, benevolent, vaporous guardian spirits perched on your shoulder and whispering anodynes in your ear. Skye’s Mr. A means business, and he is even more frightening than the brilliantly anthropomorphized St. Tina, patron of meth. The Grigori is chilling and exhilarating.
—Alex Jeffers, author of You Will Meet a Stranger Far from Home
A wonderful read. Nice touches of eroticism without overkill. Lovely passages of intense fear and creepy atmosphere.
The imagery in The Grigori is fascinating from the get-go. It is like you are in the scene and submerged into the story right out of the gate. It was magnificently done and nothing short of phenomenal! The Grigori is an astounding, mystical tale that engulfs a reader and drives them on a journey of sensations.
—Rob Lipsey, author of The Dead Dad Gang
About the author
Joshua Skye was born in Jamestown, New York, but predominantly grew up in the Texas Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. He is a graduate of K.D. Studio Actor’s Conservatory of the Southwest and has worked on indie/underground films and on stage. He lives in rural Pennsylvania with his partner of sixteen years, Ray, and their eight-year-old son, Syrian. His short stories have appeared in anthologies from STARbooks Press, Knightwatch Press, Sirens Call Publications, Rainstorm Press, JMS Books and periodicals such as Blood and Lullabies. He is the author of The Singing Wind, Bareback: A Werewolf’s Tale, the forthcoming Midnight Rainbows, and The Argento.
