From the author of Wildwood Road, The Ferryman, and Mind the Gap (with Tim Lebbon), comes Christopher Golden's first-ever collection of short stories.The Secret Backs of Things takes the readers into a realm rich with legends, folklore and myths, while still finding a place for some modern tales and even a couple Hellboy A man learns that it would have been better to have not asked a beautiful woman why her body is covered with mysterious tattoos in "The Art of the Deal." A young boy accidentally finds out about his secret power when a childhood game goes too far in "Pa-Kow." A teenager finally understands why she always felt so alive running barefoot through the woods in "The Mournful Cry of Owls." And in the title story, and "The Secret Backs of Things, and " the protagonist discovers that even if your secrets are never told, you can't always keep them from everyone...In addition to all the new stories in the collection, readers will find a reprint of and "The Shell Collector, and " long out of print and originally published as part of the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Novella Series.Filled with illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne, The Secret Backs of Things is Christopher Golden at his best. Chilling, harrowing and, at times, more than slightly unsettling, this collection is sure to excite and entertain longtime Golden fans and new readers alike.