A modern master of the horror story takes a shocking turn in this study of California suburbia, where things are not as they seem and earthquake forces lie just below the surface. This new edition presents the author's preferred text.

"The finest writer of psychological horror this genre has produced." — Karl Edward Wagner

"California Gothic embraces popular culture while satirizing it, blending the character-driven mainstream novel with mystery, suspense and horror. The result is a psychological study of a depth seldom found in genre fiction, overlaid with a radical reinvention of the Gothic tale — including zombies. Etchison carries it off with an uncanny precision of language that is as clear as a mirage on the bright desert air. A stunning tour de force." — Kent Allard

"The prevailing tone is not darkness, but a relentless light: the light of the sun, of life, of unwelcome truth. As John Betjeman put it, this is the day that is worse than night. A taut, delicate, breathtaking performance... California Gothic glows with literate vision. Underlying this articulate, luminous novel is an angry challenge to received wisdom, not only about the horror genre but about the way we live." — Joel Lane