all while paying the price with black marks on their souls.Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat and jackboots—he's just in it for his cut, ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, people who will make the world a better place with their work and their lives. That hit of life energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one of Madam Anastazja's girls keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane... until he collects again. But when his recovery ritual is disrupted, he has to choose between doing an illegal hit for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle alone—a dark pit he's not sure he'll be able to climb out of again."Absolutely riveting!""Quinn has a way of writing heart-breaking characters.""You'll be holding your breath, looking over your shoulder, and begging for more."Originally written as a serial, LIRIUM is Season One of the Debt Collector series and contains the complete story of Lirium. Each season is told from the perspective of a different debt collector.2015 Top SELF-ebook in Library Journal

    Short story collection by the critically acclaimed author of Revelation Space and Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days.

    Edited by Christopher Golden, it features an extraordinary lineup of collaborative stories, with the authors of each story collaborating for the very first time. And here they are! -TRIP TRAP by Sherrilyn Kenyon & Kevin J. Anderson -WELDED by Tom Piccirilli & T.M. Wright -DARK WITNESS by Charlaine Harris & Rachel Caine -REPLACING MAX by Stuart MacBride & Allan Guthrie -T. RHYMER by Gregory Frost & Jonathan Maberry -SHE, DOOMED GIRL by Sarah MacLean & Carrie Ryan -HAND JOB by Chelsea Cain & Lidia Yuknavitch -HOLLOW CHOICES by Robert Jackson Bennett & David Liss -AMUSE-BOUCHE by Amber Benson & Jeffrey J. Mariotte -BRANCHES, CURVING by Tim Lebbon & Michael Marshall Smith -RENASCENCE by Rhodi Hawk and F. Paul Wilson -BLIND LOVE by Kasey Lansdale & Joe R. Lansdale -TRAPPER BOY by Holly Newstein & Rick Hautala -STEWARD OF THE BLOOD by Nate Kenyon & James A. Moore -CALCULATING ROUTE by Michael Koryta & Jeffrey David Greene -SISTERS BEFORE MISTERS by Sarah Rees Brennan, Cassandra Clare, and Holly Black -SINS LIKE SCARLET by Mark Morris & Rio Youers