From an automaton of Nick Cave, to a man who can’t keep his blood out of the food he is preparing; from a vengeful Uber driver to a spinner of souls; and from a boy caught up in a robbery to a girl desperate to save a failing greyhound, the characters who populate this short story collection have all been inspired by a Nick Cave lyric. These 21 stories, from some of Australia’s favourite creators, respond to Cave’s visionary genius with their own original and unsettling tales of death, faith, violence and love.

Contributions from Neil A. White, Mark Smith, Jon Doust, Bram Presser, Goldie Goldbloom, Mykaela Saunders, Andy Griffiths, Christos Tsiolkas, Cate Kennedy, Arnold Zable, Emily Brewin, Melissa Manning, Rhett Davis, Sarah Bailey, Toni Jordan, Tony Birch, Kirsten Tranter, Gillian O’Shaughnessy, Ben Hobson. Edited by Kirsten Krauth.