Księga jesiennych demonów (The Book of Autumn Demons) is a collection of horror short stories by Jarosław Grzędowicz, published by Fabryka Słów in 2003.
The volume consists of the following stories: Prolog (Prologue), Klub Absolutnej Karty Kredytowej (The Club of Absolute Credit Card), Opowieść terapeuty (The Therapist’s Tale), Wiedźma i wilk (The Witch and the Wolf), Piorun (Lightning), Czarne motyle (Black Butterflies), and Epilog (Epilogue).
The stories are set in contemporary Poland, and their common theme is variations on what happens when magic, which seems to promise to solve people's problems, enters everyday life, revealing the hidden price that must be paid.
[4][5][6] Klub Absolutnej Karty Kredytowej was first published online in issue 3 of the e-zine Fahrenheit at the turn of 1997 and 1998; it was also nominated for the Elektrybałt Award from that zine.
[2][7][8][9] In Prolog, Jacek Wolecki, a man whose life has just fallen apart (having lost his job, home, and girlfriend), visits a shop selling magical items run by a "city shaman".
There, the shopkeeper tells him about people who have encountered supernatural forces – gaining wealth, love, and abilities through magic, but always having to pay a hidden price.
[5][10] In Klub Absolutnej Karty Kredytowej,[11] the main character has lost his job, is living with his wife and children at his parents' home, and embarks on a journey he can't afford, without a clear destination.
The collection was praised for its well-developed characters’ psychology and good descriptions, as well as the author’s literary craft; however, three stories were criticized as heavily inspired by other works.
The collection was compared to The Shining by Stephen King, where horror arises less from supernatural elements and more from ordinary reality and human relationships.
The amazing atmosphere of the book was praised, and it was stated that the horror emanates from each story, with each tale being carefully planned and thought out.
The reviewer praised the author’s style: his prose is light and proficient... builds atmosphere very suggestively, and manages the action effectively.
[10] Grzędowicz’s prose was compared to Stephen King’s, with the comment that he builds horror masterfully... not with gallons of blood or nauseating murders, but with mundane everyday life.