In the Valley of the Kings: Stories is a collection of short stories by the American author, doctor and former professor Terrence Holt. It was published on September 14, 2009, by W. W. Norton & Company. The book, Holt's only publication, garnered the author a large following and much positive appraisal. In the Valley of the Kings has been praised by Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz, National Book Award winner Gerald Stern, and National Book Award finalist Aleksandar Hemon, among other reviewers. Various stories from the book have individually been featured in the O. Henry Prize Stories, The Kenyon Review and Best of Zoetrope periodicals. Holt's book crosses a number of genres, placing several short stories in outer space under a Lovecraftian science fiction theme, while others are highly minimal in setting or consistently focus on the narrator's voice. Nearly all of the works exhibit an element of suspense and sometimes horror as well as an experimental or absurdist tendency. The book's cover art, a semi-transparent detail on a dark blue background, was produced by Ruth Martin. Source: Wikipedia (en)