Best of
Dark-Fantasy

2008

The First Law Trilogy


Joe Abercrombie - 2008
    The three volume edition collecting:The Blade ItselfBefore They Are HangedThe Last Argument of Kings

The Way of Shadows, Part 2 of 2


Brent Weeks - 2008
    And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics and cultivate a flair for death. (Part 2 of 2)

The Warded Man


Peter V. Brett - 2008
    For hundreds of years the demons have terrorized the night, slowly culling the human herd that shelters behind magical wards—symbols of power whose origins are lost in myth and whose protection is terrifyingly fragile. It was not always this way. Once, men and women battled the corelings on equal terms, but those days are gone. Night by night the demons grow stronger, while human numbers dwindle under their relentless assault. Now, with hope for the future fading, three young survivors of vicious demon attacks will dare the impossible, stepping beyond the crumbling safety of the wards to risk everything in a desperate quest to regain the secrets of the past. Together, they will stand against the night.

Hellboy: Emerald Hell


Tom Piccirilli - 2008
    Sent to keep an eye on Sarah Nail, a young girl hiding from the curse of her family, Hellboy becomes entangled in the blood debt of evil mystical preacher, Brother Jester. Stuck between human malice and the mysteries of the occult, Hellboy comes up against an intrigue of ghosts, demon trees, talking bullfrogs, and a race of lost mutant children.An all-new Hellboy novel!

The Way of Shadows, Part 1 of 2


Brent Weeks - 2008
    And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics and cultivate a flair for death. (Part 1 of 2)

The Way of Shadows


Brent Weeks - 2008
    For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.

The Chronicles of Malus Darkblade Volume One


Mike Lee - 2008
    This series has a strong sales history and is the second most popular seiries for Warhammer.

Book of Shadows / The Coven


Cate Tiernan - 2008
    Something is happening to Morgan. She sees things, feels things in a new way. She has discovered a power inside her that normal people don't posses. A dark magical power. And it scares her. She never chose to learn witchcraft but now witchcraft is choosing her. Her power is seductive.

An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat


Glen Cook - 2008
    The Dread Empire, spanning from the highest peaks of the Dragon's Teeth to the endless desert lands of Hammad al Nakir, from besieged Kavelin to mighty Shinshan, the Empire Unacquainted with Defeat, with its fearless, masked soldiers, known as the Demon Guard... An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat collects all of Glen Cook's short fiction set in the vast world of the Dread Empire, from "The Nights of Dreadful Silence", featuring the first appearance of Bragi Ragnarson, Mocker, and Haroun bin Yousif, to the culture-clashing novella "Soldier of an Empire Unacquainted with Defeat"; from "Silverheels", Cook's first published work of fiction, to "Hell's Forge", a haunting tale of cursed pirates and strange lands, appearing here for the first time. Also including a detailed introduction and extensive story notes by Glen Cook, An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat charts the development of this influential American author and the massive, multifaceted world that he created.Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Sheep and Wolves


Jeremy C. Shipp - 2008
    These stories bewitch and transport the reader. Though you may not know where Shipp will travel next, each story is an unforgettable thrill-ride and you'll be glad you took the trip. Shipp's novel Vacation established him as one of the foremost authors in the "bizarro fiction" movement. Now he turns his attention to short fiction and literary horror. The themes of alienation and cultural homogenization on a global scale are explored in closer detail. Shipp notes, "This intimacy makes Sheep and Wolves much darker than its predecessor. Because now, the darkness is invading your homes, your dreams, your lives." The author's trademark quirky characters populate an otherwise bleak landscape, this time around facing horrors at home rather than evils abroad.

The Autopsy and Other Tales


Michael Shea - 2008
    Over 590 pages long, this collection features all of Shea’s best award-winning horror, fantasy, science fiction, and Cthulhu Mythos tales, with two complete novels and several stories that have never been collected.Laird Barron’s insightful introduction provides a unique look at this remarkable, visionary storyteller. Combined with the illustrations of John Stewart, as well as several color photographs and devices, this marks the most important collection yet from an undisputed master of the short story.

Sorrow's Fall


Davonne Burns - 2008
    As a telepath, sixteen-year-old Sorrow is assailed by his target’s fear and desperation as he closes in for the kill, the voices of his victims haunt him day and night. In defense he has learned to shut off his own emotions…Until he meets her.Sarin is as powerful as she is beautiful, but there is something terrifying about her—something Sorrow knows could kill him.

Darkstalkers Graphic File


Capcom - 2008
    The Darkstalkers are the things that go bump in the night! From the original arcade games, to the popular Playstation ports and the recently released game for the PSP, this gorgeous full-color art book showcases the ghoulish monsters and sexy seductresses from one of Capcom's most beloved videogame properties.

The Last Days of Kali Yuga


Paul Haines - 2008
    when the powers of the Gods wane and evil walks the Earth.The Last Days of Kali Yuga is urban fantasy at its darkest. You won’t find traditional vampires or werewolves in Paul Haines’s stories. Instead, you will stare deep into the heart of the cruelest monster of all: man.Paul Haines is one of Australia’s and New Zealand’s leading dark fiction authors. He pioneered the ‘backpacker horror’ sub-genre with stories of Westerners confronted by dark powers and corrupted souls in the developing world. His novellas “The Last Days of Kali Yuga”, “Doorways for the Dispossessed”, and “Wives”—all of which appear in this book—have won Australia’s and New Zealand's highest honours for speculative fiction.The Last Days of Kali Yuga is the definitive collection of Paul Haines’s best work.

World of Darkness: Innocents


Jess Hartley - 2008
    They're in your neigh-borhood, watching you as you walk to school. They're waiting for you in the woods behind your house as you and your friends build your fort. They're under your bed. Adults have learned to live in the World of Darkness by ignoring the supernatural, by pretending it isn't there and going about the lives they have made for themselves. You don't have that luxury. You see the world through a child's eyes, and that means you haven't learned to look away. Be careful. Innocence is fragile. Complete rules for the game play. A modified Storytelling system for playing children aged 7 to 12, advice for running chronicles with child characters in mind and for appropriately portraying these characters. New monsters, spirits, ghosts and advice on integrating the core World of Darkness games with Innocents.

Phoenix Tales: Stories of Death & Life


Gregory Bernard Banks - 2008
    Compared to authors such as Roger Zelazny and Harlan Ellison, Banks takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotion with stories ranging from the sweet tale of a boy who simply wants to be "Touched" by a world he's struggling to understand, to the haunting and lyrical tale of the savior of abused kids known as "The Soul Man." Author Gregory Bernard Banks combines the colorful storytelling style of the "Golden Age" of science fiction with thoughtful exploration of the contemporary issues of today. Not only will these stories take you on a emotional journey, but they will leave you contemplating life and the human condition as well.

Sengoku Youko (Sengoku Youko, #1)


水上悟志 - 2008
    The two demon siblings travel the country to stop the deeds of all evil doers, along with a scaredy-cat swordsman they picked up along the way, Hyoudou Shinsuke. During their travels, they will come across a monk organization with more then suspicious methods and they'll soon be at war. (taken from http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.ht...)