Best of
Dark-Fantasy

2010

Jim Butcher Box Set #2


Jim Butcher - 2010
    Includes 1 each of Summer Knight, Death Masks, and Blood Rites

Sourdough and Other Stories


Angela Slatter - 2010
    In the cathedral-city of Lodellan and its uneasy hinterland, babies are fashioned from bread, dolls are given souls and wishes granted may be soon regretted. There are ghosts who dream, men whose wings have been clipped and trolls who long for something other. Love, loss and life are elegantly dissected in Slatter's earthy yet poetic prose. As Rob Shearman says in his Introduction: 'Sourdough and Other Stories manages to be grand and ambitious and worldbuilding-but also as intimate and focused as all good short fiction should be . . . The joy of Angela Slatter's book is that she's given us a set of fairy tales that are at once both new and fresh, and yet feel as old as storytelling itself.'

Brunner the Bounty Hunter


C.L. Werner - 2010
    Dark and savage tales set in the world of Warhammer, by author C.L. Werner.

Santa Lilio Sangre


Ayami Kojima - 2010
    Self-taught, she has crafted many original designs for Castlevania and other games that are also featured in this art book. This book features many Gothic designs of the imagery of religion that made her famous along with some Western influences from her past as well. This is a must have for all Ayami Kojima or Castlevania fans.200 pages. Japanese text. Colored and B&W. Hardcover. Bind & Published in Japan.

The Collected Connoisseur


Mark Valentine - 2010
    Contents: 'Introduction' by Mark Valentine, 'The Effigies', 'After the Darkness', 'The Paravine Cries', 'Pale Roses', 'In Violet Veils', 'The Lost Moon', 'Café Lucifer', 'The Craft of Arioch', 'The Secret Stars', 'The Hesperian Dragon', 'The Lighting of the Vial', 'The Nephoseum', 'Sea Citadels', 'The Prince of Barlocco', 'The Black Eros', 'Mad Lutanist', 'The Mist on the Mere', 'The White Solander', 'The Last Archipelago', 'The Rite of Trebizond', 'The Serpent, Unfallen', 'The Temple of Time', 'The Descent of the Fire'.Following in the footsteps of M.P. Shiel's exotic savant Prince Zaleski and Arthur Machen's Mr Dyson, Mark Valentine and John Howard's The Connoisseur - aesthetical detective extraordinaire - unravels a cornucopia of arcane mysteries in these twenty-three tantalising tales. Collecting together all the adventures in previous Tartarus volumes In Violet Veils and Masques and Citadels, along with four further tales published elsewhere, this volume provides the lover of esoteric mystery and adventure fiction with the complete Connoisseur casebook.Venturing from his fire-lit study in an English cathedral city, The Connoisseur encounters, among other phenomena, strange masquerades in country houses; a Scottish island whose Prince may not be named; a poignant relic from the Black Sea region, sought after by a ruthless order; a secret account of the first crossing of an Arctic land and an Art Deco cinema which may retain resonances of its mysterious former occupants. From your own fireside, follow The Connoisseur into the delicate shading between this world and other realms of wonder, tragedy and trepidation.

The Eternal Dawn (The Last Vampire, #7)


Christopher Pike - 2010
    Knowing Teri ultimately leads to knowing Matt, Teri's boyfriend. And as much as Alisa wants to ignore the connection she feels with Matt, she can't stop thinking about him.

The Ammonite Violin & Others


Caitlín R. Kiernan - 2010
    Kiernan's The Ammonite Violin & Others, one of contemporary dark fantasy s most bewitching and distinctive voices is back with another banquet of the weird and unexpected. In his introduction, Jeff VanderMeer (City of Saints and Madmen, Finch) writes, Kiernan creates her own light in this remarkable collection, and shines it on dark places. In doing so, she gives us gritty, lyrical, horrible, beautiful truths. In The Ammonite Violin & Others, the author rises to meet the high expectations she set with such collections as Tales of Pain and Wonder, A is for Alien, and the World Fantasy Award-nominated To Charles Fort, With Love. Within these pages, you ll discover a dazzling suite of stories situated on the borderlands between the unspeakbale and the erotic, the grotesque and the sublime. Here are stories of dream and metamorphosis, strange lands and beings existing beyond the veil of death and beyond this earth. Here is a selkie who's lost her sealskin, a woman with a blackhole in her heart, a fairie girl fallen to the Queen of Decay, the descent of a modern-day Orpheus, and a killer who has fashioned the most exquisite musical instrument from the remains of one of his victims. Here are dreams, nightmares, and worse things yet.The Ammonite Violin & Others is comprised of stories first published in the subscription only Sirenia Digest, run by Caitlin for her most devoted readers. This publication marks the stories' first availability to the general public.

Hallowed Eve


Suza Kates - 2010
    Eve Taylor must return home for her grandmother's funeral but has every intention of making it a short visit. Too many memories live in the small town where she grew up, memories of a Halloween best forgotten. Trey Rainwater has been waiting for Eve. He knows she'll be staying for longer than she'd planned and has every intention of making sure she does. He has a promise to keep. Eve and Trey find themselves thrown into a deadly combination of riddles, murder, and a love that won't be denied. As the moon hovers in the October sky and Halloween grows closer, Eve must fight her own personal demons while learning to trust the man who protects her. The past has come back to life, and a killer is stalking the small town of Pine Creek. He's waiting for his Hallowed Eve.

The Girl with No Hands and Other Tales


Angela Slatter - 2010
    These are the stories told to warn children, entertain adults and beguile all. Contents:BluebeardThe Living BookThe Jacaranda WifeRed SkeinThe Chrysanthemum BrideFrozenThe Hummingbird HeartWordsThe Little Match GirlThe Juniper TreeSkinThe Bone MotherThe Dead Ones Don’t Hurt YouLight As Mist, Heavy As HopeDresses, ThreeThe Girl With No HandsCover design by Lisa L. Hannett

Remember Me & The Return Part I


Christopher Pike - 2010
    Whilst her friends assume it was suicide, she knows otherwise, and now her restless spirit must find the real killer by any means possible. She'll need the help of those she left behind and the only way to reach them now is via the ouija board, but someone or something else seems to want to communicate with her friends too with horrifying intent. Shari is forced down the one pathway left open to her...to enter their dreams.

The Narrator


Michael Cisco - 2010
    Cisco's prose, by turns phantasmagorical and exhilarating (reminiscent one moment of Robbe-Grillet, the next of Artaud, with a tinge of Thomas Ligotti, the imaginative virtuosity of Gene Wolfe or M. John Harrison), is like a stark sequence of strong iron bars, brimming with dark ambiance. Combining unmatched craft with masterful storytelling, this is literate fantasy unlike any other, intricate as the most elaborate dream, in which the narrator himself is the most ambiguous thing of all.

Fantasy Art Collection: Pure Inspiration's


Robert BeckerSherri Baldy - 2010
    Fantasy Art Collection Pure Inspirations's is a remarkably beautiful book that brings together the art and personal commentary of 16 talented fantasy artists.  Each artist has a a minimum of 12 pages to display many of their magnificant paintings and to give the reader insights into their inspiration and how they approach their art.

Paragenesis: Stories from the Dawn of Wraeththu


Storm Constantine - 2010
    As a species it has ravaged the world and its own societies. From the ruins of civilisation arises a new race: Wraeththu. Androgynous, powerful and deadly, Wraeththu must rebuild or start anew. But when they are steeped in tribal warfare and gang culture - remnants of their human past - many cannot see beyond the moment, and it is up to the few who can to attempt to initiate change and growth.Based on the world created by Storm Constantine for her Wraeththu novels, the stories in this collection are set in the very early days of Wraeththu history. Struggling to come to terms with their new condition, fighting to survive amid the hostile humans who remain, and the often equally-hostile hara of other tribes, Wraeththu must learn quickly how to master their powerful abilities or succumb to the same fate that destroyed humanity. With an introduction by TV producer Brad Carpenter, who is working on a TV mini-series inspired by the Wraeththu novels, and stories from ten writers, many of whom are well-known within Wraeththu fandom, and including a new story from Storm herself, Paragenesis expands upon the mythology of the novels, telling the stories of the prime movers whose lives altered the fate of Wraeththu for ever and the hara whose tenacity and strength helped shape the future of their race.Featuring stories by Storm Constantine, Wendy Darling, Christopher Coyle, Fiona Lane, Maria Leel, Martina Luise Pachali, Gwyn Harper, Suzanne Gabriel, Kristi Lee and Andy Bigwood. With cover by Ruby and interior illustrations by Ruby, Danielle Lainton and Andy Bigwood.Full Contents:Paragenesis by Storm Constantine; The First by Wendy Darling; A Sickle Blade by Christopher Coyle; The Dawn of Hope by Suzanne Gabriel; The Burned Boy by Gwyn Harper; Building Immanion by Martina Luise Pachali; Specimen 16 by Andy Bigwood; You Can Never Go Back by Christopher Coyle; Conservation of Momentum by Fiona Lane; Song of the Sulh by Maria J Leel; The Rune-Throwing by Kristi Lee; Something's Coming by Wendy Darling; Pro Lucror by Storm Constantine.Bonus articles: The Future of our Dark, Delirious Imaginings by Wendy Darling; Early Wraeththu Inspirations by Storm Constantine.

Wonder


Christi Anna - 2010
    Daniela radiates energy they’ve never encountered: strong, powerful and highly prized by a Thief of Life. Once her unique energy comes to light, she’s pulled into an explosive fight for more than just her life. Two enemies feud for her heart, but must also work together to protect her against others of their kind or risk losing her forever. An emotional tale of wonder and jealousy, of yearning and the tearing of one's soul. In the end she could find the truest love or the ultimate betrayal.

Before Leonora Wakes


Lee Thompson - 2010
    But right before summer vacation starts he finds an albino girl trapped in a shed behind a local house. After Red frees her, the world he knew quickly unravels into something more mysterious—an unsteady reality where a man with silver teeth and buzz saw voice points him toward the true meaning of sacrifice. With his friendship tested, he fights for life to be as it once was, but he finds out that things can never be the same once the strange girl wakes. Author Bio: Lee Thompson started selling fiction in early 2010, and most of his work centers around his Division Mythos. His novels include NURSERY RHYMES 4 DEAD CHILDREN (Delirium Books, 2011) and THE DAMPNESS OF MOURNING (Darkfuse Publications, 2012). His current novel, THE COLLECTED SONGS OF SONNELION, is being serialized on Darkfuse Publication's website every week. http://leethompsonfiction.com

Victory at Ostagar


Arsinoe de Blassenville - 2010
    The Blight, however was far from over. All other origins included, plus Hawke and his companions. Cousland/Loghain, Morrigan/Anders, Surana/Zevran, Fergus/Anora, and more.

The Mountaineers


Angela White - 2010
    On a quest to find those who came before them, these warriors follow the remnants of Safe Haven and let nothing stand in their way.Safe Haven refugee camp is a myth, considered by most to be only a legend. It is a place where the old world, where civilization still exists. It is safety for those determined enough to find it.Alexa is a leader of men. She culled her companions from the dwindling herd of mankind because she sensed they might have the strength to make the journey and each battle tightens their bonds. For Alexa, it is about more than finding a normal life. It's about family.

Dark Fairies


Bob Curran - 2010
    They were the often-dangerous embodiment of the land, dark and unpredictable spirits that watched Humanity with a jaundiced and hostile eye. And, according to conventional folk wisdom, they were to be feared rather than trusted. Indeed, in their original form, many of our "fairy tales" read more like late-night horror stories.Dr. Bob Curran investigates the folkloric roots of the fairy kind, tracing their origins from the sprites and maenads of Classical times to the sanitized versions of the English Victorians. Among other aspects, he examines the connections in the Christian mind between the fairy kind and demons; the links between fairies and ancient, pagan gods; and the often-strained relations between fairies and humans across the ages.This is not a book for those who believe that fairies are friendly, kindly creatures. With the growing and anticipated interest in fairies--particularly given the forthcoming Disney film Wings, starring Miley Cyrus--Dark Fairies is a timely and valuable new title.

Let It Bleed


S.L. Schmitz - 2010
    A Razorblade Boy, lead singer with an obscure industrial band. A Dead Girl, a wandering, bruised waif living on the edge of madness. One’s the voice of youth - the other, the mother of the next Savior of the human race.But there’s a problem – the Dead Girl was only meant to produce the Savior, not fall in love with the Razorblade Boy. That means trouble for All-God – catastrophic trouble, with cosmic repercussions. The Dead Girl, All-God’s most beloved and most damaged of all his creations, becomes a beacon of assault for all those beings of Light and unLight, and her fall into spiritual decline threatens to unleash forces beyond even the comprehension of the most enlightened human.The Angels of the Apocalypse are standing in the wings, just waiting for the trigger.... the Razorblade Boy or the Savior – which is it to be?***Warning*** Before you purchase this book please be aware that Let It Bleed is an extremely controversial religious/gothic horror story. Written in the haunting prose associated with the Mythpunk genre of speculative fiction, the story unfolds in myth and adds elements of postmodern fantastic techniques such as urban fantasy, confessional poetry, non-linear storytelling, linguistic calisthenics, and academic fantasy – this book is not for people who are easily offended when religion or religious topics are questioned or confronted. Please do NOT purchase this book if you were at all disturbed by the DaVinci Code or The Passion of Christ's revelations. However if you like your fiction to challenge your world views and force you to think on a higher plane, read on...

In Bleed Country


Brian Fatah Steele - 2010
    It is where faith & dreams are held safe, where unborn terrors lurk and all the answers are painted in colors that don't exist. There have always been Agents who protect Bleed Country, individuals granted powers who walk the under-roads known as The Scar and seek to keep the balance. But now cards have been thrown, and while the only true constant in this reality is change, it is coming faster and more surely than anyone could have predicted. Sides will be drawn for the battle of Bleed Country, and not everyone will survive...

Shadowlands


Charlie David - 2010
    Ancient myths are re-imagined with an exciting queer twist masterfully depicting the charged, fragile relationships of urban life today.

Fungus of the Heart


Jeremy C. Shipp - 2010
    Shipp's fiction will be familiar with his minimalist, breakneck pacing, his surreal forays into political satire, and his seamless blending of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Now, in his fourth book, the Bram Stoker Award finalist expands on what many critics and fans alike have long considered the most compelling aspect of his work-relationships. This story collection explores how a person's desire can infect their every action and interaction with others. The desire to protect. The desire to hurt. The desire to be desired. Fungus of the Heart explores what happens between people when society breaks down and the rules go out the window. Haunting and heartbreaking, pithy and potent, the quirky inhabitants of Shipp's bizarro world will carve an indelible line from your funnybone to your spleen to your emotional core.

Bad Elements: Crystal Dragon


Lynn Mullican - 2010
    Held against her will, her captors threaten to kill her son unless she fights to the death in the underground fighting circuit. Nicknamed "The Dragon," she spends the next several years among werewolves and vampires. During the course of searching for her son, she slowly begins to recollect her prior existence before her imprisonment, pushing her deeper within the fighting circuit, exposing even more horrendous secrets than she had known.

From Dark Places


Emma Newman - 2010
    The stories traverse the magical and the mundane, where supernatural beings are indistinguishable from their mortal counterparts in their complexity and complicity.

Infinity


Ellen Louise Curtis - 2010
    Enter a world where life is what you make of it, luck is subjective, and sometimes YOU are the only thing keeping you from going under.

The Return Part II & The Last Story


Christopher Pike - 2010
    She is on theother side, in a place of spirits. But she is given a rare offer. Toreturn to Earth without having to be reborn. Into the body of amessed-up teenage girl - Jean Rodriguez. A transfer of souls, theycall it. Shari is given a chance to be a Wanderer, and to do a greatservice for humanity. It is an offer she gladly accepts. Then she isback, in a human body. Yet she does not remember being Shari Cooper.At first she recalls nothing of the afterlife. Perhaps it is just aswell. Not everybody on Earth welcomes Wanderers. Of the few who knowof their existence, some want them dead. And others, the truly evilones, wish them much worse than that.

Demons: A Clash of Steel Anthology


Jason M. Waltz - 2010
    Creatures of the Darkness. When the gates of Hell open, who stands between Man and the Abyss? From mankind's infancy, people have huddled in the dark, drawing signs in the air, muttering quiet prayers, quivering with dread at what roams in the night. Evil spirits riding dark winds blew at mouths of caves, scratched on walls of huts, rapped on stones of castles, whispered under eaves of mansions. And mankind trembled. Yet a few stood, drew steel imbued with magic to hue spirit as well as flesh, and walked out into the night to meet the foes of mortal men. Join the struggle in these 28 masterful tales of adventure and mayhem as heroes, forged as strong as the steel they wield, defy foes from the realms of nightmare.

Darkstalkers, Vol. 2: The Night Warriors


Ken Siu-Chong - 2010
    It's man VS demon, robot VS mummy, succubus VS vampire, and more, as the creatures of the night battle for control of the darkness!

Falls


Eric Dontigney - 2010
    In another time, he would have been revered and feared as a wizard. In an age of technological miracles, the world has no need of his services. When a dangerous messenger arrives with orders from the ancient and unimaginably powerful Lords and the Ladies, though, Samuel Branch has no choice but follow the trail of a rising darkness. To complicate matters, when the sister of a friend-turned-enemy goes missing, an old lover resurfaces demanding that he intervene. When it all comes down, Samuel Branch may find that a rising darkness is the least of his problems.

Much of Madness, More of Sin


Andrew Wolter - 2010
    During an annual festival celebrating an ancient god...In a county jail where escape is unlikely...Along downtown avenues where population provides safety...In a nightclub so boisterous, it's difficult to hear the person standing next to you...In a bath house in Phoenix, or amidst the towering trees of wilderness-Here madness touches the souls of those lost and lonely, those who seek out the pleasures of the body while flesh is bared, blood is spilt, and the most enigmatic chaos reveals itself. These are the landscapes in the world of horror writer Andrew Wolter. INTO THE CORE OF THE FORBIDDEN... Now, in this boundary-breaking collection of eleven original tales, Andrew Wolter delivers his unique style of interlacing pop-culture, eroticism, the insidious, and a chaos that creeps around every corner of our daily lives... MUCH OF MADNESS, MORE OF SIN