Best of
Surreal

2016

It Begins in a Garden


Sarah N.B. - 2016
    An anthology of religious poetry and prose-equal parts deeply reverent and constructively (politically) irreverent, with a twist of holiness in the profane.Also angels, and the end of the world.

Rainbow Children: The Art of Camilla d'Errico


Camilla d'Errico - 2016
    This gorgeous hard cover compilation of her work, the third such collection from Dark Horse, is the perfect addition to the library of anyone who appreciates her fine art and manga-inspired style! Both beautiful and haunting, her paintings will mesmerize and enthrall all.This is the latest book from Camilla d'Errico that comprises her Dark Horse series The Art of Camilla d'Errico. Previous books in the series are Femina and Fauna: The Art of Camilla d'Errico and Helmetgirls: The Art of Camilla d'Errico. All books are stand alone titles.

A Room in Dodge City


David Leo Rice - 2016
    In this nightmarish version of the historic Dodge City, mythic beasts crawl out of the woodwork; bizarre rituals are enacted; and death is never the end. Equal parts humor and horror-show, David Leo Rice’s novel combines the mundaneness of modern life—motels, strip malls, temp jobs—with something stranger, darker, and more eternal. Told through linked vignettes that read like metaphoric fairytales gone wrong, Dodge City consumes the reader just as it slowly consumes the drifter, leaving all to wonder whether any of us can ever truly escape this world—or our own.~~Winner of the Electric Book Award~~Each chapter is fully illustrated by Christina Collins.

Time for a Highlander


Maxine Mansfield - 2016
    Someone else was supposed to rescue the child from the falling druid stone. But she's perfectly fine with moving on to the hereafter. She has loved ones waiting for her. Then Tobias Morie, better known as Fate, steps in. Her intervention has changed the future. Before she can move on, she must first help him correct one of his own mistakes. That's fine until she wakes up in 1643 in the body of twenty-year-old Lady Elspeth Frasier. Worse, she's engaged to the very handsome, very young, very virile Quinton MacLeod. But that's not all Fate demands. She must give the Highland laird the heir he’d originally been denied.Quinton MacLeod loved once. He won't do it again, even if he had time for such nonsense. With the Highland lairds divided between loyalty to their beloved country and the English king, he seeks only peace—in his keep and in his heart. But raised in England and a ward of the enemy, his beautiful new wife has strange notions of education and cleanliness that cause chaos within both. There's also the matter of her very unlady-like views on the marriage bed, which, come to think of it, he's more than happy to overlook. If only he could trust her.

Sticky Fingers


J.T. Lawrence - 2016
    She's not put off by his pedantic corrections of her writing, despite the slow reveal that he is less than perfect himself.'The Unsuspecting Gold-digger' -- a woman gradually poisons her husband so that she doesn't have to break his heart.

Scaring the Stars into Submission


Adam Rodenberger - 2016
    A world both drowning and engulfed in flames. Autopsies reveal gardens of lilies sprouting up inside the rib cages of the dead. Clouds fall to the earth and affect the behavior of those that come in contact with them. Revolution and violent uprisings spread through nations across the globe. Twelve blind men in a basement transcribe the history of the world as it burns down around them. Nightmares become reality; reality becomes nightmare. Families turn to reluctant cannibalism in the hopes of waiting out the horrors beyond. Corporations push to create a new population to replace the old one. Philosophical musings from a balcony overlooking a dark, empty city. A brief moment of something good between lovers as the world begins to slowly recover. These are the stories before the event. These are the stories during the event. These are the stories after the event. These are the stories of people coping and surviving, fighting to live, or fighting just to be doing something, anything. The stories in this collection are brief moments, tiny pockets of surreal happenstance, but pure emotion. Each piece ties into the next by the tiniest filament, each story connected to the one before and the one after, each trying to hold on to some bit of normalcy, but failing in spectacular and terrifying ways. This collection of stories is a blend of surrealist nightmare and dystopian science fiction. Foreword by SK Kalsi, author of "The Stove-Junker."

Kanley Stubrick


Mike Kleine - 2016
    Some of them have theories, others don't seem to care. Then the girl herself disappears and the guy goes looking for her.It might be April, but it might also be June. The missing girl might be in Ojai, or she might be in Merced. She might have brown hair, or she might not. Things disappear because there is nothing to hold them in place.Kanley Stubrick is about the things in the world that we don’t know, and Mike Kleine gives us permission to not be afraid of what we don’t know.

Band For Life


Anya Davidson - 2016
    Though beset with disaster at every turn—and frequently reduced to squabbling—they stick together because the band is the core of their existence, and they help each other find their way. Band for Life is a love letter to people compelled to create with no hope of financial reward.

Curved Lines


Dee CarneyJodi Redford - 2016
    Acquired Taste – Dee Carney When celebrity chef August Jaeger mixes it up with a curvy food blogger, they both realize what they want isn’t on any menu. Dirty Deeds – Allie Cooke Four days, a million dollars, the performance of a lifetime…but what happens when they stop faking it? Dirty Deeds ain't always dirt cheap. Scorched Desire -- Lexxie Couper When a Harley-riding hunk literally sweeps her off her feet, Jilly Parker finds herself transported to a world of dragon shifters, carnal lust, and fated love. Pretty In Ink – Merryn Dexter Sexy, sweet Aubrey Jensen is everything a semi-reformed bad boy could want – but sometimes getting what you want doesn’t give you what you need. Hot Tamale – Tilly Greene Derek Schrizer is a retired Marine looking to get a new tattoo, not reconnect with his first love, the curvy sexy Cat. Waking Up – Kathryn Lively A chance encounter forces a plus-sized woman with dormant dreams to wake up and find her own Happily Ever After. Marked By Ice – Dawn Montgomery His only job is to protect her at all costs, but who will protect the big bad wolf’s heart once he gets a taste of her sweet lips? Like a Boss – Quinn Proving she’s more than a smart mouth and sexy curves would be a hell of a lot easier if she wasn’t so distracted by her sexy new boss. Kinky Curves – Jodi Redford The queen of dirty talk. The king of grind. Love is about to get real filthy. Another Man’s Treasure – Dee Tenorio A widowed actor and single dad pulls out all the stops to show a single mom just how well a woman can be treasured.

Internal Affairs III


Patrick Crotty - 2016
    Don't miss the most exciting self-help book ever!

Cartoons in the Suicide Forest


Leza Cantoral - 2016
    Cartoons in the Suicide Forest When we're dead You know She'll adore us "Lyrical and perverse, like a prostitute on acid in a poetry slam, this collection of the dark, erotic, and bizarre flirts with the heroin fever dreams of a William Burroughs and the horrific surrealism of Charlee Jacobs." - Wrath James White, THE RESURRECTIONIST and THE BOOK OF A THOUSAND SINS

The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novellas 2016


Paula GuranUsman Malik - 2016
    Novellas, longer than short stories but shorter than novels, are a rich rewarding literary form that can fully explore tomorrow’s technology, the far reaches of the future, thought-provoking imaginings, fantastic worlds, and entertaining concepts with all the impact of a short story as well as the detailed depth of a novel. Gathering a wide variety of excellent science fiction and fantasy, this anthology of “short novels” showcases the talents of both established masters and new writers.Contents:“The Citadel of Weeping Pearls” by Aliette de Bodard (Asimov’s, Oct/Nov 2015)“The Bone Swans of Amandale” by C.S.E. Cooney (Bone Swans, Mythic Delirium Books)“Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, Tor.com)“The Last Witness” by K. J. Parker (The Last Witness, Tor.com)“Johnny Rev” by Rachel Pollack (F&SF, Jul/Aug 2015)“Inhuman Garbage,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Asimov’s March 2015)“Gypsy,” Carter Scholz (F&SF, Nov/Dec 2015)“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn,” Usman Malik (The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn, Tor.com)“What Has Passed Shall in Kinder Light Appear” by Bao Shu, translated by Ken Liu (F&SF, Mar/Apr 2015)