Unlike much of the current form, full of blood, monsters and melodrama, Aickman's stories achieve a quieter, more subtle and, in several ways, more lasting sense of disquiet. His lucid, finely tuned prose moves imperceptibly from the small crises and celebrations of ordinary life into another sphere. In these 11 stories, the occasion may be a walking tour of Northern England, a birthday present of a Victorian dollhouse or a stay at a Swedish sanatorium for insomniacs, but it simultaneously traps the characters with dread and opens them up to a new awareness of a greater, deeper and more dangerous world. A remarkable collection by an author who deserves to be better known.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

    All these tales take place in fantastic, eerie landscapes and are narrated in surreal, stylized voices. Carrington (House of Fear, etc.) creates not characters and situations, but abstract concepts, which often result in stories that lack warmth and the power to engage. The effect is intellectually impressive but emotionally unsatisfying. In the pieces that do come to life, though, the abstract merges with reality in a chillingly mesmerizing blend. In "White Rabbits," after a first visit to her mysterious, leprous neighbors in New York, the narrator concludes her frightful tale: "I stumbled and ran, choking with horror; some unholy curiosity made me look over my shoulder... and I saw her waving... and as she waved... her fingers fell off and dropped to the ground like shooting stars." The novella "The Stone Door" is the highlight of the volume. The magically unfolding fable tells of Zacharias, a 20th century Hungarian Jew who is destined to voyage beyond the boundaries of time to the shores of ancient Mesopotamia, and open the great stone door of the mountain Kescke to release his true love. This modern fairy tale burns with the passion and purpose that is often missing in the shorter, intellectualized works. Illustrated.

    Includes works from Clive Barker, Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, and more. Original.

    Almost every important writer of fantastic fiction in the first half of this century—including H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Fritz Lieber—and countless other notables have had their works showcased in its pages.Now, in this special volume compiled by popular anthologist Marvin Kaye, some of the most memorable horrific, bizarre tales ever published are assembled, all of which have appeared in various incarnations of Weird Tales over the years.Interim by Ray BradburyThe House of Ecstasy by Ralph Milne FarleyThe Stolen Body by H.G. WellsThe Scrawny One by Anthony BoucherThe Sorcerer's Apprentice by Lucian of Samosata translated by Sir Thomas MoreSkulls in the Stars by Robert E. HowardEena by Manly BanisterThe Look by Maurice LevelMethought I Heard A Voice by L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher PrattOff the Map by Rex DolphinThe Last Train by Fredric BrownTi Michel by W.J. StamperIn the X-Ray by Fritz LeiberSpeak by Henry SlesarThe Pale Criminal by C. Hall ThompsonThe Sombrus Tower by Tanith LeeMr. George by August DerlethThe Terror of the Water Tank by William Hope HodgsonThe Legend of St. Julian the Hospitaller by Gustave FlaubertThe Hoax of the Spirit Lover by Harry HoudiniSeed by Jack SnowMasked Ball by Seabury QuinnThe Woman with the Velvet Collar by Gaston LerouxMistress Sary by William TennThe Judge's House by Bram StokerThe Bagheeta by Val LewtonGhost Hunt by H.R. WakefieldFuneral in the Fog by Edward D. HochThe Damp Man by Allison V. HardingThe Lost Club by Arthur MachenWet Straw by Richard MathesonMysteries of the Faceless King by Darrell SchweitzerMore Than Shadow by Dorothy QuickThe Dead Smile by F. Marion CrawfordThe Sorcerer's Apprentice by Robert BlochChicken Soup by Katherine MacLean and Mary KornbluthThe Haunted Burglar by W.C. MorrowNever Bet the Devil Your Head by Edgar Allan PoeHe by H.P. LovecraftThe Brotherhood of Blood by Hugh B. CaveThe Weird of Avoosl Wuthoqquan by Clark Ashton SmithMen Who walk Upon the Air by Frank Belknap LongA Child's Dream of a Star by Charles DickensThe Perfect Host by Theodore SturgeonWhy Weird Tales attributed to Otis Adelbert KlineDust jacket illustration by Richard Kriegler, based on Howard's "Skulls in the Stars." Interior drawings by Richard Kriegler.Weird Tales has always been the most popular and sought-after of all pulp magazines. A mix of exotic fantasy, horror, science fiction, suspense, and the just plain indescribable.

    He's got a terrific project, and he's met the woman of his dreams -- literally, his dreams (though they're rather odd ones). But then, one night, he falls asleep and awakes . . . to the beginning of a nightmare he just can't seem to wake up from. . . .

    Reprint.Contents:The Vanishing American (1955)Appointment with Eddie (1988)Mourning Song (1963)Gentlemen, Be Seated (1960)Last Rites (1955)Miss Gentilbelle (1957)Place of Meeting (1953)The Devil, You Say? (1951)Free Dirt (1955)Song for a Lady (1960)The Howling Man (1959)The Dark Music (1956)The Magic Man (1960)Fair Lady (1957)A Point of Honor (1955)The Hunger (1955)Black Country (1954)The Jungle (1954)The New People (1958)Perchance to Dream (1958)The Crooked Man (1955)Blood Brother (1961)A Death in the Country (1957)The Music of the Yellow Brass (1959)Night Ride (1957)The Intruder (Chapter 10) (excerpt) (1988)The Crime of Willie Washington (1988)The Man with the Crooked Nose (1988)The Carnival (1988)To Hell with Claude (1988) with Chad Oliver

    

    These stories form one of the great antiwar statements in American literature. Included here are the classic An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Chickamauga, The Mocking Bird, The Coup de Grâce, Parker Anderson, Philosopher, and other stories celebrated for their intensity, startling insight, and mastery of form.

    Long ago, two priests vowed to silence the evil entombed below. But now, the guardians are gone--and once again, the people of Chinook Island are stalked by the undead, seeking to feast on human blood!