The first time they came for Kevin he woke up in a forest on the edge of town with a sword and only seconds to save his life before a lunatic with a battle axe nearly split his skull. At first he thought it was a dream, then it became a living nightmare as he found himself night after night having to fight in abandoned shopping malls, dark alleys and swamps on the outskirts of civilization. The rules were simple; they could come for him anytime they wanted, and if he resisted, someone close to him would die. A twisted clash of Fight Club and Game of Thrones where the only way to survive is to never stop playing.

    Audrey works in the canning factory by day but her nights soon become filled with suspense after she learns that the woods near her house are haunted and filled with secrets that she longs to uncover. Hold your breath as Audrey walks on the “wrong side of the fence” and share her wonder as she marvels at the mysterious, disappearing church. She may need your prayers as she brushes shoulders with the spirits of the dead but her biggest obstacle will still be ahead of her. Preacher Man, the reportedly deceased property owner of Shepard’s Woods, must be confronted before Audrey can make any headway. Will he allow her to uncover the mysterious secrets or will he refuse to let her on his property? Can she convince him that she is mature enough to help him conquer his demons? Come along for the journey and watch as Audrey discovers the secrets, excitement, and heart-felt warmth of small town living.

    Illustrator and writer's Carolyn Marie Castagna's first shared short story.A small icicle hanging from a roof peers inside a window at a small reading room, and learns about magical human qualities, and the importance of the one most special human feeling.

    Now, in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Second Annual Collection the very best SF authors explore ideas of a new world. This venerable collection brings together award winning authors and masters of the field such as Robert Reed, Alastair Reynolds, Damien Broderick, Elizabeth Bear, Paul McAuley and John Barnes. And with an extensive recommended reading guide and a summation of the year in science fiction, this annual compilation has become the definitive must-read anthology for all science fiction fans and readers interested in breaking into the genre.

    Literature GuidesCreated by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster.Geared to what today's students need to know, SparkNotes provides:chapter-by-chapter analysisexplanations of key themes, motifs, and symbolsa review quiz and essay topicsLively and accessible, these guides are perfect for late-night studying and writing papers.

    We call our version “Ctrl-Alt-Lit,” which incorporates mash-up techniques in the creation of fresh and unique genre-blending fiction. By using the short story format and a selection of diverse authors, Classics Mutilated not only rescues Monster Lit from its own built-in one-joke obsolescence (where the book’s title tells the entire story), but also re-energizes the field, creating its own genre.? It’s not parody or satire, but way bent fiction done totally straight by some of the brightest talents on the scene, such as Joe R. Lansdale, John Shirley, Nancy Collins, Mike Resnick, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Thomas Tessier, Marc Laidlaw, John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow, Chris Ryall, and Rio Youers.? Notable characters include Snow White, Huck Finn, Captain Ahab, Sid Vicious, Billy the Kid, Emily Dickinson, Jim Morrison, Edgar Allan Poe, Loki, Albert Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Some of the featured authors and literary works found in these mash-ups are Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Legends of Asgard, H.G. Wells, Frankenstein, and more. All transformed in ways the mainstream could never imagine, or get away with.? ? Classics Mutilated is available in both print and digital formats. Every story appears here for the first time; each one written specifically for this collection. “Dread Island,” a masterful new novella by Lansdale, anchors the collection.

    This collection of delightfully twisted, supernatural short stories will captivate your imagination and entertain your darker side. A monster with a love of bakery, an old woman living in fear with her ex-con nephew, a widow with only one chance left, and a demon with a dark and powerful heart, are some of the characters wrestling with their darker selves in this enjoyable collection.

    But when she and her friend, Peter, find a valuable coin and try to take it out of the shop, they find themselves in the fifteenth century. But that is only the beginning. The Edward V Coin The discovery of the coin from the short lived reign of Edward V, prompts Peter to want to find out what really happened to the princes in the Tower. The Anne Boleyn Necklace When Peter finds the famous B necklace worn by Anne Boleyn in many portraits, he is eager to use it to go back and see her in the flesh. But Rachel has sworn she'll never time travel again, until she finds a journal which reveals a cousin, stranded in the fifteenth century. She feels she must rescue her, but she doesn't stop to wonder if the cousin wants to be rescued. The Ripper Rings Jack the Ripper took souvenirs in the form of organs from his victims. But from one victim he took three rings and when they turn up in the antique shop, both Peter and Rachel are keen to find out how they got there.

    And after one disastrous morning, she wishes that her life was like those portrayed in her favorite channel's Christmas romances. A place where everything and everyone is perfect. But Mary soon learns that she needs to be careful of what she wishes for.

    Determined to do exactly what she sets her mind to, she explores the mountains and valleys around her home with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a keen eye that misses nothing. When her mother dies, Emmaline, Emmy for short, is thrust into the mystical, spiritual world of her mother’s native peoples, the Tsalagi, better known as the Cherokee. Given the power of observation and shape shifting by her immortal g-great-grandfather Two Feathers, who is the keeper of the Sacred Fire’s Ashes, Emmy is told that she must carry on her mother’s duties and is charged with the task of becoming the family “Ka no he ha Ka no Ge sdi,” the Storyteller. She is supposed to remember and pass down her family’s history and tell about their ancestors. As Emmy grows older and matures, her explorations become more advanced. She discovers a hidden path that takes her beyond an ancient willow tree to a layer of the world that at first seems much like her own, but she soon discovers that it is quite different… When she stays longer than allowed a mortal, she discovers that her grandfather can travel between space and time and communicate with all peoples between the layers of her world. Emmy’s Journey is a voyage through time and into the mysterious spiritual and mystical realms of the Cherokees and a world that most never knows exists.

    Now three of their best short novels are collected in a single volume. Zane Grey’s From Missouri has been restored from the author’s own manuscript and is appearing in paperback in its corrected form. Max Brand’s Over the Northern Border is a classic tale of stage coach robbery and relentless pursuit, also corrected and restored from the author’s original manuscript. Louis L’Amour’s Riders of the Dawn debuted in Giant Western magazine in 1951 and appears here in that original version, as L’Amour himself first intended it. Enjoy these three classic tales and experience the Western the way it was meant to be.

    A world where The Sands of Time comes to life, a unique and compelling epic fantasy. Xerxes discovers an ancient golden lamp in a shop of magical artifacts and his simple life is immediately altered, propelling him into a brand-new world inhabited by powerful alien races. On this strange and distant planet, a world so unlike Earth, Xerxes soon discovers his new identity, one that names him Dragonheart. Presented with an ancient dragon of more than five thousand years old, a dragon with indescribable magical abilities, he is compelled to accept his destiny as Dragon Rider. A destiny that drives him into the heart of threats shadowed over by the evil Naga race. Can Xerxes shoulder the responsibilities of a true Dragonheart? When the significance of the lamp comes to the fore, it becomes evident that the survival of the planet lies entirely in his hands. Reviews '...a strong first book in what will surely be an impressive series...a superb foundation for many more...' Self-Publishing Review 'Though dense with world building, this dragon rider tale remains refreshingly optimistic' Kirkus Reviews '...an excellent story that promises even more action in the next volume' Readers' Favorite About the Author Nishi Chandermun is the author of the fantasy epic, The Pearl of Immortality, Book 1 of The Sands of Time series. She lives in Durban, South Africa, and enjoys holidaying in the breathtaking and impressive city of Cape Town. She loves writing and bringing to life the workings of her avid imagination. When not occupied with swords and dragons and the magic of the Light and Dark, she enjoys coffee dates and dining out with the family. www.nishichandermun.com

    drug company interests and a criminal coverup to stop the disease in its tracks. But are they too late? Enjoy this close-up, clinical look at an unfolding disaster, with a Chinese city in crisis, relationships lost, international criminal justice in action, and a medical community’s desperate search for Patient Zero.“This novel sparkles!” – author Henry D. SmithOriginal edition: B06WLP2793This is an alternate cover edition.

    P. Lovecraft wrote “The Call of Cthulhu” in 1926, initiating the Cthulhu Mythos, one of the most widely imitated shared-world universes in weird fiction. Even in his lifetime, many other writers added to the Mythos, and after his death hundreds if not thousands of authors of weird, fantasy, and science fiction have added their distinctive elaborations on Lovecraft’s basic themes and ideas. This volume features some of the best Cthulhu Mythos writing over the past century. Beginning with such rare but classic stories as Mearle Prout’s “The House of the Worm” and Robert Barbour Johnson’s “Far Below,” from the pages of Weird Tales, the anthology moves on to James Wade’s novella “The Deep Ones” and Ramsey Campbell’s refreshing riff on the “forbidden book” motif, “The Franklyn Paragraphs.” Acclaimed stories by T. E. D. Klein, Thomas Ligotti, Neil Gaiman, and W. H. Pugmire are also included. The book includes an array of original stories by such leading authors of Lovecraftian fiction as Caitlín R. Kiernan, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., Donald Tyson, Cody Goodfellow, and Michael Shea. Gemma Files contributes a richly textured novella, while Jonathan Thomas offers a story full of his distinctive melding of horror and satire. A Mountain Walked is chock-full of stories old and new that highlight the endless variations that can be played on H. P. Lovecraft’s signature creation. S. T. Joshi is the leading authority on H. P. Lovecraft. He is the author of I Am Providence: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft and the editor of the Black Wings series of Lovecraftian fiction. He edits the Lovecraft Annual and the Weird Fiction Review.

    Paganism for Beginners is your guide to exploring the diverse magick of modern Paganism. The up-to-date handbook introduces you to a breadth of Pagan traditions and core beliefs―welcoming you to this inclusive movement with a myriad of ways to deepen your personal spirituality.Delve into a comprehensive overview of common Pagan practices and discover which speak most profoundly to you. Follow along with the Pagan calendar, meet a pantheon of deities, and learn the ethics and tenets of Pagan spirituality: open-mindedness, self-reliance, freedom of choice, and more. Gain essential knowledge of Pagan symbols, rituals, and tools with this guide.Inside Paganism for Beginners, you’ll find: • Beginners welcome―For those drawn to Earth-centric worship, get introduced to one of the world’s oldest and fastest-growing religious movements. • The old and the new―Discover the historical seeds of Paganism and how the movement has evolved over the decades to serve modern practitioners. • Diverse traditions―Celebrate the practices of Paganism's many traditions: African Diasporic Religions, Celtic Polytheism, Druidry, Wicca, and more.Unlock the magick of the universe with Paganism for Beginners.