Book picks similar to
Night They Missed the Horror Show (short story) by Joe R. Lansdale
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Great Classic Horror
Geraint Wyn Davies - 2009
Includes A Watcher by the Dead by Ambrose Bierce; The Body Snatchers by Robert Louis Stevenson; The Adventure of the German Student by Washington Irving; Dickon the Devil by J. Sheridan Le Fanu; The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe; and The Open Window by Saki.
The Last Assignment: A Ghost Story
Benedict Ashforth - 2015
A photographer reluctantly agrees to take images of an abandoned manor house on the Dorset cliff tops only to find the building is not completely empty. . .
Escape!
Iain Rob Wright - 2019
Can you figure out the secrets of "the room" and escape before it's too late? Cheryl is about to learn that the people she works with are keeping a secret. One they are willing to kill for. Cheryl is the new girl at work, which is why she feels like she doesn't have a choice when she's asked to go on a "company outing." She and six of her colleagues are to be locked inside a room with only their wits to aid them. If they escape in time, there'll be prize money. Fail, and the repercussions could be deadly. Brand new chiller novel from Iain Rob Wright. Grab your copy of Escape! today, because everyone loves trying to figure out a mystery before the time runs out. WHAT READERS ARE SAYING An absolute wonderful read. Had me guessing from the beginning. Excellent fast paced story with an unseen twist at the end. WOW!!!... what another brilliant book which is truly horrifying and twisted, this put's another twist to the meaning of "TEAM BUILDING" at work. Makes you wonder about the people you work with. Escape! is one of the most unique, gruesome, and horrifying books I’ve ever read, and I loved every minute of it! Great thriller with a lot of twists and turns. Kept me on the edge of my seat. So intense I couldn't stop until I reached the end. If you enjoy Stephen King or James Herbert, then you'll enjoy this book too. Escape! Is scary because something like this could really happen and people are really that sick! Escape! is so thrilling that I stayed up late and just kept on reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. You just can't put this book down, a real page turner. Iain takes the latest popular entertainment experience "the escape room" and twists it turning it into another page turner, keeping you trapped in the pages until you escape at the end. An intense joyride filled with a solid shock and awe factor that will keep you turning pages. Spine tingling from the first line to the mind-blowing conclusion! A must read for thrill seekers. Will never, ever, do an escape room after this! A great read - excellent plot and another one to keep me up well past my bedtime!
UnStrung
Neal Shusterman - 2012
and whose gifts are destined to end up in the hands of another. And it is this teen's heart-breaking story that inspired Lev to choose the clapper's path.Pulling elements from Neal Shusterman's critically acclaimed Unwind and giving hints about what is to come in the long-awaited sequel, UnWholly, this short story is a must for fans of the series.
The First
Jason Mott - 2013
Read how it all begins in this short story, The First.It's been just over a year since Edmund Blithe died, and just over a month since his fiancée, Emily, stopped wearing her engagement ring. Emily has finally begun to move on… Until Edmund mysteriously and inexplicably returns, sending the world—and Emily—into a tailspin.Edmund is only just the beginning. Around the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond, seeking only to reenter the lives they left behind. As the world dives deep into uncertainty, Emily and Edmund are determined to find their way back to one another…even if it means risking everything.The reappearances continue in The Sparrow, and look for The Returned from Harlequin MIRA, a moving tale of a family given a second chance at life and a world where nothing—not even death—is certain.
In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper
Lawrence BlockKris Nelscott - 2016
His work bears special resonance for writers and readers, and yet his paintings never tell a story so much as they invite viewers to find for themselves the untold stories within."So says Lawrence Block, who has invited seventeen outstanding writers to join him in an unprecedented anthology of brand-new stories: In Sunlight or In Shadow. The results are remarkable and range across all genres, wedding literary excellence to storytelling savvy.Contributors include Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Nicholas Christopher, Jill D. Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Justin Scott, Kris Nelscott, Warren Moore, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, and Lawrence Block himself. Even Gail Levin, Hopper’s biographer and compiler of his catalogue raisonée, appears with her own first work of fiction, providing a true account of art theft on a grand scale and told in the voice of the country preacher who perpetrated the crime.In a beautifully produced anthology as befits such a collection of acclaimed authors, each story is illustrated with a quality full-color reproduction of the painting that inspired it.
The Junkie Quatrain
Peter Clines - 2011
Each one's a different type of post-apocalypse story. Survival horror. Ethical horror. Adventure horror. And one where the protagonist barely notices the apocalypse has happened. Each one stands alone and (hopefully) makes for a fun little read. But if you read two or three or all four, you'll see several events from different perspectives. And if you look close you'll even get a few scattered clues which might even come together to form a conspiracy.Ex-Patriots by Peter Clines contains the chapter, "Codependent"Acheron by Bryon Morrigon contains the chapter, "Predator and Prey"The Undead Situation by Eloise J. Knapp contains the chapter, "Strictly Professional"Hissers by Ryan Thomas contains the chapter, "Confidentiality"
On The Use Of Shape-Shifters In Warfare
Marko Kloos - 2019
Forbidden by international accords to engage in combat, the "dog soldiers" lend their skills to the regular Army units, sniffing out IEDs and guarding the troops against things that go bump in the night. Sergeant Decker and his 300th comrade, Sergeant Sobieski, are assigned to a Forward Operating Base deep in the mountains of Afghanistan when they have to face a local threat far more dangerous than roadside bombs or insurgent ambushes.
Soft Apocalypses
Lucy A. Snyder - 2014
Snyder proves once again that she is fearless in mapping every corner of the literary landscape. Not content to be confined to any single region, she guides readers through dark realms of fantasy into the churning industry of steampunk, from the dizzying heights of science fiction down to the most desolate depths of horror.The strength of the tales that make up this quiet cataclysm—for example “Magdala Amygdala,” winner of the 2013 Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction—do not compete. Instead they overlap to create a vista of ethical armageddons at once thorny and hopeful. Snyder’s irresistible prose and stunning eye for detail bind together a collection that defies expectation but delivers deep satisfaction.Table of ContentsMagdala AmygdalaHowever …. (with Gary Braunbeck)Spare the RodMiz Ruthie Pays Her RespectsThe Good GirlThe Cold GalleryAbandonment OptionThe Cold Blackness BetweenI Fuck Your SunshineCarnal HarvestAntumbraDiamante and StrassTiger Girls vs. the ZombiesRepent, Jessie Shimmer!The Leviathan of Trincomalee
Leviathan Wept and Other Stories
Daniel Abraham - 2004
Or a backyard tale from the 1001 American Nights. Macbeth re-imagined as a screwball comedy. Three extraordinary economic tasks performed by a small expert in currency exchange that risk first career and then life and then soul.From the disturbing beauty of 'Flat Diane' (Nebula-nominee, International Horror Guild award-winner) to the idiosyncratic vision of 'The Cambist and Lord Iron' (Hugo- and World Fantasy-nominee), Daniel Abraham has been writing some of the most enjoyable and widely admired short fiction in the genre for over a decade.Ranging from high fantasy to hard science fiction, screwball comedy to gut-punching tragedy, Daniel Abraham's stories never fail to be intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful, and humane. Leviathan Wept and Other Stories is the first collection of his short works, including selections from both the well-known and the rare.Contents:The Cambist and Lord Iron (2007)Flat Diane (2004)The Best Monkey (2009)The Support Technician Tango (2007)A Hunter in Arin-Quin (2010)Leviathan Wept (2004)Exclusion (2001)As Sweet (2001)The Curandero and the Swede (2010)
Warm Up
V.E. Schwab - 2013
His wife moved out, taking his son with her, and a devastated David hasn’t left his house since, terrified of the mysterious new power that followed him home from the ill-fated expedition.After months in seclusion, David’s ready for a fresh start, and ventures out, determined to keep his power in check. But David’s power isn’t the one he needs to worry about.
Flight or Fright: 17 Turbulent Tales
Stephen KingDan Simmons - 2018
This exciting new anthology, perfect for airport or airplane reading, includes an original introduction and story notes for each story by Stephen King, along with brand new stories from Stephen King and Joe Hill.Stephen King hates to fly. Now he and co-editor Bev Vincent would like to share this fear of flying with you.Welcome to Flight or Fright, an anthology about all the things that can go horribly wrong when you're suspended six miles in the air, hurtling through space at more than 500 mph and sealed up in a metal tube (like—gulp!—a coffin) with hundreds of strangers. All the ways your trip into the friendly skies can turn into a nightmare, including some we'll bet you've never thought of before... but now you will the next time you walk down the jetway and place your fate in the hands of a total stranger.Featuring brand new stories by Joe Hill and Stephen King, as well as fourteen classic tales and one poem from the likes of Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Roald Dahl, Dan Simmons, and many others, Flight or Fright is, as King says, "ideal airplane reading, especially on stormy descents... Even if you are safe on the ground, you might want to buckle up nice and tight."
Wool
Hugh Howey - 2011
They've lived there so long, there are only legends about people living anywhere else. Such a life requires rules. Strict rules. There are things that must not be discussed. Like going outside. Never mention you might like going outside.Or you'll get what you wish for.
The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire
Arthur Conan Doyle - 1924
The Sleep Tight Motel
Lisa Unger - 2018
Check in for the night with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.Eve has a fake ID, a .38, and a violent lover receding in the rearview mirror. He’ll never find her at the isolated motel, and its kindly manager is happy to ease her fears. But if Eve is the only guest, whom does she keep hearing on the other side of the wall? Eve won’t get a good night’s rest until she finds out.Lisa Unger’s The Sleep Tight Motel is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.