Book picks similar to
From the Shadows: Villainous Tales of Dark Lords, Despots, and Devils by Angel HazeJeffrey L. Kohanek
fantasy
anthologies
short-stories
anthology
Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories
Elizabeth Hand - 2006
This new collection (an expansion of the limited-release Bibliomancy, which won the World Fantasy Award in 2005) showcases a wildly inventive author at the height of her powers. Included in this collection are "The Least Trumps," in which a lonely women reaches out to the world through symbols, tattooing, and the Tarot, and "Pavane for a Prince of the Air," where neo-pagan rituals bring a recently departed soul to something very different than eternal rest. Written in the author's characteristic poetic prose and rich with the details of traumatic lives that are luminously transformed, Saffron and Brimstone is a worthy addition to an outstanding career.* Elizabeth Hand's work has been selected as a Washington Post Notable Book and a New York Times Notable Book, and she has been awarded a Nebula Award and two World Fantasy Awards.
Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing
Lauren Beukes - 2016
Nothing is simple and everything is perilous when humans are involved: corruption, greed, and even love (of a sort).A permanent corporate branding gives a young woman enhanced physical abilities and a nearly-constant highRecruits lifted out of poverty find a far worse fate collecting biohazardous plants on an inhospitable worldThe only adult survivor of the apocalypse decides he will be the savior of teenagers; the teenagers are not amused.From Johannesburg to outer space, these previously uncollected tales are a compelling, dark, and slippery ride.
Unexpected Stories
Octavia E. Butler - 2014
The novella “A Necessary Being” showcases Octavia E. Butler’s ability to create alien yet fully believable “others.” Tahneh’s father was a Hao, one of a dwindling race whose leadership abilities render them so valuable that their members are captured and forced to govern. When her father dies, Tahneh steps into his place, both chief and prisoner, and for twenty years has ruled without ever meeting another of her kind. She bears her loneliness privately until the day that a Hao youth is spotted wandering into her territory. As her warriors sharpen their weapons, Tahneh must choose between imprisoning the newcomer—and living the rest of her life alone. The second story in this volume, “Childfinder,” was commissioned by Harlan Ellison for his legendary (and never-published) anthology The Last Dangerous Visions™. A disaffected telepath connects with a young girl in a desperate attempt to help her harness her growing powers. But in the richly evocative fiction of Octavia E. Butler, mentorship is a rocky path, and every lesson comes at a price. The award-winning author of science fiction classics Parable of the Sower and Kindred bestows these compelling, long lost gems “like the miraculous discovery that the beloved book you’ve read a dozen times has an extra chapter” (Los Angeles Review of Books). Harlan Ellison and Dangerous Visions are registered trademarks of the Kilimanjaro Corporation. All rights reserved.
Side Jobs
Jim Butcher - 2010
The tales range from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious. Also included is a new, never-before-published novella that takes place after the cliff-hanger ending of the new April 2010 hardcover, Changes.Contains:+ "Restoration of Faith"+ "Vignette"+ "Something Borrowed" -- from
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding
+ "It's My Birthday Too" -- from
Many Bloody Returns
+ "Heorot" -- from
My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon
+ "Day Off" -- from
Blood Lite
+ "Backup" -- novelette from Thomas' point of view, originally published by Subterranean Press+ "The Warrior" -- novelette from
Mean Streets
+ "Last Call" -- from
Strange Brew
+ "Love Hurts" -- from
Songs of Love and Death
+ Aftermath -- all-new novella from Murphy's point of view, set forty-five minutes after the end of
Changes
Dark Entries
Robert Aickman - 1964
350 copies.(Out of print).Contents: "Introduction by Glen Cavaliero, "The School Friend", "Ringing the Changes", "Choice of Weapons", "The Waiting Room", "The View" and "Bind Your Hair".As Dr Glen Cavaliero states in his introduction to this new edition of Dark Entries, "It is Robert Aickman's peculiar achievement that he should invest the daylight world with all the terrors of the night".Dark Entries was the first solo collection of "strange stories" by British short story writer, critic, lecturer and novelist, Robert Aickman. First published in 1964 it contains the classic "Ringing the Changes" and perhaps Aickman's best femme fatale in "Choice of Weapons." The version of "The View" is slightly re-written from its first appearance in We are for the Dark.
The Glassheart Chronicles
Courtney Cole - 2011
Fisher Amelie (author of The Leaving series), J.L. Bryan (author of the Paranormals series), Courtney Cole (author of The Bloodstone Saga), Wren Emerson (author of the Witches of Desire series), Amy Maurer-Jones (author of The Soul Quest trilogy), Tiffany King (author of the Saving Angels series) and Nicole Williams (author of the Eden Trilogy) come together in this captivating anthology to each write a short story about a character from their already existing novels. This lively group of authors shine in this anthology. If you enjoyed the following books: Jenny Pox (J.L. Bryan)The Understorey (Fisher Amelie) Fated (Courtney Cole) I Wish...(Wren Emerson) Soul Quest (Amy Maurer-Jones) Meant To Be (Tiffany King) Eternal Eden (Nicole Williams)Then you will love these short stories, each of which provides a further look at the characters you have already grown to love. The authors of The Glassheart Chronicles will be donating their profits from this anthology to Save The Children, an amazing organization that strives every day to help impoverished children in over 120 countries, including the United States.
Broken Memory
J. Sharpe - 2015
Sharpe.I just woke up in this ghostly town. There are only a few people living here, although “living” might not be the right word. They just told me that I’m dead. That this is the afterlife. I don’t want to believe them. One thing is for sure though. Whatever is going on here, I’m screwed.Waking up in a different body isn’t the strangest thing that happens to Tim. He fights for answers in an unusual little town with only a nine-year-old girl on his side.Together they battle to find the truth. Is this heaven, hell, purgatory, or a mind-control experiment? No matter what, Tim and Ella need to uncover the reality of this nightmare.Broken Memory was nominated for the Harland Awards for best novel of 2015, and received an honorable mention for the extraordinary originality. If you like fast-paced thrillers with influences of horror and science fiction, packed with twists and turns, then you are going to love this novel by bestselling author J. Sharpe.
Out of Nowhere
Patrick LeClerc - 2012
Having forgotten most of his distant past, he has finally found peace—and love.But there are some things you cannot escape, however much distance you put behind you.When Sean heals the wrong man, he uncovers a lethal enemy who holds all the cards. And this time he can’t run. It’s time to stand and fight, for himself, for his friends, for the woman he loves. It’s time, finally, for Sean to face his past—and choose a future.A story of love, of battle—and of facing your true self when there’s nowhere left to hide.
AfroSF: Science Fiction by African Writers
Ivor W. HartmannSally Partridge - 2012
Partridge'The Gift of Touch' Chinelo Onwualu'The Foreigner' Uko Bendi Udo'Angel Song' Dave de Burgh'The Rare Earth' Biram Mboob'Terms & Conditions Apply' Sally-Ann Murray'Heresy' Mandisi Nkomo'Closing Time' Liam Kruger'Masquerade Stories' Chiagozie Fred Nwonwu'The Trial' Joan De La Haye'Brandy City' Mia Arderne'Ofe!' Rafeeat Aliyu'Claws and Savages' Martin Stokes'To Gaze at the Sun' Clifton Gachagua'Proposition 23' (Novelette) Efe Okogu
Monstrous Little Voices: New Tales from Shakespeare's Fantasy World
Jonathan Barnes - 2016
Storms rage, armies clash, magics are done - and stories are made. Five new great and terrible tales reshape the Bard’s vision, a new set of stories that will be told and retold down through the centuries. In the Year of Our Lord 1585, all the major powers of the Mediterranean are at war. The throne of the Grand Duke of Tuscany is the prize, and every lord from Navarre to Illyria is embroiled in the fray. Prospero, the feared Sorcerer-Duke of Milan, is under pressure to choose a side, and witches stalk the night, steering events from the shadows. Even the fairy courts stand on the verge of breaking down.Monstrous Little Voices collects five of today’s most exciting names in genre fiction – Jonathan Barnes (The Somnambulist, Cannonbridge); Adrian Tchaikovsky (The Shadows of the Apt, Children of Time); Emma Newman (The Split Worlds, multiple-award-nominated Tea and Jeopardy podcast); Hugo-nominated blogger Foz Meadows (Solace & Grief, The Key to Starveldt’s); and upcoming novelist (and journalist for the Ottawa Citizen) Kate Heartfield – to delve into the world Shakespeare created for us. With wars and romances, its magics and deceptions, discover five stories he never told, but could have. Stories of what happened next or what went before, of the things unseen or simply elsewhere in the world as Shakespeare’s own tales unfolded on the stage.
Omega Queen - Box Set
W.J. May - 2021
May, brings you the Omega Box Set for a limited time. This YA/NA series covers love, betrayal, coming of age, magic and fantasy.Be prepared to fight, it's the only option.BOOK 1 - DISCIPLINENot every fairytale has a happily ever after…For the first time in hundreds of years, the five kingdoms were at peace. United by the band of young heroes who'd won the Great War, the realm had entered a time of wealth and prosperity unlike anything it had known before. New families. New Beginnings. Old alliances were on the mend.But such a thing can never last.When Katerina and Dylan's teenage daughter finds herself at the center of a strange prediction, she and her friends are swept away on a wild adventure that may very well claim all of their lives. Old evils are lurking the shadows. A secret new darkness is waiting to take hold.Can the new band of heroes stop it in time?Or has their happily ever after finally come to an end?BOOK 2 - BRAVERYHow long can you outrun your fate?When Evie and her friends set out to fulfill a long-awaited prophecy, they never thought their adventure would turn into a nightmare before their very eyes.Trapped in a cavern beneath the ground, they find themselves going up against a creature so twisted and terrible, they wouldn't have believed it was real. Their strength is tested and friendships are strained. But as they soon discover, the creature was the least of their problems.The world is shifting. Shadows and darkness are entering the land. Rumors are whispering around the remaining kingdoms. Rumors of a dark and powerful stone.Can the friends find it in time? Or are some prophecies never meant to be?BOOK 3 - COURAGEHow time flies…When Evie and her friends find themselves trapped in the sorcerer's cave, they think all is lost. But rescue comes from the most unlikely of people. And with it comes the most terrible truth.With the five kingdoms divided and the realm on the verge of collapse, the prophecy is more urgent than ever. But the road is treacherous and the friends are on the other side of the realm. New alliances must be forged and friendships are tested as they set off to fulfill their destiny, only to find that the fates may have something different in store.Is it possible to pick up the pieces and start again? Can the friends get to the Dunes and find the missing stone in time?More importantly……are some sins too terrible to forgive?Be careful who you trust.Even the devil was once an angel.OMEGA QUEEN SERIESDisciplineBraveryCourageConquerStrengthValidationApprovalBlessingBalanceGrievanceEnchantedGratifiedORIGINAL SERIES:Queen's Alpha Series: EternalEverlastingUnceasingEvermoreForeverBoundlessProphecyProtectedForetellingRevelationBetrayalResolved
Heart Of Destiny
Susan Faw - 2017
Magic exiled. Magic murdered. During the Great Purge, all magic was destroyed and those who could wield it were driven into exile. From that time on, the world of Gaia churned on in relative peace and prosperity. When the emperor of the central Citadel suddenly dies, his apprentice takes his place. Benevolent and loved, the new emperor is a benign ruler, bridging the age-old conflicts between the provinces. The citadel is a symbolic as well as a physical barrier to maintaining the fragile peace. However, the brazen kidnapping of ten young women shatters the accord, and the councillors of the provinces gather at the Citadel to demand that justice be served. It is a flame dropped into dry tinder. Rife with suspicion and hatred, each province accuses its neighbour of treachery. But the emperor has other plans. He alone knows who is responsible for the kidnapping of the young women, and he has no intention of sharing that knowledge. Where magic is involved, there can only be one conqueror. The fight for ultimate control of magic has begun. Purchase this thrilling first novel of The Heart of The Citadel today, and strap in for an amazingly magical ride!
Dark Fairy Tales
C.J. RobertsCelia Aaron - 2020
But the party isn’t all glamor. Villains lurk in dark corners, evil deals are struck, and starcrossed loves are born.FAIRY TALES INCLUDED:The Ugly Duckling by CJ RobertsBeauty and the Beast by Willow WintersCinderella by Aleatha RomigLittle Red Riding Hood by Karina HalleJack & the Beanstalk by Marley ValentineSnow White by T.M. FrazierRumplestiltskin by Celia AaronKing Midas by Skye WarrenKing Thrushbeard by Cora ReillyPrincess and the Pea by Sierra SimoneSwan Princess by Natasha KnightAttend the ball, wear a red cloak, lose your shoe, spin straw to gold, or fall prey to a witch. In these fairytale retellings from bestselling authors, you will find a prince, but you might choose your happily ever after with the beast.DARK FAIRY TALES is a limited-time anthology of modern fairy tales containing all NEW novellas. Download your copy and tell a book-loving friend, because it won't last long.
Wayward Girls and Wicked Women
Angela Carter - 1986
Widely ranging in time and place, these subversive tales -- by Grace Paley, Bessie Head, Katherine Mansfield, Elizabeth Jolley, Djuna Barnes, Colette, Angela Carter, Jamaica Kincaid, Ama Ata Aidoo, Jane Bowles and many more -- all have one thing in common: to restore adventuresses and revolutionaries to the rightful position as models for all women, everywhere. Leonora Carrington's debutante swaps places with a hyena who exchanges the cage for the ball -- and goes dressed to kill. Christina Stead's seedy seducer is eventually wrecked by the utterly conventional bride. Some of these stories celebrate toughness and resilience, some of them low cunning: all of them are about not being nice.
The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories
Jeff VanderMeerWilliam Gibson - 2010
Together these stories form The Weird, and its practitioners include some of the greatest names in twentieth and twenty-first century literature.Exotic and esoteric, The Weird plunges you into dark domains and brings you face to face with surreal monstrosities. You won't find any elves or wizards here... but you will find the biggest, boldest, and downright most peculiar stories from the last hundred years bound together in the biggest Weird collection ever assembled. The Weird features 110 stories by an all-star cast, from literary legends to international bestsellers to Booker Prize winners: including William Gibson, George R. R. Martin, Stephen King, Angela Carter, Kelly Link, Franz Kafka, China Miéville, Clive Barker, Haruki Murakami, M. R. James, Neil Gaiman, Mervyn Peake, and Michael Chabon.
