But behind it were real men whose hard work and hard play, stoic toughness, and code of honor helped tame the American West. The epic cattle drives that were so much a part of the cowboys' heyday lasted only an astonishingly brief two decades. But the cowboy is still a basic part of the American character. Here, from historian Grayson Wyatt, is their surprising and little-told story.

    P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), a Providence author considered by many to be the finest horror story writer of the twentieth century. Lovecraft's tales are a blend of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, with the latter being especially prominent. Many of his tales describe a pantheon of powerful beings known as the Great Old Ones.Since Lovecraft's time the Cthulhu Mythos has grown exponentially, until it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of, even for devoted fans. Many writers have contributed to it, including Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch, Brian Lumley, and Stephen King. This book is the first major attempt in many years to provide a comprehensive guide to H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.This second edition of Encyclopedia Cthulhiana has been extensively revised and contains over a hundred and fifty additional pages and scores of new entries. New features include thumbnail illustrations of the most important signs and symbols and a timeline of the Cthulhu Mythos spanning billions of years. Many entries have been revised to reflect our latest understanding of the Mythos, and the infamous Necronomicon appendix has been greatly expanded. Also present for the first time is "A Brief History of the Cthulhu Mythos," which examines the evolution of the genre.

    As the body count begins a reasonable explanation cannot be found. A local backwoodsman puts Jeremy onto a possibility that seems too farfetched to be plausible. The Warden quickly learns that considering the impossible is the only way to combat what has shown up on his doorstep. And the only way to prevent more loss of life, including the woman he loves.

    But why do they need an expert in ritual magic on board their new flagship spacecraft? And why do they need an exorcist? It is soon apparent they are meddling with forces they don't understand. But can they be controlled?A Lovecraftian short story.This is an old one, from about 1993, not long after I started out. It got reworked into an expanded novella THE PLASM for Dark Regions Press, but here it is in its original form. Think of it in black and white, 50s B movie style — that's how it runs in my head.

    Bushido’s staunch and unyielding code of conduct binds samurai to duty, strengthening their character and defining their choices. While some samurai serve the greater good, others use the strictures of Bushido to manipulate the lower ranks and advance their own power.Eight Great Clans form the heart of Rokugan’s culture. Each is defined by its own principles, values, and agendas. Each sees the Code of Bushido in its own way. Each seeks to serve the Emperor with its own unique talents. Take up the soul of your ancestors — the samurai’s daisho — and fight for the glory and honor of your family and Clan. Now is the time for heroes, in a world where Honor is a force more powerful than Steel.The Fourth Edition of L5R is the ultimate edition of the award-winning role-playing game. Inside this tome, you will find:• A game unlike any you’ve played elsewhere. Honor and service are valued more than magic swords taken from wandering ogres. Prepare for the glorious life of the samurai!• A unique Character Sheet. Legend of the Five Rings rules have never been more easy to learn and to play. No more need to flip through pages of rules while fighting your enemies!• A toolbox approach to role-playing in Rokugan. Fourth Edition encourages gamemasters of Legend of the Five Rings to customize their game, adding or removing from their campaigns as they see fit, customizing the game to fit their story lines and players.• A broad history of the Emerald Empire and the beliefs of all the Great Clans, with play options not only the major clans but also for outlying groups such as Imperials, Minor Clans, and the infamous Spider Clan.Draw your blade and join the fight for Rokugan.

    Young or old. Each has their own path to power.Delve into the world of the Divine Dungeon with new and old cultivators alike. Discover the Lion Kingdom’s beginning, learn the origin of Odin and his ravens, and take a philosophical approach to cultivation. These stories and more are included in the first short story anthology set in Dakota Krout’s Divine Dungeon universe.Eight incredible new tales told by eight amazing authors.Check out this LitRPG and GameLit fantasy anthology today! Lion Start by Rohan HublikarJoin Garron and Andros as they flee an oppressive Noble house and begin learning the secrets of cultivation while evading capture. Perhaps their methods will even create a legacy of its own? Legacy of Thunder by Steven WilldenLearn the origin of Odin and his ravens, back when they were all simple cultivators in Azguardia. How did a child eventually become one of the most powerful and well-known lightning users of all time? Flight of the Glitterflit by Ryan BallTest both the dangers and joys of surpassing your personal limits with Jack, as he learns what it really means to determine your own destiny. A person’s fate is never what you would suspect. Splat! by Raymond JohnsonA simple Dungeon Goblin has been killed in the same way over and over, constantly revived by the dungeon it has bound itself to. Is there more to the deaths than simply fighting adventurers? The Spirit Dungeon by Alexis KeaneAn infernal cultivator is driven from his home by true necromancers. During his escape, he finds a secret that could allow him to live nearly forever. Will he be able to control it? Hidden Lantern by James AuwaerterThe Inquisition has arrived. At least, one of the members has. It is up to him to determine if this area is worth saving… or should be purged by fire. Butcher Boy by Dakota KroutFollow the saga of Ramset as he learns what it means to be a cultivator in a city where men are only allowed to be mere mortals. Axiom by Dennis VanderkerkenWhat is cultivation? How is it possible? Philosophy to the rescue! When an old man loses everything, he decides that age is not going to be what stops him from rescuing the young ones that have been ‘recruited’ by the raiders that took them.

    Stations and plot seeds are provided for each of the inner worlds and the factions that occupy them. Background and information on the Planetary Consortium, the most powerful political and economic force in the solar system, is also provided.

    Troika! Numinous Edition is the new edition of our popular Troika! RPG, a complete science-fantasy RPG full of critically acclaimed writing, built-in wonder and room for everyone at the table to go wild!Inside the book you will find; a full automated character creation system that generates exciting starting points for players to build upon; weighty lists of spells and enemies to encounter; a baked-in plane-hoping setting which draws you into the world and allows you space to build upon its sturdy foundations.Lavishly illustrated by Jeremy Duncan, Dirk Detweiler Leicthy, Sam Mameli, and ENnie award winning Andrew Walter

    A group of storytellers banded together to chronicle the tsunami of evil that ensued. Their scribblings depicted events so horrific, the manuscript was hidden away.Now, dear reader, you seem to have stumbled upon it.And you have opened it.You must reap what you have sown.Come, step into the pages. See firsthand what hell is capable of.Of course, just know, you won’t last long enough to scream.

    No sign remains of any other structure around them, no ruins of long forgotten buildings. They look... wrong. They feel wrong. Bad things happen if you get too close. Horrible things.You must never, ever ever talk about them.Thirty-four of today's best up and coming writers provide wonderfully unique interpretations inspired by the urban legends of the Internet age. Tales range from science fiction to fantasy, horror to mystery, and one writer even penned a romance!But you must never tell anyone about the stairs!Containing the stories:* Nothing Ever Happens Here by Richard Paolinelli* Star Thistle by J. Comer* Let Him In by Josh Dygert* A New Trail Off Of Old King?s Highway by Michael Reyes* The Strange Stairs at the Aldebourne Estate by Kristen Brand* Exclusive Scoop by J. Trevor Robinson* The Flash-Back Stairs: A Story of Betrayal by Patrick T. Luce* The Peacock House by Matthew Pegg* Where The Wood Thrush Sings by NB Williams* The Refuge by Dawn Witzke* Upon The Stair by Daniel Humphreys* Grand Staircase to the Yellow Court by R.C. Mulhare* Another Dead Man?s Curve by Chris Ingram* Game Warden by Russell Newquist* Stepping Stones by Jarrett Mazza* Reap Dance by James G. Hancock* Descending Stairs, 1699 by Meghan Casey* Where Angels Fear to Tread by Michelle Mellon* Sobek's Staircase by Jeremy Megargee* The Curses We Carry by Russell Mahon* Stranger?s Wood by J.S. Arroyo* Stairway Back to Jonathan's Farm by Dan Allen* The Thirteenth Step by MJ Mars* Cajun Ray by S.D. McPhail* W/M by Isobel Horsburgh* The Sentinel by Richard W. Watts* Sleep, Child by A.G. Lopes* The Lost Ones by Karen Thrower* Ready For Seven More by Christopher Lansdown* Fire and Pine by Bethany C. Gotschall* Stairway to? Where? by William Lehman* The Dead Always by Darren Todd* Missing Persons by Jonathan Bronico* Cedar Road by Mocha Pennington

    See far-flung worlds, they said. Meet interesting creatures, and kill them all. Soldiers fighting aliens in unforgiving landscapes, where every breath could be their last. Featuring stories by Weston Ochse, Mike Resnick, and others. From near-future to far-future, featuring some of the best writers working in the field today.

    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.

    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.

    In “Down In The Valley” a young fire service member discovers the horrifying truth regarding the missing persons in the lonely state park his fire tower watches over. A man whose entire life has been haunted by a hideous childhood event gets a second chance to make things right in “You Can Never Go Back”. And a young woman’s tragic mistake while driving and texting literally comes back to haunt her in “More”. Written in Hart’s hypnotic and unnerving style, Something Came Through features ten new terrifying stories that peel back the surface of everyday life to expose the darkness waiting beneath.