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A Little Orange Book of Odd Stories by Gary A. Braunbeck
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Songs of a Dead Dreamer
Thomas Ligotti - 1986
When originally published in 1985 by Harry Morris’s Silver Scarab Press, the book was hardly noticed. In 1989, an expanded version appeared that garnered accolades from several quarters. Writing in the Washington Post, the celebrated science fiction and fantasy author Michael Swanwick extolled: “Put this volume on the shelf right between H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Where it belongs.”The revisions in the present volume of Songs of a Dead Dreamer have been calculated to make its stories into enhanced incarnations of the originals. This edition is and will remain definitive.For those already familiar with the stories in Songs of a Dead Dreamer, an invitation is extended to return to them in their ultimate state. For those new to the collection, it is submitted to engage them with some of the most extraordinary tales of their kind. In either case, this publication of Songs of a Dead Dreamer offers evidence for why Ligotti has been judged to be among the most important authors in the history of supernatural horror.
Things Undone
Travis Liebert - 2020
All things unknown and unknowable are coming to light... Strange creatures wander the dark canopies of Germany's Black Forest. A young boy harbors something both dark and divine within him. A man learns to control his dreams, only to find an ancient evil imprisoned within them. Something lurks in the shadows of a woman's house, and it wants her baby. All of these things and more in this riveting new collection of 18 terrifying cosmic and paranormal tales. Get it now and discover the terrors that lurk within.
Ghosts and Grisly Things
Ramsey Campbell - 1998
A three-time winner of the World Fantasy Award and an eight-time winner of the British Fantasy Award, his writing has struck a chord with readers worldwide. But throughout his career he has also written insightful, terrifying, and disturbing short fiction. Ghosts & Grisly Things is a collection of the best of Campbell's short works from the past two decades. This book also features the story "Ra*e" which appears here for the first time anywhere.
The Season to Be Wary
Rod Serling - 1967
Winner of six Emmys (he was nominated nine times), two Sylvania Awards, on Peabody Award, and one Christopher Award for his teleplays, Serling came as close as anyone to dominating an era that abounded with talented men. His plays "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "Patterns" are usually the first items on the lips of television aficionados reminiscing about the good old days. Yet as television changed, Rod Serling kept pace. He became producer and chief writer for the famous "Twilight Zone" series. These bizarre and fantastic adventures into the occult and demonic were without doubt one of the most creative, imaginative and successful enterprises in the history of television.Now Rod Serling has applied his prodigious writing talents to a new medium: one in which he is perhaps destined to make his greatest mark. The three novellas that compromise THE SEASON TO BE WARY betray the skillful hand of a master storyteller and prose stylist. Fired with a savage yet disciplined irony, paced with deliberate cadence that rises to a starting denouement, each story explores the theme of a terrible vengeance delivered for terrible deeds performed.In "The Escape Route," ex-Gruppenfuehrer Joseph Strobe - ex-deputy assistant commander of Auschwitz, ex-confidant of Heinrich Himmler - putters about his little rathole in Buenos Aires chewing over the good times he had breaking Jews. Yet his snug little world is turned upside down b the capture of Adolf Eichmann, and Strobe soon finds himself on the wrong end of a terrifying hunt."Color Scheme" recounts the life and times of the great King Connacher, racist and rabble-rouser, who makes his living on the stump, preaching the lynching gospel, only to find himself one summer evening the victim of an extraordinary case of mistaken identity.In "Eyes," Miss Claudia Menlo, who in her fifty lifeless years has been denied nothing that she wanted - except her sight - manipulates people with the same purposeful indifference with which she fondles the expensive bric-a-brac in her lavishly cluttered dwelling. Yet her insistant will is brutally thwarted by the one set of circumstances she cannot control.Serling has infused these simple, forceful tales with an extraordinary richness of character and detail. There is, for example, the Prussian officer Gruber, who cannot stomach the pigs like Strobe he helped create and with whom he is forced to share his guilt. And there is Indian Charlie Hatcher, the most memorable portrait of a burned-out prizefighter since Serling's own justly famous Mountain Rivera.The power, the drive, the complexity and subtlety of these novellas mark Rod Serling as one of the most important and graceful fiction writers. Mr. Serling is a graduate of Antioch College and lives in Southern California with his wife and two children.
13 Nightmares
Dennis McDonald - 2009
Thirteen tales of original terror penned in the dead of the night with only the glow of a computer for light. The collection of short stories runs the gamut of horror. Within its bloody pages you will find a slasher clown, a blood red church, a little girl locked in a closet, a haunted sex doll, etc. 13 Nightmares is a fine collection of terror for the short story lover, but be warned. Some of these stores are not for the faint of heart. Do you dare enter a world where the supernatural, the macabre, and the horrific collide?
The Roald Dahl Omnibus: Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights
Roald Dahl - 1986
Bawdy, funny, touching, and downright outrageous, there's simply no one else like Roald Dahl.This volume is a diabolical collection of 28 of Dahl's best stories. Shiver to classics like The Man From the South, Taste, Royal Jelly and The Great Switcheroo and hard-to-find gems like Poison, The Wish and Neck. It's the perfect remedy for a sleepless night. From Someone Like YouTasteLamb to the SlaughterMan from the SouthThe SoldierDip in the PoolGalloping FoxleySkinPoisonWishNeckSound MachineNunc DimittisGreat Automatic GrammatizatorClaud's DogRatcatcherRumminsMr HoddyMr FeaseyFrom Kiss KissLandladyWilliam and MaryThe Way Up to HeavenRoyal JellyGeorgy PorgyGenesis and CatastropheEdward the ConquerorPigChampion of the WorldFrom Switch BitchGreat SwitcherooLast ActBitch
The Unforgiven
J.L. Clayton - 2016
Two years limited edition eBook. Get it while you can. Step into our twisted minds for six horrifying tales. Seeing Red, by J.L.Clayton All her life, Challis has been bullied by the people around her, and now the thin string holding her sanity intact has snapped...The only thing she sees is crimson. They say revenge is best served cold, but Challis will take hers: hot, sticky and red! Come along for one horrific ride as author J.L.Clayton takes a forsaken girl and turns her into a heartless killer. Seeing Red has never looked so frightening. Twisted Insanity, by R.L. Weeks Author R. L. Weeks brings you Twisted Insanity. It cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be bargained with. Jacob has been locked up for ten years, waiting for his chance to take his revenge on Gale, his ex-wife. After persuading the mental health team that he has recovered, he goes on a killing stint. Gale is about to find out the extent of his twisted insanity. Truth or Dare, by K.L. Humphreys Taken to a psychotic man's playground, Becca only hopes her husband can get help to save her, before she ends up like the others.The Missing Persons Unit team know that unless they stop a madman and find missing Becca, they will be finding body parts in the forest. Author KL Humphreys will have you looking over your shoulder wondering what is really going on in the minds of those you call family. Hell House, by Becca Moree A walk through the Hell House leaves Erin questioning if visiting the Carnival of Darkness was a good idea after all. The sounds pouring from the mouths of the actors in each room were just a little too good.A little too...real. Step into a world of unthinkable torture as author Becca Moree takes one innocent college student on a Halloween outing she will never forget. Poison Pen, by R.B.Wood Upset the author at your own peril. A young down-on-his-luck author makes a demonic deal to remove a few obstacles from his writing career and stardom. White Wedding: Reckoning, by Steven Evans Jen's best friend, Jess, is an emotional train wreck. Too weak and afraid of her abusive father and now forced to marry a man she doesn't love, Jess' life is spiraling out of control. Jen desperately wants to help her friend but... What's a doll to do? Steve Evans brings a wickedly sweet twist to a tale of friendship in "White Wedding: Reckoning".
Vile Things: Extreme Deviations in Horror
Cheryl MullenaxAngel Leigh McCoy - 2009
Authors include John Bruni, Garry Bushell, Ramsey Campbell, Randy Chandler, Tim Curran, Ralph Greco, Jr., C.J. Henderson, Z.F. Kilgore,Sean Logan, Graham Masterton, Angel Leigh McCoy, C. Dennis Moore, Stefan Pearson, Brian Rosenberger, and Jeffrey Thomas.Witness the history of a sexually rapacious zombie . . . A starving soldier descends into insatiable ghoulism . . . A concentration camp SS guard gets a taste of his own medicine . . . Recycling takes on a whole new grisly meaning when a man obsessed with going green discovers a regenerative serum . . . A man buys his alcoholic mother a bottle of tequila-with the wrong kind of worm . . . An occult detective moves to a town in the Pine Barrens and discovers its sinister past-and his own . . . A tenant gets revenge on a self-centered landlord-with irritating results . . . A fisherman discovers his rival's secret of always getting the biggest catch . . . and much more!The fisherman / Brian Rosenberger --Fungoid / Randy Chandler --Tenant's rights / Sean Logan --Again / Ramsey Campbell --Maggots / Tim Curran --Going green / Stefan Pearson --Coquettrice / Angel Leigh McCoy --The fear in the waiting / C.J. Henderson --The worm / John Bruni --Sepsis / Graham Masterton --What you wish for / Garry Bushell --The devil lives in Jersey / Z.F. Kilgore --Rat king / Jeffrey Thomas --The caterpillar / C. Dennis Moore --"Poor Brother Ed" or the man who visited / Ralph Greco, Jr.
Places We Fear to Tread
John BrhelBeverley Lee - 2020
Nightmares imagined into real places; from Nigeria to Japan, North America to Australia. Locations the authors have inhabited and imbued with the sinister–hiking trails, haunted lakes, relics of faded industry, and even a Hawaiian volcano!Is there a selkie who resides in the Wartrace Lake Dam, Tennessee?Can you summon a godlike entity on the coast of Oregon?There are many Crybaby Bridges, but which one belongs to author Gwendolyn Kiste?Tales from the British Isles - of cursed beaches, remote manor houses, and plagued villages. Fresh takes on old legends, newly minted stories attached to interesting landmarks, and even personal hauntings (which will never be pinned on Google Maps.)
Dark Gods
T.E.D. Klein - 1979
Klein's highly acclaimed first novel The Ceremonies - which Stephen King called "the most exciting novel in my field to come along since Straub's Ghost Story - established him in the top rank of horror writers. Now, with the four novellas gathered here, Klein proves himself to be a master of this classic shorter form.The collection opens with "Children of the Kingdom", a beautifully crafted chiller that gradually reveals the horrors that lurk behind the shadows of the city. In "Petey", George and Phyllis and the die-hards at their housewarming think that their new rural retreat is quite a steal - unaware that foreclosure, in a particularly monstrous form, is heading their way.In the insidiously terrifying "Black Man with a Horn", a homage to Lovecraft, a chance encounter with a missionary priest over the Atlantic lures a traveller into a web of ancient mystery and fiendish retribution. And in "Nadelman's God", the protagonist discovers, degree by shocking degree, that the demons of our imaginations are not always imaginary.
Torment
Jeff Menapace - 2012
An expert on the beast.A mysterious village tucked away from the world, deep in the northern woods.Four friends from Minneapolis heading north to a rented cabin for a weekend of fun.All have a separate agenda. None are prepared for the terrifying outcome lying in wait.This novella also appears in WARPED: A Menapace Collection of Short Horror, Thriller, and Suspense Fiction
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.
Welcome to the Funhouse
Kelly Brocklehurst - 2021
With twelve grisly stories of coming-of-age terror, carnival cruelty and fairground frights, this collection brings together the best and most exciting talents in the horror community. Roll up! with the following stories:"Mirrors" by Robin Grieve"Candy Apple Smiles" by Christopher Robertson"The Cyclone Sisters' Travelling Circus" by Angela Sylvaine"Anna and Abby" by L. Pine"The Prop" by Nikki R. Leigh"The Viperess of Las Cruces" by C.W. Blackwell"The Golden Tickets" by Roxie Voorhees"Dance With Us" by Kelly Brocklehurst"No Strings" by Jamie Stewart"Family Outing" by Briana Morgan"Mirrored" by Dave Musson"Smile at All the Good Times We Had" by Spencer HamiltonWith a foreword from the editors.
Nomad
Robert Swartwood - 2013
With only the clothes on his back and a few meager supplies, he’s headed west on a mission of supreme importance. And danger!The abbies, millions of them, are all around the lonely seeker. A false move, one broken branch, a moan not stifled, and the monstrous reminders of a world gone horribly wrong will surround and devour Tobias. The nomad knows his life is in constant danger. What he doesn’t know and will soon come to understand is that outside of the safe haven of Wayward Pines there are other things more dangerous than abbies.And worse than death!Robert Swartwood’s Nomad is another compelling chapter in the harrowing, bestselling Wayward Pines series.
Our Lady Chaos
Erik Henry Vick - 2019
Hiding out in Pennsylvania, they believe they are safe, and they may be…for a short while.Just when the demon hunters come to believe they have a viable plan for combating the demonic infestation of Oneka Falls, they learn of a new threat. Brigitta's power seems inconsequential by comparison. Confronted by an ancient demigoddess of pain and death, the demon hunter crew knows an open battle will lead to their destruction. The secret to her defeat lies steeped in Akkadian myth, obscured by time and a dead language. Harried by the archdemoness, her powerful servants, and the remaining demons in Oneka Falls, sifting the truth from the legend may prove an impossible task. Nevertheless, the hunters must find a way to save the world..
How can Toby, Benny, Shannon, Mike, and Scott hope to win a war against the demons entrenched in Oneka Falls? How can they even hope to survive?