Whether fictionalizing his dramatic exploits as a Royal Air Force pilot during World War II or concocting the ingeniously plotted fables that were dramatized on television as Tales of the Unexpected, Dahl was brilliant at provoking in his readers the overwhelming desire to know what happens next—and at satisfying that desire in ways that feel both surprising and inevitable.In this collection:-A Fine Son-Death of an Old Man-Parson’s Pleasure-Poison-The Hitch-Hiker-The Wish-Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat-Dip in the Pool-The Landlady-Skin-Lamb to the Slaughter-Man from the South-The Way Up to Heavan-The Umbrella Man-Taste-The Swan-William and MaryFilled with devilish plot twists, his tales display a tantalizing blend of macabre humor and the absurdly grotesque. Dahl’s creations amuse and shock us in equal measure, gleefully reminding us of what might lurk beneath the surface of the ordinary.

    In this case, the feds have a witness who died before he could speak on the record. They want him raised so his testimony can be taken. So here I am, on a plane to Philadelphia, flying off to do my job.But I’m not alone. Micah is with me. Micah, head of the St. Louis wereleopard pard. King to my Queen. The only one of my lovers who can stir my blood with just a glance from his chartreuse cat’s eyes. I was happy to have him at my side.Until he mentioned that this will be our first time alone together. No Master Vampire. No Alpha Werewolf. Just me and Micah. And all my fears and doubts…Danse Macabre:Anita Blake needs to be concentrating on a dangerous situation: The ardeur, the sexual power that flows between Anita and Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, the volatile werewolf who loves her passionately, is reaching new levels. But as the days pass, Anita’s less interested in vampire politics than in an ancient, ordinary dread she shares with women down the ages: She may be pregnant.

    Badass, honorable, and able to go toe to toe with the best whiskey drinker this side of Tennessee, but when NASA comes to recruit her for a daring space rescue, she'll find herself among a motley crew of the supernatural world. Their goal is simple, keep the evil lord Zug of space planet Maverick from acquiring the Gideon cube and using its immense power to rain down destruction on earth. Sounds easy right? Well, it would be if not for the niggling thirty-six hour timeline that started yesterday...

    The mages of both the Nine Traditions and the Technocracy are under attack by a mysterious willworker who calls himself Heylel Teomin, the Ascension Warrior. His challenge: Join me or be destroyed Only a small band of unlikely allies stands against him. If they fail, humanity is doomed.

    I wish you joy o'th' Worm!"We are the small voice that whispers to you in the lonely hours of the night. We call to the darkness within all of you. We came from the dark, and to the dark we shall all return..."Called the corrupt by even the most crooked Ventrue, the Setites are almost universally mistrusted and feared by the clans of the Camarilla, and scorned by the Sabbat for their unwillingness to share in the Vaudalrie.Clanbook: Setites includes:* Extensive history of the followers of Set* All new Merits and Flaws for Setite characters* Ten complete character templates!

    

    In Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Dirk finds himself on the trail of a gruesome murderer who is somehow involved with the works of Coleridge, quantum physics, and the enigmatic study of the Cambridge Professor of Chronology. Ultimately, the stakes of the case are far greater than a single murder, but go to the fate of life on Earth. Confused? Don't be - everything is connected.

    Once hunted, these vampire assassins are now sought out by the Kindred to dispose of their enemies. Fearful tales are told of their skill in hunting the most dangerous prey, their bravery in combat, and their fierce loyalty to their clan. Yet the tellers of these tales do not guess at the truth: the millennia of warfare, the roots of the Jyhad, and the clan mysteries which no outsider has ever seen.Clanbook: Assamite includes:* The history of the clan, frmo the First City to the present day;* The clan's treasure, beliefs and internal culture; and* New Skills, Quitus powers and advanced combat rules.

    Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they're destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she's found the thing she's been made for.Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.Until one day, he does...As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

    And what the young gunslinger sees brings him the darkest of nightmares.

    When empath Jade Calhoun moves into an apartment above a strip bar on Bourbon Street, she expects life to get interesting. What she doesn't count on is making friends with an exotic dancer, attracting a powerful spirit, and developing feelings for Kane, her sexy landlord. Being an empath has never been easy on Jade's relationships. It's no wonder she keeps her gift a secret. But when the ghost moves from spooking Jade to terrorizing Pyper, the dancer, it's up to Jade to use her unique ability to save her. Except she'll need Kane's help--and he's betrayed her with a secret of his own--to do it. Can she find a way to trust him and herself before Pyper is lost?Witches of Bourbon StreetJade Calhoun was never fond of her empath abilities. Now she's discovered she has another gift she'd rather not unwrap--magic. But when her mentor, Bea, becomes gravely ill and insists Jade's the only one who can help, she's forced to embrace her witchy side.It's too bad she spent a decade shunning the magical community and never learned to harness her powers. Because time's run out. A trapped spirit has revealed a clue to Jade's long-lost mother. The resident angel has gone rogue and disappeared with Jade's boyfriend, Kane. And if that wasn't enough, her ex appears to be possessed.To save any of them, Jade will need to find a way to control her inner white witch--without succumbing to black magic. Otherwise, she'll lose everything...including her soul.

    

    Their legacy of shadows eclipses the light thrown by their packs ritual fires. But are the Lasombra truly the esteemed leaders of the Sword of Caine or do they simply abuse it to serve their own ends?The Lords of the SabbatAs the next entry in the revised lineup of clanbooks, Lasombra takes one of the classic Vampire sourcebooks and brings it into a modern context. All-new information accompanies revised material, inviting you to add as much depth to your character as you like. The sheer volume of information contained in the new clanbooks (each with 32 more pages than the first-edition books) permits Storytellers to round out their chronicles.

    No they don't. Madness is often only a step away from enlightenment and, for some, is a step beyond. No it isn't. Now learn how the Malkavians twist the world for their benefit. You won't learn a thing. Discover the truth of their madness. It's too late for that. Clanbook: Malkavian includes: * The history of the clan and the true depth of its member's insanities;* 10 sample characters suitable for players and Storytellers; and* ιφ ψου χαν ρεαδ τηισ, ψου αρε οφφιχιαλλψ τραγιχαλλψ ηιπ.

    Planeswalker: The war between Urza and Mishra is over. Brooding on the death of his brother at the hands of extraplanar forces, Urza drifts among the planes. But the end of the Brother’s War has transformed him into something greater. Deep within his heart, a spark has been kindled to a flame that cannot be quenched. Urza has become a planeswalker.Time Streams: Urza must enlist the most brilliant minds in the multiverse to defend against the imminent Phyrexian invasion.Bloodlines: Time is short in the race to find the one who will wield the power of the Legacy. Conflict and power struggles abound as a plot to Kill Urza unfolds.