Get a look into the past that forged a brutal and brilliant leader.

    These brave men and women stand up to the darkness, stare it right in the eye, and give it the finger. These are the stories of those who rage against the night, stories of triumph, sacrifice, and bravery in the face of overwhelming evil. Rage Against the Night features the megastars of dark fantasy and horror—including Stephen King, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, F. Paul Wilson, Jonathan Maberry, Scott Nicholson, Nancy Holder, Sarah Langan, and many, many more.

    In "Mercury Rain" a soldier fighting a new enemy learns the importance of holding on to his memories. "Blackwater," the title story of the collection, is an homage to Stephen King's short story, "Graveyard Shift," and it tells the tale of Paul Hawkins, a mine worker who disturbs something terrifying in the Blackwater Hills of Durham, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1976.

    Struggling under the curse of a dead comrade, Clirando, a warrior priestess unready to face the powers trapped within her, must face "The Heart of the Moon" to reveal what has been hidden. In "Banshee Cries," ritual murders under a full moon lead Jo Walker to confront a Harbinger of Death

    Frosty the Snowman. A Christmas Carol.In each generation a story is born that shapes the minds of millions.When Richard Swerlin, The United States only openly Vampire Congressman, receives a letter from a little girl, he really wants to ignore it. After all, five year old kids don't vote, and only a few of the words are legible at all. No one would blame him for setting it aside.Except that the letter has a few things only might recognize. The words "help" for instance as well as, "Greater Demon", and a scent of pure fear.A Vampire is no match for a Greater Demon though, so he has to turn to the one being that might aid him in this task. The Mistress of Souls. The most feared Greater Demon of them all.Now Richard and a ragtag group of unusual characters must seek to not only save little Maci, but Santa Claus himself, and if they fail, it isn't just an orphaned child that dies, but the spirit of the season.

    Hand selected from cutting-edge authors, each work blends subtle psychology and mischievousness with disturbingly visceral imagery. In the classic "Chattery Teeth,” Stephen King provides a tautly drawn account of a traveling salesman who unwisely picks up yet another hitchhiker, while in Peter Straub’s eerie "The Juniper Tree," a man whose nostalgia for the movies of his childhood leads to his stolen innocence. Renowned fantasy author George R. R. Martin weaves a sinister yarn about a young woman encountering a neighbor who is overly enamored with her in "The Pear-Shaped Man." Combining acclaimed masters of the macabre, such as Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, and Thomas Ligotti, with bold new talents to the genre, including Kelly Link, Neil Gaiman, and Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill, this distinctive collection of stories will delight and terrify.Contents "Jacqueline Ess: Her Will And Testament" by Clive Barker "Dancing Chickens" by Edward Bryant "The Greater Festival of Masks" by Thomas Ligotti "The Pear-Shaped Man" by George R. R. Martin "The Juniper Tree" by Peter Straub "Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds" by Dan Simmons "The Power and the Passion" by Pat Cadigan "The Phone Woman" by Joe R. Lansdale "Teratisms" by Kathe Koja "Chattery Teeth" by Stephen King "A Little Night Music" by Lucius Shepard "Calcutta, Lord of Nerves" by Poppy Z. Brite "The Erl King" by Elizabeth Hand "The Dog Park" by Dennis Etchison "Rain Falls" by Michael Marshall Smith "Refrigerator Heaven" by David J. Schow "----" by Joyce Carol Oates "Eaten (Scenes from a Moving Picture)" by Neil Gaiman "The Specialist’s Hat" by Kelly Link "The Tree is My Hat" by Gene Wolfe "Heat" by Steve Rasnic Tem "No Strings" by Ramsey Campbell "Stitch" by Terry Dowling "Dancing Men" by Glen Hirshberg "My Father’s Mask" by Joe Hill