and the overstressed crew prepares for a direct assault by a deadly insectoid race. But the pressures of combat and close quarters have taken their toll, threatening to turn the crew to the enemy's prime advantage.

     Eve is an 18,000 word novella originally published as an ongoing story on Reddit's Writing Prompts forum by user /u/psycho_alpaca.

    Now heroes throughout history stalk their legendary foe. Learn how to hunt, kill, and eat the wild dragon. Never before has revenge tasted so good. A literary feast for the bloody-minded. In Janet Morris' anthology on the art of dragon killing, seventeen writers bring you so close to dragons you can smell their fetid breath. Tales for the bold among you. HEROIKA 1: DRAGON EATERS , an anthology of heroic fiction edited by Janet Morris, features original stories by Janet E. Morris, Chris Morris, S.E. Lindberg, Walter Rhein, Cas Peace, Jack William Finley, A.L. Butcher, Travis Ludvigson, Tom Barczak, J.P. Wilder, Joe Bonadonna, Milton J. Davis, M. Harold Page, William Hiles, Beth W. Patterson, Bruce Durham, Mark Finn.

    Sainsbury. Two short, punchy, action-packed episodes in each book.They murdered his parents, shot him in the head, and left him to die. They should have made sure.Twenty years after Tom Lewis watched his parents die, those responsible are being killed. One by one.Gentle, brain-damaged Tom, a giant of a man who can barely speak, can’t be responsible for their deaths. Can he?When Tom Lewis was shot, something new was created. Something unique. Something deadly. Something patient enough to plan revenge for twenty long years.Meet Bedlam Boy

    It's even more savage inside the twisted minds of murderers who conceal their malevolence behind smiling masks and strike out without pity. This spine-tingling collection contains 23 new stories of suspense from some of the bestselling authors in the genre. Authors include Clive Barker, Lawrence Block, David Morrell, Ray Bradbury, and many more.CONTENTSThe dripping / David Morrell --The wringer / F. Paul Wilson --A season of change / Richard T. Chizmar --Good vibrations / Richard Laymon --The Tulsa experience / Lawrence Block --Trolls / Christopher Fahy --Small deaths / Charles de Lint --White lightning / Al Sarrantonio --Hitman / Rick Hautala --Vympyre / William F. Nolan --And eight rabid pigs / David Gerrold.Bringing it along / A.R. Morlan --Redemption / Jack Ketchum --The graveyard ghoul / Edward D. Hoch --The rings of Cocytus / Katherine Ramsland --Late last night / John Maclay --Beasts in buildings, turning 'round / J.N. Williamson --Dark side of the moon / Babara Collins --Honor bound / J.M. Morgan --The instrumentalist / William Relling Jr. --Corpse carnival / Ray Bradbury --The book of blood / Clive Barker.

    G. WellsThe Middle Toe of the Right Foot • (1890) • short story by Ambrose BiercePickman's Model • (1927) • short story by H.P. LovecraftYours Truly, Jack the Ripper • (1943) • short story by Robert BlochThe Screaming Laugh • (1938) • novelette by Cornell WoolrichA Rose for Emily • (1930) • short story by William FaulknerBianca's Hands • (1947) • short story by Theodore SturgeonThe Girl with the Hungry Eyes • (1949) • short story by Fritz LeiberShut a Final Door • (1947) • short story by Truman CapoteCome and Go Mad • (1949) • novelette by Fredric BrownThe Scarlet King • (1955) • short story by Evan HunterSticks • (1974) • novelette by Karl Edward WagnerSardonicus • (1961) • novelette by Ray RussellA Teacher's Rewards • (1970) • short story by Robert S. PhillipsThe Roaches • (1965) • short story by Thomas M. DischThe Jam • (1958) • short story by Henry SlesarBlack Wind • (1979) • short story by Bill PronziniThe Road to Mictlantecutli • (1965) • short story by Adobe JamesPassengers • (1968) • short story by Robert SilverbergThe Explosives Expert • (1967) • short story by John LutzCall First • (1975) • short story by Ramsey CampbellThe Fly • (1952) • short story by Arthur PorgesNamesake • (1981) • short story by Elizabeth MortonCamps • (1979) • novelette by Jack DannYou Know Willie • (1957) • short story by Theodore R. CogswellThe Mindworm • (1950) • short story by C.M. KornbluthWarm • (1953) • short story by Robert SheckleyTransfer • (1975) • short story by Barry N. MalzbergThe Doll • (1980) • novelette by Joyce Carol OatesIf Damon Comes • (1978) • short story by Charles L. GrantMass Without Voices • (1979) • shortfiction by Arthur L. SamuelsThe Oblong Room • (1967) • short story by Edward D. HochThe Party • (1967) • short story by William F. NolanThe Crate • (1979) • novelette by Stephen King

     Featuring stories by Amy Cross, Mike Duke, Matthew Brockmeyer, Lex H. Jones, J.C. Michael and Kevin J. Kennedy.

    Most series books are available currently in the Kindle Unlimited Program (Read For Free!) Wicked (A Night Roamers Short) When eighteen-year-old Emily wakes up to find herself being held captive in a barn with four other women and tries to escape, she finds herself being hunted by a dark presence through the deep woods of Montana. Blur (Book One of Night Roamers) Danger lurks in the dead of night... Seventeen year old Nikki and her twin brother, Nathan, move to the small town of Shore Lake to start over after their mother is brutally attacked. When a missing teenager washes up on shore during their first night at the cabin and there are whispers of vampires in Shore Lake, Nikki begins to realize that there are things roaming in the darkness that are far more sinister than what they left behind in the city Enchanted Secrets (Book One of Witches Of Bayport) Magic, murder, and mayhem... Eighteen-year-old Kendra learns that her mother has been keeping secrets, the biggest being that she and her twin sister, Kala, are descendants of a long line of witches. Unfortunately, where magic reigns, so does danger and she is forced into an adventure that leaves her racing against the clock to stop an evil curse. The Coin Collector (Stand-alone Short) In their small Iowa town, children start to go missing on their tenth birthday. The hot Irish girl across the street claims her creepy father, Mr. O'Darby, is a leprechaun who collects more than just gold coins, and 17-year-old Trent begins to fear for the safety of his brother, Ben, whose tenth birthday grows near. Zombie Games (Origins) Book One Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Wild thought that living in the chaos of her mother's home daycare and dealing with new feelings for Bryce, her martial arts instructor, was a struggle until her world turned upside down. When an untested vaccine kills more than just a rampant flu virus, Cassie learns how to survive in a world where the dead walk and the living... run! Venom – (Derived from Night Roamers) When Melody Williams goes missing at a concert, at Club Nightshade, her eighteen-year-old cousin, Chelsey Fairfax, sneaks into the club to find answers. Little does she know that some mysteries are better left hidden. Meanwhile, Venom is in town, a hot new band from Europe, and the owner of Club Nightshade wants them there permanently...

    Included are: "The Duchess at Prayer," "The Angel at the Grave," "The Recovery," "Copy: A Dialogue," "The Rembrandt," "The Moving Finger," and "The Confessional."

    Cambias, Greg Egan, Charles Coleman Finlay, James Alan Gardner, Dominic Green, Daryl Gregory, Gwyneth Jones, Ted Kosmatka, Mary Robinette Kowal, Nancy Kress, Jay Lake, Paul McAuley, Ian McDonald, Maureen McHugh, Sarah Monette, Garth Nix, Hannu Rajaniemi, Robert Reed, Alastair Reynolds, Mary Rosenblum, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Geoff Ryman, Karl Schroeder, Gord Sellar, and Michael Swanwick.Supplementing the stories are the editor’s insightful summation of the year’s events and a lengthy list of honorable mentions, making this book both a valuable resource and the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination, and the heart.xi • Acknowledgments (The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Sixth Annual Collection) • (2009) • essay by Gardner Dozoisxiii • Summation: 2008 • (2009) • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • Turing's Apples • (2008) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter16 • From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled • (2008) • shortstory by Michael Swanwick (aka From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled . . .)32 • The Gambler • (2008) • novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi50 • Boojum • [Boojum] • (2008) • shortstory by Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette65 • The Six Directions of Space • (2008) • novella by Alastair Reynolds107 • N-Words • (2008) • shortstory by Ted Kosmatka120 • An Eligible Boy • (2008) • novelette by Ian McDonald140 • Shining Armour • (2008) • shortstory by Dominic Green (aka Shining Armor)154 • The Hero • (2008) • novelette by Karl Schroeder172 • Evil Robot Monkey • (2008) • shortstory by Mary Robinette Kowal175 • Five Thrillers • (2008) • novelette by Robert Reed209 • The Sky That Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and Into the Black • (2008) • shortstory by Jay Lake217 • Incomers • (2008) • shortfiction by Paul J. McAuley233 • Crystal Nights • (2008) • novelette by Greg Egan252 • The Egg Man • (2008) • novelette by Mary Rosenblum270 • His Master's Voice • (2008) • shortstory by Hannu Rajaniemi280 • The Political Prisoner • (2008) • novella by Charles Coleman Finlay327 • Balancing Accounts • (2008) • shortstory by James L. Cambias341 • Special Economics • (2008) • novelette by Maureen F. McHugh362 • Days of Wonder • (2008) • novelette by Geoff Ryman390 • City of the Dead • (2008) • novelette by Paul J. McAuley [as by Paul McAuley ]410 • The Voyage Out • (2007) • shortstory by Gwyneth Jones424 • The Illustrated Biography of Lord Grimm • (2008) • shortstory by Daryl Gregory439 • G-Men • (2008) • novelette by Kristine Kathryn Rusch466 • The Erdmann Nexus • (2008) • novella by Nancy Kress520 • Old Friends • (2008) • shortstory by Garth Nix526 • The Ray-Gun: A Love Story • (2008) • novelette by James Alan Gardner543 • Lester Young and the Jupiter's Moons' Blues • (2008) • novelette by Gord Sellar568 • Butterfly, Falling At Dawn • (2008) • novelette by Aliette de Bodard585 • The Tear • (2008) • novella by Ian McDonald

    PatrickSredni Vashtar by Saki (H.H. Munro)Love Lies Bleeding by Philip MacDonaldThe Dancing Partner by Jerome K. JeromeCasting the Runes by M.R. JamesThe Voice in the Night by William Hope HodgsonHow Love Came to Professor Guildea by Robert S. HichensThe Moment of Decision by Stanley EllinA Jungle Graduate by James Francis DwyerRecipe for Murder by C.P. Donnel, JrNunc Dimittis by Roald DahlThe Most Dangerous Game by Richard ConnellThe Lady on the Grey by John CollierThe Waxwork by A.M. BurrageThe Dumb Wife by Thomas BurkeCouching at the Door by D.K. BrosterThe October Game by Ray BradburyWater's Edge by Robert BlockThe Jokester by Robert ArthurThe Abyss by Leonid Andreyev

    Lovecraft and his successors. Here in the library, under lock and key, are some of the world’s most dangerous books, most famously the dreaded Necronomicon of the mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred. There was a notably unpleasant incident in the late 1920s, when a certain Wilbur Whateley tried to steal that particular volume, and met a hideous fate. Fortunately, that time at least, the head librarian and his colleagues were able to save the Earth from the dreadful danger of the Dunwich Horror. How safe are Miskatonic’s security precautions and what has perhaps disappeared from, or appeared in the collection since? What other creepy, maddening, extra-dimensional, or even sentient tomes reside on those forbidden shelves? What strange events have taken place among the stacks? Is there an inter-library loan system? Who, or what, comes after miscreants who fail to return books on time? In the modern, digital age, what would happen if some of the content escaped over the Internet? Are some of the books, or all of them, little more than slowly ticking time bombs? And what, dare we ask, can be found in the Cooking Section? If you learn all the secrets of the Miskatonic University Library, will you go mad—or just wish you had? A feast of bibliographical horrors by Don Webb, Adrian Cole, Dirk Flinthart, Harry Turtledove, P.D. Cacek, Will Murray, A.C. Wise, Marilyn Mattie Brahen, Douglas Wynne, Alex Shvartsman, James Van Pelt, Robert M. Price, and Darrell Schweitzer. If you learn all the secrets of the Miskatonic University Library, will you go mad—or just wish you had?

    That's what Harriet and Arthur Bloomsbury think, but that comforting feeling is a fiction. Hiding among the stone walls, picturesque barns, and hay bales is a horror they can't imagine. It's deadly, impossible -- maybe even paranormal. This short story isn’t your average murder mystery, because this time, the threat isn’t quite so clear. Is it the serial killers hunting you? Your own paranoia? Or the very laws of nature? The suspense is free.

    What better way to spend his time than at the newly opened amusement park called Joyland. But the park's designer pride and joy is his "House of Darkness". A haunted house that reminds Queen of the set of Dr. Caligari. But what terror does the darkness hold? Ellery Queen and Djuna is about to find out!

    From bestselling author of Little Birds, Hannah Lee Kidder's Starlight touches your heart before taking a bite with twelve pitch-dark fantasy, horror, and contemporary short stories.