Book picks similar to
Horror at Cold Springs by Michael Merriam
weird-west
horror
local
science-fiction
Sex and Death in Television Town
Carlton Mellick III - 2005
Along with a motley collection of survivors (including a sex-crazed female samurai modified to resemble a bipedal stegosaurus) they take refuge in the only safe haven left: Telos . . . a strange town near the end of the world, where the citizens have televisions instead of heads.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015
P. Djèlí Clark - 2019
Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.
Thirteenth Child
Patricia C. Wrede - 2009
Her twin brother, Lan, is the seventh son of a seventh son. This means he's supposed to possess amazing talent -- and she's supposed to bring only bad things to her family and her town. Undeterred, her family moves to the frontier, where her father will be a professor of magic at a school perilously close to the magical divide that separates settlers from the beasts of the wild.
Throwback
Edward J. McFadden III - 2018
The anomaly sails through the solar system and the International Space Station along with three astronauts and one cosmonaut are thrown back to the Cretaceous period where dinosaurs roam Earth hunting prey and great pterosaurs patrol the skies. Supplies on the station run low and desperation takes hold, but morale grows when the crew sees a bright multi-colored light blinking on the surface below. The astronauts decide to evacuate the station in the Soyuz escape capsule and investigate. As the adventurers struggle to survive in the primordial jungle, the party discovers artifacts of an ancient civilization that could help them find the light beacon. If they can stay alive long enough.
Eden
Michael Robertson - 2014
Standing in the control room, there to take over the running of it from his father, Mark quickly realises this is more than a handover. He's about to find out that Eden has secrets. Dark secrets. Secrets that reveal the truth about the apocalypse. Secrets that change the way he looks at his father forever. Secrets that change the way he looks at everything forever. What the reviewers say about Eden: “Eden is deep, dark, and thought provoking.” “The plot and pacing are wonderfully constructed, and the characters’ emotions come through incredibly clearly.” “… stop wasting time reading the awesome reviews, grab this book, and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!” “It ran the gamut of emotions; anger, surprise, shock and heartbreak. I was in tears at the end of the story.” “Two thumbs up!” “You need to read this, like, now.” “I could not have asked for a better glimpse into this under-utilised facet of the zombie apocalypse.”
The Creek
Rayne King - 2021
Wiley's simple life is uprooted when the enigmatic Ruby moves in to the old campground nearby. The two of them are drawn to each other instantly. However, Wiley soon discovers a darkness that Ruby harbors, a sadness that he becomes determined to extinguish. But is it already too late?Also included is the short story 'Husk': two friends get their hands on a treasure map and decide to locate the cache of possible riches. But they'll soon learn that some things are better left buried.
Tales From The Mist
Meredith BondLizzie Starr - 2012
This set is no longer available.
Bullet Catcher
Joaquin Lowe - 2016
She and her brother, Nikko, dreamed of escaping to become bullet catchers, a legendary band of outlaws who can deflect bullets with their hands. But they were wiped out years ago, Nikko with them. And leaving is impossible when walking into the desert means certain death.When she sees a stranger catch a man's bullet and turn it back on him, Imma knows it can only mean one thing: the bullet catchers live on, and this is her way out. Determined to follow him, Imma starts a journey that will take her to her physical extremes and force her to question just what family means and who she really is: bullet catcher or gunslinger; hero or monster.
Alive
Andreas Christensen - 2013
When Ed Walker learns that others have been preparing for the disaster for years, he realize finding them may be his only shot at survival. But time is running out...In a dying world one man makes a choice to keep going, hoping against hope there might be a future after all.Alive is a 10.000 word story loosely based on events in Exodus by Andreas Christensen, but can also just as easily be read as a stand alone.Notice: this novella is also available for FREE on the author's website.
The Darwin Effect
Mark Lukens - 2016
They are all suffering from short-term memory loss and they can't remember why or how they got on this ship. The onboard computer (MAC) tells them that it was programmed to wake them up early. They believe MAC woke them up by mistake. They can't re-enter suspended animation, there's only enough food for a few months, and they are too far away to return to Earth ... but even if they could return, MAC tells them that the Earth has been destroyed by nuclear war. They realize that they are all going to die on this ship.Cromartie, the unelected leader of their group, tries his best to keep the others calm, but soon they are at each other's throats. After one of them is found murdered, Cromartie and Sanders form an alliance. Cromartie tells Sanders that pieces of his memories are beginning to come back to him in his dreams; he believes he's seeing clues to their survival.But after the next murder, Cromartie and Sanders must work fast to find the mind-blowing key to their survival and figure out which one of them is the killer before it's too late.
The Valley
William Meikle - 2010
They arrive to find the town empty and some of the buildings wrecked and strewn over a wide area. A new cave leads them to a land that time forgot, a high valley full of animals that are extinct elsewhere, but have thrived in the remote environment. But something else is loose in the land, something even older that has emerged from the cave system. Soon the remaining men are fighting for their lives, and the lives of everything in the valley.
Dead Dwarves, Dirty Deeds
Derek J. Canyon - 2010
Imprisoned for mass-murder, he escapes with the help of two strange men and a mysterious benefactor. Unfortunately for Drake, they don’t just want a piece of the action. They want it all. Gift Horse: Mutilated by rival convicts, Marco Vance is brought back from the brink of death. Outfitted with the latest cybernetic enhancements, he returns to the Regional Atlanta Metroplex as the conquering criminal kingpin. But, his savior demands that he deliver a message to repay his debt. A message that no one will forget.Money Is Everything: Street gangs hunt a deposed crime boss carrying a case of cash. Pursued and friendless, he can trust no one. Except someone he can buy. Luckily, Noose the genetically engineered dwarf mercenary is always for hire. But, what is his price?Total length about 15,000 words.Includes a free 8000 word excerpt of the full-length novel DEAD DWARVES DON'T DANCE.
Blood Riders
Michael P. Spradlin - 2012
Spradlin now dons a different hat and gallops hell for leather into a darker, wilder West. Blood Riders is the story of Civil War veteran Jonas R. Hollister, who’s recruited by the U.S. government to hunt down and destroy an ancient tribe of vampires that is terrorizing the frontier territories. An ingenious mash-up of western and dark fantasy—with an intriguing touch of American steampunk weaponry thrown in for good measure—Spradlin’s Blood Riders has Hollister joining up with real-life historical figures Samuel Colt and Alan Pinkerton and one of horror literature’s most famous monster hunters (Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker’s Dracula) to rid the West of the undead scourge once and for all.
The Native Star
M.K. Hobson - 2010
Norrell, this brilliant first novel fuses history, fantasy, and romance. Prepare to be enchanted by M. K. Hobson's captivating take on the Wild, Wild West. The year is 1876. In the small Sierra Nevada settlement of Lost Pine, the town witch, Emily Edwards, is being run out of business by an influx of mail-order patent magics. Attempting to solve her problem with a love spell, Emily only makes things worse. But before she can undo the damage, an enchanted artifact falls into her possession--and suddenly Emily must flee for her life, pursued by evil warlocks who want the object for themselves. Dreadnought Stanton, a warlock from New York City whose personality is as pompous and abrasive as his name, has been exiled to Lost Pine for mysterious reasons. Now he finds himself involuntarily allied with Emily in a race against time--and across the United States by horse, train, and biomechanical flying machine--in quest of the great Professor Mirabilis, who alone can unlock the secret of the coveted artifact. But along the way, Emily and Stanton will be forced to contend with the most powerful and unpredictable magic of all--the magic of the human heart.
Timeless
Terry Schott - 2013
Rumors are whispered that powerful beings exist inside the Game.Some of them are good and do their best to help the players from the shadows, while others are evil and cause pain and suffering throughout the simulated Game world.Courtney learns that these beings, referred to collectively as Timeless, are very real.and they have asked her to join them...