D. FalksenTHE ACQUISITION OF MANDRAKES AND ASSISTANTS, by Jillian VentersTHE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS, by H. P. LovecraftTHE BRASS GOGGLE FACTORY WORKER, by John LeavittTHE PATH OF PROGRESS, by Brian StablefordTHE TAILED MEN, by Arthur O. FrielTHE IMPOSSIBLE MISTER LAPIN INVESTIGATES: THE AFFAIR OF THE TERRIBLE BOAR, by Peter WordworthTHE WAR EFFORT, by Austin H. WilliamsHERBERT WEST: REANIMATOR, by H. P. LovecraftA CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT, by Mark TwainTHE TRUMPETER, by Arthur O. FrielTHE MACHINE STOPS by E. M. ForsterTHE UNPARALLELED ADVENTURES OF ONE HANS PFAAL, by Edgar Allan PoeTHE LOST WORLD, by Sir Arthur Conan DoyleTHE GATEWAY OF THE MONSTER, by William Hope HodgsonA PRINCESS OF MARS, by Edgar Rice BurroughsTHE MID-WATCH TRAGEDY, by Vincent StarrettMUSTERED OUT, by H. Bedford-JonesPAYABLE TO BEARER, by Talbot MundyTHE DEVIL’S HEIRLOOM by Anthony M. RudDOCTOR OX'S EXPERIMENT, by Jules VerneTHE TRIAL FOR MURDER, by Charles DickensANGEL OF THE REVOLUTION, by George GriffithTHE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY, by G. K. ChestertonTHE HORROR OF THE HEIGHTS, by Arthur Conan Doyle

    That is, until her manager arranges a media appearance with her biggest fan--a famous artificial intelligence pioneer's teenage niece. After precocious Emily's backstage visit, Claire decides she's in a different classic film altogether. While unnaturally charming Emily swears she harbors no desire for the spotlight, Claire wonders if she hasn't met her very own Eve Harrington from All About Eve. But the story becomes more complex as dreams of fame give way to concerns about choice, free will, and identity.With this long, 17,000 word novelette, acclaimed author Connie Willis combines the glamour of old Hollywood and the eternal allure of Broadway to explore the cutting edge robotics of a richly-imagined near future. All About Emily is sure to join 'The Last of the Winnebagos,' 'Inside Job' and 'All Seated on the Ground' as one of multiple-award-winner Willis' seminal works.

    The editor of this year's volume, selected by SFWA’s anthology Committee (chaired by Mike Resnick), is American science fiction and fantasy writer Greg Bear, author of over thirty novels, including the Nebula Award-winning Darwin’s Radio and Moving Mars. This anthology includes the winners of the Andre Norton, Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master, Rhysling, and Dwarf Stars Awards, as well as the Nebula Award winners, and features Ann Leckie, Nalo Hopkinson, Rachel Swirsky, Aliette de Bodard, and Vylar Kaftan, with additional articles and poems by authors such as Robin Wayne Bailey, Samuel R. Delany, Terry A. Garey, Deborah P Kolodji, and Andrew Robert Sutton.

    His evocations of small-town Pennsylvania life, and of his own religious, artistic, and sexual awakening, transfixed readers of The New Yorker and of the early collections Pigeon Feathers (1962) and The Music School (1966). In these and the works that followed—the formal experiments and wickedly tart tales of suburban adultery in Museums and Women (1972) and Problems (1979), the portraits of middle-aged couples in love and at war with aging parents and rebellious children in Trust Me (1987) and The Afterlife (1994), and the fugue-like stories of memory, desire, travel, and unquenched thirst for life in Licks of Love (2000) and My Father’s Tears (2009)—Updike displayed the virtuosic command of character, dialogue, and sensual description that was his signature.   Here, in two career-spanning volumes, are 186 unforgettable stories, from "Ace in the Hole” (1953), a sketch of a Rabbit-like ex-basketball player written when Updike was a Harvard senior, to "The Full Glass” (2008), the author’s toast to the visible world, his own impending disappearance from it be damned.” Based on new archival research, each story is presented in its final definitive form and in order of composition, established here for the first time. This unprecedented collection of American masterpieces is not just the publishing event of the season, it is a national literary treasure.

    Life has had a pleasant predictability to it for Lizzy. That is until a tall, black-haired, dark eyed man shows up in a black sports car, touches her hand and leaves a burn mark. His name is Gerwulf Grimoire, also known as Wulf. And he wants what Lizzy has: knowledge. Almost simultaneously comes another man, a different man, but this one just as dangerous in his own way. His name is Diesel. And he wants several things Lizzy has, only one of them being knowledge. Unbeknownst to Lizzy, she has the ability to find "empowered objects." Turns out, a collection of stones that represent the seven deadly sins have made their way to Marblehead. Nothing bad can happen if the stones are all separated. But if they are grouped together, they have the power to unleash hell on earth. Wulf wants them. Diesel wants to stop him. And Lizzy is the key to all of it. Can Lizzy stay one step ahead of two men who both want her…both body and soul? Can she juggle her job at Dazzle's bakery and still get the muffins out in time every morning? Can she stop the end of the world from occurring? For Elizabeth Tucker, cupcakes, 4 a.m. alarm clock settings, and Armageddon are all in a day's work….

    This story was originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine in March 2007. It is available in The Best of Elizabeth Bear.

    Azyrin, a half Winter-orc shaman and his human swordswoman bride, Makha. Drake, the charming, swashbuckling rogue. The fireball-slinging pixie-goblin, Rahiel, and her mini-unicorn, Bill. These are the Gryphonpike Companions.This omnibus collects the first four novellas in the Gryphonpike Chronicles:Witch HuntArriving in Strongwater Barrow, the Companions find the town riddled with plague and death. Ending the curse and saving the survivors means going into the swamps where monsters lurk and witches wait. Sounds like exactly their kind of day.Twice Drowned DragonOn route to the town of Coldragon, the Companions find a peaceful monastery threatened by necromantic evil and get a chance to answer an important question: How many times can you kill a dragon?A Stone's ThrowA magical scabbard and a hundred year old story send the companions down into the caverns beneath the Barrowlands. Surviving the caverns and finding the legendary rapier will test Killer's friendship with the roguish Drake. Far more than half-truths and forgotten stories lurk in the dark beneath their feet.Dead of KnightAs the Companions travel across the Barrows to join up with the High Road again, a terrible and unnatural earthquake unleashes an ancient evil on the quiet town of Fallbarrow. An undead army gathers and hellspawn await to destroy Killer and all she now holds dear. Can the cleverness, magics, battle-fury, and determination of the Gryphonpike Companions hope to stand against the Saliidruin and the powerful Death Knight leading them?

    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.

    It was the opinion of the community that her mother was heartbroken and had lost the will to live. Sarah couldn’t even blame her mother; losing a daughter and a husband in one year was a bitter pill to swallow for anyone. Taking care of her mother had become Sarah’s number one priority; her second was finding her missing sister. Since Katie had disappeared during her rumspringa shortly after their father had passed away Sarah had done everything within her power to find her sister to no avail. With her sister still missing and her neighbor David, whom she secretly loves, courting a girl Sarah knew would only hurt him, she is not looking forward to Christmas at all. But when hope starts to bloom in her chest, things suddenly start to change. Sarah knows it’s the work of God, but the question remains will a Christmas miracle soothe the loneliness in her heart? Enjoy this sweet Amish romance that follows the hardships Sarah faces as she takes care of her mother while searching for her sister. Will Sarah finally find her sister? Can David be honest about his feelings and will Sarah’s mother ever recover? Enjoy a sweet Christmas story that is bound to warm your heart after you dry the tears

    He imagines, presumes and sometimes anticipates the reality and tries to blend with fiction. He is someone who stays in stories much more than in reality. His mind is full of giant maze but what happens when maze starts to peep out of imagination and enter the reality? Anant, a bestselling ‘Superstar’ author is feeling that words have started to betray him and that’s why he starts to search for the ‘next Anant’ and be involved in the making of the next superstar. Mystically, one day he reads Sagarika’s blog and gets amazed to know that all her blog posts are inspired from real life incidents of Anant himself. On the other hand, Anant’s problem of having hallucinations about random things is coming back in his life. Earlier those hallucinations were totally strange but now even those hallucinations make sense. What exactly is happening with Anant? Who this Sagarika really is? What lies are being spoken in the veil of finding next ‘Superstar Bestselling Author’? Answer lies behind ‘Just A Few Lies’.

    Her life is finally falling into place as she moves into her new house, but a piece of her past comes back to surprise her. She discovers she is pregnant from a past college trisk, and now has to change her life. She never expected to be pregnant, and she never expected to fall in love with a sexy, billionaire, ER Doctor. Pete Walker is an older, hardened billionaire who knows what he wants—Tatiana. She fears she doesn’t have room in her life for a baby, and a new man; but her life has always been defined by the unexpected. This standalone story ends Happily Ever After. The story contains explicit love scenes and is intended for 18+ readers only! Get this book FREE with Kindle unlimited! A Steamy Romance Book + Bonus Stories!

     Reawakening the forces of magic... And letting in monsters of myth and their dark-elf masters. Now, the fate of all will fall upon two women gifted with magical powers and a veteran Special Forces soldier. If they fail, it won’t just be the end of the Dark-Elf War. It’ll be the end of all human life. *** Read the complete story now! Includes: - Book 1: Starlight - Book 2: Gunz - Book 3: Ranger The Dark Elf War trilogy by former army officer William Stacey is a thrilling blend of urban fantasy and military sci-fi. You’ll love these books for their breathless pacing, believable characters, and non-stop action. Get the complete Dark Elf War Trilogy, more than 1500 pages of magic, monsters, and Special Forces action. Grab all three now!

    His neighbors have been a great help with his daughter Charlotte, but he can’t work and take care of her properly.The town matchmaker Emma Hilton has the perfect woman to help Bradley with his baby girl.Nanny Shannon Howell loves taking care of children, but she’d also like to find a husband. She’s eager to travel west in hopes of finding a family to call her own. Shannon is happy to help Bradley with baby Charlotte. Unfortunately, Shannon’s former employer is having problems letting her go.Will the man that traveled across the country drag her back to the east?Has Shannon found the place where she can be her true self with Bradley and Charlotte in Lubbock, Texas?Find out in the first book in a brand new series from Bestselling Mail Order Bride Authors Indiana Wake & Belle Fiffer

    These two stories are perhaps even better known as films (The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock and Don't Look Now by Nic Roeg), but here we bring you the full terrifying texts, superbly read by Peter Capaldi, who brings the true dimension of these works to the imagination.

    Get into the spirit of the season with this quick read!