Standouts include "Kirinyaga" and "For I Have Touched the Sky," two installments from Resnick's well-regarded Kirinyaga series, set on an orbital space habitat modeled on a pre-colonial African culture. Contentsxi • Foreword: The Man Who Hated Short Stories • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick1 • Introduction: Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut off the Sun? • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick3 • Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut off the Sun? • (1992) • shortstory by Mike Resnick7 • Introduction: Kirinyaga • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick8 • Kirinyaga • [Kirinyaga • 2] • (1988) • novelette by Mike Resnick31 • Introduction: Me and My Shadow • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick32 • Me and My Shadow • (1984) • shortstory by Mike Resnick51 • Introduction: Mrs. Hood Unloads • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick52 • Mrs. Hood Unloads • (1991) • shortfiction by Mike Resnick57 • Introduction: Over There • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick58 • Over There • [Teddy Roosevelt] • (1991) • novelette by Mike Resnick85 • Introduction: The Last Dog • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick86 • The Last Dog • (1977) • shortstory by Mike Resnick95 • Introduction: King of the Blue Planet • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick96 • King of the Blue Planet • (1988) • shortstory by Mike Resnick111 • Introduction: Watching Marcia • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick112 • Watching Marcia • (1981) • shortstory by Mike Resnick125 • Introduction: Death Is an Acquired Trait • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick126 • Death Is an Acquired Trait • (1988) • shortstory by Mike Resnick133 • Introduction: The Crack in the Cosmic Egg • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick134 • The Crack in the Cosmic Egg • (1988) • shortstory by Mike Resnick137 • Introduction: Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick138 • Revolt of the Sugar Plum Fairies • (1992) • shortstory by Mike Resnick151 • Introduction: For I Have Touched the Sky • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick152 • For I Have Touched the Sky • [Kirinyaga • 3] • (1989) • novelette by Mike Resnick183 • Introduction: Frankie the Spook • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick184 • Frankie the Spook • (1990) • shortstory by Mike Resnick203 • Introduction: Beibermann's Soul • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick204 • Beibermann's Soul • (1988) • shortstory by Mike Resnick209 • Introduction: Balance • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick210 • Balance • [Susan Calvin (Robot)] • (1989) • shortstory by Mike Resnick217 • Introduction: Posttime in Pink • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick218 • Posttime in Pink • (1991) • novelette by Mike Resnick249 • Introduction: Beachcomber • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick250 • Beachcomber • (1980) • shortstory by Mike Resnick255 • Introduction: Blue • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick256 • Blue • (1979) • shortstory by Mike Resnick261 • Introduction: Stalking the Unicorn with Gun and Camera • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick262 • Stalking the Unicorn with Gun and Camera • (1986) • shortstory by Mike Resnick271 • Introduction: Monsters of the Midway • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick272 • Monsters of the Midway • (1991) • shortstory by Mike Resnick279 • Introduction: Malish • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick280 • Malish • (1991) • shortstory by Mike Resnick285 • Introduction: The Light that Blinds, the Claws that Catch • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick286 • The Light that Blinds, the Claws that Catch • [Teddy Roosevelt] • (1992) • shortstory by Mike Resnick295 • Introduction: His Award-Winning Science Fiction Story • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick296 • His Award-Winning Science Fiction Story • (1988) • shortstory by Mike Resnick309 • Introduction: Was It Good For You, Too? • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick310 • Was It Good For You, Too? • (1989) • shortstory by Mike Resnick317 • Introduction: God and Mr. Slatterman • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick318 • God and Mr. Slatterman • (1984) • shortstory by Mike Resnick327 • Introduction: The Fallen Angel • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick328 • The Fallen Angel • (1984) • shortfiction by Mike Resnick331 • Introduction: How I Wrote the New Testament, Ushered in the Renaissance, and Birdied the 17th Hole at Pebble Beach • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick332 • How I Wrote the New Testament, Ushered in the Renaissance, and Birdied the 17th Hole at Pebble Beach • (1990) • shortstory by Mike Resnick339 • Introduction: Winter Solstice • (1992) • essay by Mike Resnick340 • Winter Solstice • (1991) • shortstory by Mike Resnick

    By dawn, only a dead city remains, eerily quiet and still, except for mutant beasts that hide from the light, multiply, and await the shadows of night to continue their relentless advance.Ordered to investigate the unfolding crisis, biowarfare specialist Carolyn Ridenour barely escapes the creatures’ nocturnal onslaught, saved in the nick of time by Colonel Garrett Hoffman, who lost hundreds of his troops to a swarm that neither bombs nor bullets can stop.As Carolyn and Garrett race to stop the plague, a battered and broken government prepares to release the fury of America’s nuclear arsenal on its own soil and its own citizens. The Gemini Effect was originally published as The Mengele Effect. This edition has been completely edited and revised, including significant plot changes.

    Every day blood is spilled. Every place that rain falls, it washes away some of the red that stains the streets.Eliminating every killer in the Sixth World is as impossible as drying up every raindrop in a storm, but Thomas McAllister doesn’t want to get rid of all of them. Just one. He’s been on this killer’s trail for a while, and he knows he’s getting closer. The only question is if he’ll be able to handle getting as close as he’s about to be, or if his blood will join the stream that regularly flows into the gutters of the sprawls.

    Half a century later, Arthur wakes to find an orchid resting on his pillow, a symbol of death from a killer connected to his estranged younger brother, Christian. To discover the horrifying truth, Arthur will risk all--even his very soul--for Christian may not be the brother that Arthur remembers...Included with this thrilling story is a sneak peek at Innocent Blood, the second book in the Order of the Sanguines Series.

    Life is good, folks live to a ripe old age, and there hasn't been a violent crime in nearly a generation. It's almost as if some force were protecting the God-fearing folk of the Run from harm... Henry left the quiet town almost a decade ago-after his mother's tragic death and a terrible falling-out with his father. Ever since, he has shut out his memories of the Run. He has tried to not think about the day his mother died. But now-after the startling news of his father's suicide-Henry is coming home... Home, where his former girlfriend is waiting on her dying mother and her living dreams. Home, where his boyhood friend is mysteriously drawn to something inside an abandoned mine.

    Left with his alcoholic and abusive father, Sol lived his life believing the story he'd been told, the story all the people of Varner Creek believed about what happened that summer. But in a plot of twists and family secrets that will leave the reader reaching for their jaw upon the floor, Sol is taken back to his childhood by the spirits he knew in life when he passes away so many years later . . . it is only then he learns what secrets The Ghosts of Varner Creek have been keeping so many years. "Very well written . . . this debut novel is a real page turner with some very interesting characters."-Jani Brooks, Romance Review Today This was a wonderfully woven story about an American family, their secrets, tragedies, love lost and redeemed. - Goodreads 5 Star Review from Robert Stadnik, author of Exodus Of The Phoenix, Phoenix Among The Stars, and Tales Of A Former Child Superhero. Terrific book! This story was haunting and chilled me to the core. I couldn't read fast enough to find out what happened to the characters. I was definitely hooked from the very beginning. I would recommend this book if you are looking for a great mystery. - Nook 5 Star Review Never anything but page-turning . . . I was hooked on this book right from the start. - Dr. Jon P. Bloch, Professor, Author, and Reviewer for The Kindle Book Review, blog website.

    A sequel to a #1 bestselling horror anthology Don't Scream, featuring hideous doppelgangers, terrifying apps, lurking monsters, and more. Read... if you dare.

    When penniless encyclopedia salesman Wadsworth Zane receives a letter about a mysterious inheritance in the quaint little town of Broodhollow, he thinks his luck might finally be turning around.But what seems like a series of terrifying supernatural encounters could just be a figment of Zane's maddening obsessive disorder -- which he calls The Pattern.The creator of Starslip, Chainsawsuit, and Candle Cove delivers a story in 1930s comic style that's equal parts humor and Lovecraftian horror.

    American Blood is a timely and fiercely moral statement on violence and loss.

     This digital box set contains the tenth, eleventh and twelfth thrillers: Blackout: John Milton’s life is about to change. The former government assassin follows a lead to Manila that he hopes will change his life. But he never expected to wake up in an unfamiliar hotel room beside a murder victim. And, unfortunately for him, Milton doesn’t remember a thing about the night before. The Alamo: John Milton has finally found a place to escape the bloodshed: off-season Coney Island. No tourists. No special ops. Just peace and quiet. But when a local boy witnesses a grisly murder, Milton can’t resist investigating Redeemer: John Milton is visiting an old friend in Rio who runs a close protection business guarding the city's elite. Milton offers to stand in when one of his bodyguards doesn’t turn up for work. The job? Take the wife and daughter of an anti-corruption judge to a school recital and bring them back again. Simple? Not so much... What Critics Say About Mark Dawson --“Mark Dawson’s John Milton books are sharper than a stiletto. If you’ve run out of Lee Child books, Mark Dawson is your man. Absolutely brilliant.” - Matt Nixson, Books Editor, Mail on Sunday --"A literary sensation." - The Daily Telegraph --"Dawson writes the kind of thrillers I love. Non-stop, grab-you-by-the-throat tales of doing the right thing no matter the odds. Simply excellent." - USA Today bestselling author Brett Battles --"It’s impossible not to think of Lee Child’s super-selling Jack Reacher." - The Times --"Mark Dawson has all the skills. A great thriller writer on the top of his game." - Sunday Times bestselling author Steve Cavanagh --"Dawson maintains the reader’s interest throughout and the pages turning. It is easy to see why he has found such a big readership. He deserves it." - Crime Fiction Lover

    . . and that sometimes they have unfinished business. Shortly after death, a soul will see a door of light leading to the afterlife. But sometimes, when there’s something or someone still pulling at them, souls turn their back to this door. Instead, they haunt the living . . . Hollywood native Kane Pryce isn’t your average twenty-something dabbling musician. Yes, he’s an occasional substance abuser with a distrustful nature and self-destructive streak. And yes, most people might take him for a down-on-his-luck slacker. But to those in a very small circle, he’s also known as a ghost-hunting legend. Delving deep into the supernatural isn’t a lifestyle that Kane chose for himself, however; it was thrust upon him when his father vanished under mysterious circumstances. Unbeknownst to anyone besides Kane, his father left instructions to his son that led Kane to the Soul Trap, a powerful supernatural treasure that allows him to hunt down, capture, and send ghosts from the earthly realm to the afterlife. For Kane, power over the supernatural has come with a price. Despite his attempts to do good with this power, his efforts often leave a path of destruction. So when his paranormal side-job attracts the attention of Eva Kells, a crack reporter intent on breaking his story, Kane is reluctant can he trust her? Soon, though, risking his heart on a snooping journalist is the least of Kane’s worries. He receives a call from a terrified priest whose church is haunted by the soul of a deceased little boy. Kane takes on the case, but as he begins to learn the strange details surrounding the boy’s death, he realizes that there’s much more at stake than he ever could have imagined. And to complicate things even further, he falls hard for the boy’s mother. The only problem is, she’s been dead for almost fifty years . . . Nail-biting and darkly humorous, SoulTrapper takes readers on a thrilling ride through the ghostly realm.

    Jeff VanderMeer has handpicked these 23 stories (three written exclusively for this collection), which reflect a diversity of approaches to key questions about the human condition: mortality, love, obsession and creativity -- all shot through with dark humor and irony. Secret Life represents the author's continuing effort to stretch the narrative boundaries of fiction while still entertaining the reader. Yet all of these stories are related thematically: transformation and what it means to be human -- and the reader too will be transformed, into one of the faithful, a confirmed believer in the short fiction of Jeff VanderMeer.

    It is known as the haunted house that swallows people whole. It isn’t until an out of town buyer Hannah Watts purchases Clandestine house that the the dark past of the time capsule home will come to light. What happened to the Clandestine family? What is going to happen to Hannah?

    The conventions of film noir are lovingly exploited in this entertaining novel.--New York Times Book Review.

    From Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Publications, Dark Screams: Volume One reaches across genres to take readers beyond the precipice of mortal toil and into the glimmering void of irreality and beyond.  WEEDS by Stephen King When a meteorite lands on his property, Jordy Verrill envisions an easy payday. Unfortunately for Jordy, this is no ordinary rock—and the uncompromising force inside has found its first target.  THE PRICE YOU PAY by Kelley ArmstrongNever pay more than you owe. Sounds like easy advice to follow. But for Kara and her childhood friend Ingrid, some debts can never be repaid . . . especially those tendered in blood.  MAGIC EYES by Bill Pronzini Edward James Tolliver has found a weary sort of asylum among the insane. He knows he’s not one of them—but how can he tell anyone about the invaders without sounding that way?  MURDER IN CHAINS by Simon Clark Imagine awaking to find yourself in an underground vault, chained by the neck to a murderous lunatic, a grunting goliath who seems more animal than man. What would you do to save yourself?  THE WATCHED by Ramsey Campbell Little Jimmy gets a glimpse of the cold truth when he finds out that it’s not always what you see that can get you into trouble; it’s who knows what you see.