A Feast of Sorrows


Angela Slatter - 2016
    collection—features twelve of the World Fantasy and British Fantasy Award-winning Australian author’s finest, darkest fairy tales, and adds two new novellas to her marvelous cauldron of fiction. Stories peopled by women and girls—fearless, frightened, brave, bold, frail, and fantastical—who take the paths less traveled by, accept (and offer) poisoned apples, and embrace transformation in all its forms. Reminiscent of Angela Carter at her best, Slatter’s work is both timeless and fresh: fascinating new reflections from the enchanted mirrors of fairy tales and folklore.

Halloween Horrors


Alan Ryan - 1986
    McCammon, Whitley Strieber, Michael McDowell, Robert Bloch, Ramsey Campbell, Charles L. Grant and others. Edited by Alan Ryan, author of The Kill and Dead White.

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions


Melissa MarrClaudia Gray - 2011
    14 original teen paranormal short stories YA talent, united with the common theme of road trips.Contents:Introduction by Melissa Marr & Kelley Armstrong1 Giovanni’s Farewell by Claudia Gray2 Scenic Route (The Forest of Hands and Teeth #0.5) by Carrie Ryan3 Red Run by Kami Garcia4 Things About Love (Genies #1.5) by Jackson Pearce5 Niederwald (Soul Screamers #4.5) by Rachel Vincent6 Merely Mortal (Wicked Lovely #5.5) by Melissa Marr7 Facing Facts (Darkest Powers #3.6) by Kelley Armstrong8 Let’s Get this Undead Show on the Road by Sarah Rees Brennan9 Bridge (Shade #2.5) by Jeri Smith-ReadySkin Contact (The Body Finder #2.5) by Kimberly Derting10 Leaving by Ally Condie11 At The Late Night, Double Feature, Picture Show by Jessica Verday12 IV League by Margaret Stohl13 Gargouille by Mary E. Pearson14 The Third Kind by Jennifer Lynn Barnes15 Automatic (The Morganville Vampires: Extras) by Rachel Caine

999: Twenty-Nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense


Al SarrantonioRamsey Campbell - 1999
    From dark fantasy and pure suspense to classic horror tales of vampires and zombies, 999 showcases the extraordinary scope of fantastical fright fiction. The stories in this anthology are a relentless tour de force of fear, which will haunt you, terrify you, and keep the adrenaline rushing all through the night.Amerikanski dead at the Moscow morgue / Kim Newman --The ruins of contracoeur / Joyce Carol Oates --The owl and the pussycat / Thomas M. Disch --The road virus heads north / Stephen King --Keepsakes and treasures: a love story / Neil Gaiman --Growing things / T.E.D. Klein --Good Friday / F. Paul Wilson --Excerpts from the records of the New Zodiac and the diaries of Henry Watson Fairfax / Chet Williamson --An exaltation of termagants / Eric Von Lustbader --Itinerary / Tim Powers --Catfish gal blues / Nancy A. Collins --The entertainment / Ramsey Campell --ICU / Edward Lee --The shadow, the darkness / Thomas Ligotti --Rio Grande Gothic / David Morrell --Des Saucisses, Sans doute / Peter Schneider --Angie / Ed Gorman --The ropy thing / Al Sarrantonio --The tree is my hat / Gene Wolfe --Styx and bones / Edward Bryant --Hemophage / Steven Spurill --The book of irrational numbers / Michael Marshall Smith --Mad dog summer / Joe R. Lansdale --The Theater / Bentley Little --Rehearsals / Thomas F. Monteleone --Darkness / Dennis L. McKiernan --Elsewhere / William Peter Blatty

The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All


Laird Barron - 2013
    Melding supernatural horror with hardboiled noir, espionage, and a scientific backbone, Barron’s stories have garnered critical acclaim and have been reprinted in numerous year’s best anthologies and nominated for multiple awards, including the Crawford, International Horror Guild, Shirley Jackson, Theodore Sturgeon, and World Fantasy awards.Barron returns with his third collection, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All. Collecting interlinking tales of sublime cosmic horror, including “Blackwood’s Baby”, “The Carrion Gods in Their Heaven”, and “The Men from Porlock”, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All delivers enough spine-chilling horror to satisfy even the most jaded reader.

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2011 Edition


Paula GuranPeter Atkins - 2011
    Lansdale, Tanith Lee, and Gene Wolfe, and bestsellers such as Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, and Sarah Langan. Includes a 36,000 word novella by George R.R. Martin set in his A Song of Fire and Ice universe.Contents How Bria Died • (2009) • shortstory by Michael AronovitzOaks Park • (2010) • shortfiction by M. K. HobsonHurt Me • (2010) • shortfiction by Daniel Abraham [as by M. L. N. Hanover ]He Said, Laughing • (2010) • shortstory by Simon R. GreenThe Thing About Cassandra • (2010) • shortfiction by Neil GaimanTragic Life Stories • (2010) • shortfiction by Steve DuffyThe Dog King • (2010) • shortstory by Holly BlackThimbleriggery and Fledglings • (2010) • shortfiction by Steve BermanThe Broadsword • (2010) • novella by Laird BarronFrumpy Little Beat Girl • shortfiction by Peter AtkinsCrawlspace • (2010) • shortfiction by Stephen Graham JonesAs Red as Red • (2010) • shortfiction by Caitlín R. KiernanMother Urban's Booke of Dayes • (2010) • shortstory by Jay LakeA Thousand Flowers • (2010) • novelette by Margo LanaganAre You Trying To Tell Me This Is Heaven? • (2010) • shortstory by Sarah LanganThe Stars Are Falling • (2010) • novelette by Joe R. LansdaleSea Warg • (2010) • shortfiction by Tanith LeeThe Mystery Knight: A Tale of the Seven Kingdoms • [Dunk and Egg • 3] • (2010) • novella by George R. R. MartinThe Naturalist • (2010) • shortfiction by Maureen F. McHugh [as by Maureen McHugh ]Raise Your Hand If You're Dead • (2010) • shortstory by John ShirleyLesser Demons • (2010) • novelette by Norman PartridgeParallel Lines • (2010) • shortstory by Tim PowersThe Moon Will Look Strange • (2010) • shortstory by Lynda E. RuckerYou Dream • (2010) • shortstory by Ekaterina SediaRed Blues • (2010) • shortfiction by Michael SkeetBrisneyland by Night • (2010) • shortstory by Angela SlatterMalleus, Incus, Stapes • (2010) • shortfiction by Sarah TottonThe Return • (2010) • shortfiction by S. D. TullisThe Dire Wolf • (2010) • shortfiction by Genevieve ValentineThe Things • (2010) • shortstory by Peter WattsBloodsport • (2010) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe

All Hallows' Eve


Vivian Vande Velde - 2006
    A girl is dragged into a crypt during a field trip to an eighteenth-century cemetery. A group of friends meet their fate after an unsettling visit with a backwoods psychic. And that's just the beginning. Celebrated author Vivian Vande Velde is at her spine-tingling best in this collection of thirteen scary stories, all of which take place on Halloween night. With tales that range from the disturbing to the downright gruesome, this is one collection that teens will want to read with the lights on . . . and the doors locked.

The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012


Paula GuranPriya Sharma - 2011
    Visit places where one might expect to find the dark — in a house where love was shared and lost, a milky-white pool in an Australian cave, the trenches of World War I, the deep woods. You would not be surprised to find the dark in a cheap apartment on the wrong side of town, down mean streets, under a gallows-tree, along dank passageways, trapped underground, in the near future, or among the mysteries of old New Orleans. Dunes, lakes, isolated cabins, old books, and Old West saloons — well, the darkness might easily be there. But we've also found locales you thought were safe from shadows — a rib joint with good blues playing, inside an old wardrobe, on a baseball diamond, the Beverly Wilshire Hotel...Travel into the best dark fantasy and horror from 2011 with more than five-hundred pages of tales from some of today's best-known writers of the fantastique as well as new talents — stories that will take you to a diverse assortment of dark placesContents Hair • (2011) • shortstory by Joan AikenRakshasi • (2011) • shortfiction by Kelley ArmstrongWalls of Paper, Soft as Skin • (2011) • shortstory by Adam CallawayThe Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Tananarive DueTell Me I'll See You Again • (2011) • shortstory by Dennis EtchisonKing Death • (2011) • shortfiction by Paul FinchThe Last Triangle • (2011) • shortfiction by Jeffrey FordNear Zennor • (2011) • novella by Elizabeth HandCrossroads • (2011) • shortstory by Laura Anne GilmanAfter-Words • (2011) • novelette by Glen HirshbergRocket Man • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen Graham JonesThe Maltese Unicorn • (2011) • shortfiction by Caitlín R. KiernanThe Dune • (2011) • shortfiction by Stephen KingCatastrophic Disruption of the Head • (2011) • shortfiction by Margo LanaganThe Bleeding Shadow • (2011) • shortfiction by Joe R. LansdaleWhy Light? • (2011) • novelette by Tanith LeeConservation of Shadows • (2011) • shortstory by Yoon Ha LeeA Tangle of Green Men • [Chronicles of the Borderlands] • (2011) • novella by Charles de LintAfter the Apocalypse • (2012) • shortfiction by Maureen F. McHugh [as by Maureen McHugh ]Why Do You Linger? • (2011) • shortfiction by Sarah MonetteLord Dunsany's Teapot • (2011) • shortstory by Naomi NovikMysteries of the Old Quarter • (2011) • novelette by Paul ParkVampire Lake • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman PartridgeA Journey of Only Two Paces • (2011) • shortstory by Tim PowersFour Legs in the Morning • (2011) • shortfiction by Norman PrentissThe Fox Maiden • (2011) • shortfiction by Priya SharmaTime and Tide • (2011) • shortstory by Alan Ryan [as by Alan Peter Ryan ]Sun Falls • (2011) • shortstory by Angela SlatterStill • (2011) • shortfiction by Tia V. TravisObjects in Dreams May Be Closer Than They Appear • (2011) • shortstory by Lisa TuttleThe Bread We Eat in Dreams • (2011) • shortstory by Catherynne M. ValenteAll You Can Do Is Breathe • (2011) • shortstory by Kaaron WarrenJosh • (2011) • shortfiction by Gene Wolfe

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream


Harlan Ellison - 1967
    This edition contains the original introduction by Theodore Sturgeon and the original foreword by Harlan Ellison, along with a brief update comment by Ellison that was added in the 1983 edition. Among Ellison's more famous stories, two consistently noted as among his very best ever are the title story and the volume's concluding one, Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes.Since Ellison himself strongly resists categorization of his work, we won't call them science fiction, or SF, or speculative fiction or horror or anything else except compelling reading experiences that are sui generis. They could only have been written by Harlan Ellison and they are incomparably original.CONTENTS"I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream""Big Sam Was My Friend""Eyes of Dust""World of the Myth""Lonelyache""Delusion for Dragonslayer""Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes"

The Souvenir Museum


Elizabeth McCracken - 2021
    A recent widower and his adult son ferry to a craggy Scottish island in search of puffins. An actress who plays a children’s game-show villainess ushers in the New Year with her deadbeat half brother. A mother, pining for her children, feasts on loaves of challah to fill the void. A new couple navigates a tightrope walk toward love. And on a trip to a Texas water park with their son, two fathers each confront a personal fear. With sentences that crackle and spark and showcase her trademark wit, McCracken traces how our closely held desires—for intimacy, atonement, comfort—bloom and wither against the indifferent passing of time. Her characters embark on journeys that leave them indelibly changed—and so do her readers. The Souvenir Museum showcases the talents of one of our finest contemporary writers as she tenderly takes the pulse of our collective and individual lives.

Halloween Fiend


C.V. Hunt - 2019
    It’s haunted every night by a creature the townsfolk refer to as Halloween. Once the sun sets each day, Halloween emerges to collect its treats: a small, live offering from each household. The residents comply because no one wants to be the target of Halloween’s tricks. But the nightmare of residing in Strang is nothing compared to the yearly ritual Halloween demands of the citizens on All Hallows’ Eve.

Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks


Richard Christian Matheson - 1987
    'Red' seems to me to be a masterwork. 'Vampire' is a breathtaking work of virtuosity."—Dennis Etchison, from his Introduction"An impressive debut. These stories are all beautifully written and very, very disturbing."—Fangoria"Richard Christian Matheson's prose is elegant, yet spare. He is undoubtedly the master of the contemporary horror short story. His potent, subtle horror sneaks up on the reader and its echoes linger long after the story has ended."—Ellen Datlow, fiction editor, Omni

Urban Allies: Ten Brand-New Collaborative Stories


Joseph Nassise - 2016
    E. Murphy—are paired together in ten original stories featuring their favorite series characters.Urban Allies brings together beloved characters from two different urban fantasy series—Peter Octavian and Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, Joanne Walker and Harper Blaine, Joe Ledger and Agent Franks, Sabina Kane and Ava—in ten electrifying stories. Combining fictional worlds in one dual adventure, each of these stories melds the talents of two high-profile authors, many working together for the first time—giving readers a chance to see their favorite characters in an imaginative and fresh way. Edited by acclaimed bestselling author Joseph Nassise—who is also a contributor—this outstanding collection showcases the brilliant storytelling talents of some of the most acclaimed fantasy writers working today, among them seven New York Times bestselling authors, two USA Today bestselling authors, and multiple Bram Stoker Award winners. Contributors include: Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden • Carrie Vaughn and Diana Rowland • Jonathan Maberry and Larry Correia • Kelley Armstrong and Seanan McGuire • Joe Nassise and Sam Witt • Steven Savile and Craig Schaefer • David Wellington and Weston Ochse • Stephen Blackmoore and Jeff Somers • Catie Murphy and Kat Richardson • Jaye Wells and Caitlin Kittredge

Growing Things and Other Stories


Paul Tremblay - 2019
    . . or not.Joining these haunting works are stories linked to Tremblay’s previous novels. The tour de force metafictional novella Notes from the Dog Walkers deconstructs horror and publishing, possibly bringing in a character from A Head Full of Ghosts, all while serving as a prequel to Disappearance at Devil’s Rock. “The Thirteenth Temple” follows another character from A Head Full of Ghosts—Merry, who has published a tell-all memoir written years after the events of the novel. And the title story, Growing Things, a shivery tale loosely shared between the sisters in A Head Full of Ghosts, is told here in full.From global catastrophe to the demons inside our heads, Tremblay illuminates our primal fears and darkest dreams in startlingly original fiction that leaves us unmoored. As he lowers the sky and yanks the ground from beneath our feet, we are compelled to contemplate the darkness inside our own hearts and minds.Growing things --Swim wants to know if it's as bad as swim thinks --Something about birds --The getaway --Nineteen snapshots of Dennisport --Where we all will be --The teacher --Notes for "The Barn in the Wild" --_______ --Our town's monster --A haunted house is a wheel upon which some are broken --It won't go away --Notes from the dog walkers --Further questions for the somnambulist --The ice tower --The society of the monsterhood --Her red right hand --It's against the law to feed the ducks --The thirteenth temple --Notes --Acknowledgments --Credits

House of Fear


Jonathan OliverJonathan Green - 2011
    The wind whistling through the eves, carrying the voices of the dead. The figure glimpsed briefly through the cracked window of a derelict house. Editor Jonathan Oliver brings horror home with a collection of haunted house stories by some of the finest writers working in the horror genre, including Joe R. Lansdale, Sarah Pinborough, Lisa Tuttle, Christopher Priest, Adam L. G. Nevill, Nicholas Royle, Chaz Brenchley, Christopher Fowler, Gary Kilworth, Weston Ochse, Eric Brown, Tim Lebbon, Nina Allan, Stephen Volk, Paul Meloy and more.