Ominous Realities: The Anthology of Dark Speculative Horrors


Anthony RiveraBracken MacLeod - 2013
    But with dire consequences.ANGIE by John F.D. Taff - A divorced couple tries to ensure their survival after society collapses. Navigating the treacherous back roads of America, they realize the horror of true devotion.ON THE THRESHOLD by William Meikle - How far is science willing to go to prove we're not alone and possibly find the terrifying dangers that exist beyond the threshold?DOYOSHOTA by Ken Altabef - One by one the residents of a Nevada town are succumbing to the debilitating effects of a strange hum. Many believe it’s a black ops program others are convinced of its far darker origins.THIRD OFFENSE by Gregory L. Norris - In an oppressive society where creativity is banned and advertising is all-pervasive, a factory worker attempts to escape enslavement with horrifying results.METAMORPHOSIS by J. Daniel Stone - Together, a brother and sister discover the unique bond has the ability to affect humanity in the darkest of ways.WE ARE HALE, WE ARE WHOLE by Eric Del Carlo - Global climate change has reshaped the world, and multi-national corporations control every aspect of life. To what horrifying lengths will they go in the struggle to maintain profit?PURE BLOOD AND EVERGREEN by Bracken MacLeod - Victims of ethnic cleansing, two boys share a painful struggle for survival. Their actions start events that leave the lives of everyone they know hanging in a dangerous balance.JOHN, PAUL, XAVIER, IRONSIDE AND GEORGE (BUT NOT VINCENT) by Hugh A.D. Spencer - Earth is under attack by mysterious biomechanical entities. With the end near, one man spends his last days with an enigmatic client who is of great import to those in charge.AND THE HUNTER, HOME FROM THE HILL by Edward Morris - Could it be that accounts of superheroes are actually based in reality? It could be that the old man living down the street is hiding his own dark secrets.BORN BAD by Jonathan Balog - Raised by the church, Lucien harbors a frightening secret that may prove to have dire circumstances for mankind.THE LAST BASTION OF SPACE by Ewan C. Forbes - Privatization has run amok and simple pleasures come at a premium price. For one young couple there is no choice but to turn their minds over to insidious corporate control.EVERY SOUL IS A GRIMOIRE by Allen Griffin - Harvey works for a shadowy government and is responsible for a man with dangerous knowledge. Being near him is blurring his reality and opening the door to terrifying evil.FROM THE EAST by Alice Goldfuss - After global cataclysm, a scientist struggles to determine the cause. Driven by professional convictions, she finds herself in a struggle for the existence of humanity.DECIDING IDENTITY by Paul Williams - Faced with the collision of two worlds, the citizens of each are given the choice to decide who shall live and who shall die.THE LAST ELF by T. Fox Dunham - The fate of humanity rests with a sociopathic concentration camp commander. Having spent a lifetime chasing the enemies of Germany, he finds himself on the verge of his crowning achievement—ultimate extermination.

In the Shadow of the Gargoyle


Nancy KilpatrickMarc Levinthal - 1998
    Leering from the arches and peaks of ancient cathedrals. Spreading their wings across hallowed doorways. Even decorating our homes in stony, silent elegance. Are they angels or demons? Sacred or profane? In the Shadow of the Gargoyle features fifteen original stories and two classic tales of the legendary gargoyle. The contributors range from bestselling masters to the hottest newcomers--award-winners, artists, musicians, and, yes, gargoyle collectors. Each of them experts at drawing blood from a stone... Contributors include:* Harlan Ellison * Neil Gaiman * Katherine Kurtz * Brian Lumley * Jane Yolen * Charles L. Grant * John Mason Skipp * Nancy Holder * Alan Rodgers * Lucy Taylor * Jo Clayton * Don D'Ammassa * Christa Faust * Robert J. Harris * Brian Hodge * Caitlin R. Kiernan * Marc Levinthal * Melanie Tem * Wendy Webb

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders


Neil Gaiman - 2006
    By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.Contents:• A Study in Emerald • (2003) • novelette• The Fairy Reel • (2004) • poem (variant of The Faery Reel)• October in the Chair • (2002) • shortstory• The Hidden Chamber • (2005) • poem• Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire • (2004) • shortstory (variant of Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire)• The Flints of Memory Lane • (1997) • essay• Closing Time • (2003) • shortstory• Going Wodwo • (2002) • poem• Bitter Grounds • (2003) • novelette• Other People • (2001) • shortstory• Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story • (1999) • shortstory• Good Boys Deserve Favours • (1995) • shortstory• The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch • (1998) • shortstory• Strange Little Girls • (2001) • shortstory• Harlequin Valentine • (1999) • shortstory• Locks • (1999) • poem• The Problem of Susan • (2004) • shortstory• Instructions • (2000) • poem• How Do You Think It Feels? • (1998) • shortstory• My Life • (2002) • poem• Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot • (1998) • shortstory• Feeders and Eaters • (2002) • shortstory• Diseasemaker's Croup • (2003) • shortstory• In the End • (1996) • shortstory• Goliath • (1998) • shortstory• Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky • (2002) • shortstory• How to Talk to Girls at Parties • (2006) • shortstory• The Day the Saucers Came • (2006) • poem• Sunbird • (2005) • novelette• Inventing Aladdin • (2003) • poem• The Monarch of the Glen • [American Gods] • (2003) • novelette

Uncanny Magazine Issue 18: September/October 2017


Lynne M. ThomasMalinda Lo - 2017
    Thomas and Michael Damian ThomasHenosis / short story by N. K. JemisinClearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand / short story by Fran WildeThough She Be But Little / short story by C.S.E. CooneyDown and Out in R'lyeh / novelette by Catherynne M. ValenteFandom for Robots / short story by Vina Jie-Min PrasadAt Cooney's / novelette by Delia ShermanGhost Town / short story by Malinda LoMy Voice-Over Life / essay by Sophie AldredLet Me Tell You / essay by Cecilia TanI'm Not the Only One: Why Wonder Woman Doesn't Need to Stand Alone in Order to Stand Tall / essay by Sarah KuhnResistance 101: Basics of Community Organizing for SF/F Creators and Consumers— Volume Four: "Don't Let Him Catch You With Your Work Undone"—Activism for the Long Haul / essay by Sam J. Miller and Jean RiceChangeable Skins, Consummate Catchphrases / essay by Sabrina VourvouliasToo Much Dystopia? / poem by Jo WaltonBirth, Place / poem by Brandon O'BrienA Lovesong from Frankenstein's Monster / poem by Ali TrottaThe Golem of the Gravestones / poem by Gwynne GarfinkleInterview: C. S. E. Cooney / interview by Julia RiosInterview: Delia Sherman / interview by Julia Rios

Year's Best SF


David G. HartwellWilliam Barton - 1996
    Here are stories that go beyond space and time.Contentsix • Introduction: Science Fiction is Alive and Well • (1996) • essay by David G. Hartwell1 • Think Like a Dinosaur • (1995) • novelette by James Patrick Kelly29 • Wonders of the Invisible World • (1995) • shortstory by Patricia A. McKillip45 • Hot Times in Magma City • (1995) • novella by Robert Silverberg111 • Gossamer • [Xeelee] • (1995) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter135 • A Worm in the Well • (1995) • novelette by Gregory Benford169 • Downloading Midnight • (1995) • novelette by William Browning Spencer203 • For White Hill • (1995) • novella by Joe Haldeman261 • In Saturn Time • (1995) • shortstory by William Barton283 • Coming of Age in Karhide • [Hainish] • (1995) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin309 • The Three Descents of Jeremy Baker • (1995) • shortstory by Roger Zelazny321 • Evolution • (1995) • novelette by Nancy Kress353 • The Day the Aliens Came • (1995) • shortstory by Robert Sheckley369 • Microbe • [Elysium Cycle] • (1995) • shortstory by Joan Slonczewski387 • The Ziggurat • (1995) • novella by Gene Wolfe

Shelf Life: Fantastic Stories Celebrating Bookstores


Greg KetterGerard Houarner - 2002
    Here are sixteen stories, fourteen original to this anthology, each of which includes a bookstore at its core. Science fiction, fantasy and horror. Authors included are David Bischoff, P.D. Cacek, Ramsey Campbell, Charles de Lint, Marianne de Pierres, Harlan Ellison, Rick Hautala, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Gerard Houarner, John J. Miller, A.R. Morlan, Lisa Morton, Melanie Tem, Patrick Weekes, Jack Williamson, Gene Wolfe. Introduction by Neil Gaiman. Cover art by John Picacio.

The Best of Joe R. Lansdale


Joe R. Lansdale - 2010
    A soul-sucking Mummy stalks Elvis and John F. Kennedy. Joe Bob Briggs has a moral dilemma: If your girlfriend turns zombie on you, what do you do?And that’s the tame stuff.In this red-hot collection from world-champion Mojo storyteller Joe R. Lansdale, you’ll find his best, most outrageous stories. The high priest of Texan weirdness does it all: horror, mystery, satire, suspense, and even Westerns. Prepare to be offended, shocked, and cackling like a crazed redneck.Featuring five Bram Stoker Award–winning stories, this career retrospective contains some of Lansdale’s rarer work, his nonfiction forays into drive-in theaters and B-movies, and the novella Bubba Ho-Tep, later made into a cult-classic major motion picture.Come on in—the weirdness is fine.

Three Slices


Kevin Hearne - 2015
    Meanwhile, Granuaile MacTiernan starts a private war of her own against Loki, the lord of lies, and if it brings Ragnarok early—so be it. Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys by Delilah S. Dawson The number one rule of the circus? Don't kill your volunteers, even accidentally. That's how young magician Criminy Stain ends up on the run in a forest, where he meets a beautiful woman holding a bucket of blood. But is Merissa the answer to his prayers-- or the orchestrator of his ruin? Interlude: Swallow by Chuck Wendig Miriam Black is back. Miriam is tired of her curse and finally believes she knows how to be rid of her ability to see when and how other people die. She follows a lead to the mountains of Colorado, where she believes she sees signs of a serial killer she thought she already killed. (Set between THE CORMORANT and THUNDERBIRD.)

Elemental Magic: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters


Mercedes LackeySamuel Conway - 2012
    This book began a series of novels set in an alternate Britain where certain gifted individuals wield the powers of the elements: earth, air, fire, and water, for good or ill. The headquarters of this secret organization is London's White Lodge, and it is led by the aristocratic and powerful David Alderscroft, a Fire Master of unrivaled abilities known to insiders as "The Wizard of London." From his seemingly traditional men's club in the city, Lord Alderscroft and his fellow Masters monitor the magical doings in their realm, and find, guide, protect, and train all those in the British Isles who are born with the ability to control the elements. Be they commoners, women, or those not completely human, these Masters set aside the rigid customs of their day to help those gifted with magic.Inspired by this magically parallel turn-of-the-century Britain, other time travelers have followed Mercedes Lackey to this universe to add their gifts to this rich world. Join Tanya Huff, Diana Paxson, Fiona Patton, Elisabeth Waters, and others in the very first anthology of the Elemental Masters, including a never before published story by the real head of the White Lodge — Mercedes Lackey.

HebrewPunk


Lavie Tidhar - 2007
    Stories that are infused with centuries of tradition and painted with Hebrew mythology. We meet the Tzaddik as he faces off against a vengeful angel intent on sending the Fallen to hell. The shape shifting Rat fights lycanthropic Nazis. The Rabbi takes us on a thoughtful and amusing journey into the possibilities of a Jewish state in the heart of Africa. Finally, all three protagonists appear in an old-fashioned caper story that will leave you breathless. Table of Contents "The Heist" "Transylvania Mission" "Uganda" "The Dope Fiend" Special introduction by Laura Anne Gilman

My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales


Kate BernheimerKaren Joy Fowler - 2010
     Neil Gaiman, “Orange”   Aimee Bender, “The Color Master”   Joyce Carol Oates, “Blue-bearded Lover”   Michael Cunningham, “The Wild Swans”   These and more than thirty other stories by Francine Prose, Kelly Link, Jim Shepard, Lydia Millet, and many other extraordinary writers make up this thrilling celebration of fairy tales—the ultimate literary costume party.   Spinning houses and talking birds. Whispered secrets and borrowed hope. Here are new stories sewn from old skins, gathered by visionary editor Kate Bernheimer and inspired by everything from Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” and “The Little Match Girl” to Charles Perrault’s “Bluebeard” and “Cinderella” to the Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel” and “Rumpelstiltskin” to fairy tales by Goethe and Calvino and from China, Japan, Vietnam, Russia, Norway, and Mexico.   Fairy tales are our oldest literary tradition, and yet they chart the imaginative frontiers of the twenty-first century as powerfully as they evoke our earliest encounters with literature. This exhilarating collection restores their place in the literary canon.

American Supernatural Tales


S.T. JoshiHenry James - 2007
    American Supernatural Tales celebrates the richness of this tradition with chilling contributions from some of the nation’s brightest literary lights, including Poe himself, H. P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, Ray Bradbury, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and—of course— Stephen King. By turns phantasmagoric, spectral, and demonic, this is a frighteningly good addition to Penguin Classics.

Teeth: Vampire Tales


Ellen DatlowNathan Ballingrud - 2011
    Features stories by Neil Gaiman, Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Garth Nix, and many more.

The Living Dead


John Joseph AdamsHarlan Ellison - 2008
    They have become the monsters that best express the anxieties and fears of the modern west. This collection gathers together zombie works by Stephen King, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, George R. R. Martin, Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, Poppy Z. Brite, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Joe R. Lansdale. These brilliant minds, and The Living Dead, cover the many types of zombie fiction. Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

The Essential Ellison


Harlan Ellison - 1974
    A time traveler, observing him from within an invisible bubble, would not have marked him as anything more interesting than an undersized fourteen-year-old, seemingly always in hot water. Lively blue eyes, but basically just another kid." "But something was stirring, something was wakening in that nexus of energy. And in The Cleveland News of June 7th, little more than a week after he turned fifteen, Harlan Ellison's first professional writing appeared in print: the initial installment of a five-part adventure serial (liberally cribbed from Sir Walter Scott) titled "The Sword of Parmagon."" "Now, in a retrospective, 50 years of the best of Harlan Ellison has been assembled in a volume exceeding 1200 pages, encompassing fiction, essays, personal reminiscences, reviews and (published for the first time anywhere) a complete teleplay. Eighty-six complete and (with one exception) unabridged examples of the nonpareil writings of the man The Los Angeles Times labels "the 20th Century Lewis Carroll." Contents:1 · Introduction: Sublime Rebel · Terry Dowling · in 5 · Beginnings · Misc. Material · si 11 · The Sword of Parmagon · ss The Cleveland News, 1949 17 · The Gloconda · ss The Cleveland News, 1949 23 · The Wilder One · vi Sundial Jan ’55 25 · The Saga of Machine Gun Joe · vi Sundial Jan ’55 27 · Introduction to Glowworm · is Unearth Win ’77 30 · Glowworm · ss Infinity Science Fiction Feb ’56; slightly revised and expanded 41 · Life Hutch [Kyben] · ss If Apr ’56 53 · S.R.O. [as by Ellis Hart] · ss Amazing Mar ’57 63 · Worlds of Terror · Misc. Material · si 67 · Lonelyache · ss Knight Jul ’64 83 · Punky & the Yale Man · nv Knight Jan ’66 107 · A Prayer for No One’s Enemy · nv Cad Mar ’66 125 · Worlds of Love · Misc. Material · si 129 · In Lonely Lands · ss Fantastic Universe Jan ’59 135 · The Time of the Eye · ss The Saint Detective Magazine May ’59 143 · Grail · nv Twilight Zone Apr ’81 163 · That New Old-Time Religion · Misc. Material · si 167 · I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream · ss If Mar ’67 181 · Corpse · ss F&SF Jan ’72 189 · The Whimper of Whipped Dogs · ss Bad Moon Rising, ed. Thomas M. Disch, Harper & Row, 1973 205 · A Stab of Merriment · Misc. Material · si 209 · The Voice in the Garden · vi Lighthouse Jun ’67 211 · Erotophobia · ss Penthouse Aug ’71 217 · Mom · nv Silver Foxes Aug ’76 229 · Ecowareness · ss Sideshow Sep ’74 231 · The Outpost Undiscovered By Tourists · ss F&SF Jan ’82 235 · Dept. of “What Was the Question?” Dept. · ms * 237 · From Competition 4: Story Leads from the Year’s Worst Fantasy and SF · ms F&SF Apr ’73 238 · From Competition 8: Near-Miss SF Titles · ms F&SF Sep ’74 239 · From Competition 23: Unwieldy SF Titles · ms F&SF Feb ’80 239 · From Competition 26: Imaginary Collaborations · ms F&SF Mar ’81 240 · From Competition 39: Complete the Following Sentence... · ms F&SF Mar ’86 241 · Trouble with Women · Misc. Material · si 245 · The Very Last Day of a Good Woman [“The Last Day”] · ss Rogue Nov ’58 253 · Valerie: A True Memoir · ar Los Angeles Free Press Nov 3-24 ’72 267 · The Other Eye of Polyphemus · ss Cosmos SF&F Magazine Nov ’77 275 · All the Birds Come Home to Roost · ss Playboy Mar ’79 287 · To the Mattresses with Mean Demons · Misc. Material · si 293 · The Tombs: An Excerpt from Memos from Purgatory · ar Memos from Purgatory, Harlan Ellison, Regency, 1961 333 · “Our Little Miss” · ar Los Angeles Free Press, 1970 341 · A Love Song for Jerry Falwell · ar, 1984 347 · Telltale Tics and Tremors · ar Unearth Fll ’77 357 · True Love: Groping for the Holy Grail [“How I Survived the Great Videotape Matchmaker”] · ar Los Angeles Magazine, 1978 377 · Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54’ N, Longitude 77° 00’ 13" W · nv F&SF Oct ’74 407 · Rococo Technology · Misc. Material · si 413 · The Sky Is Burning · ss If Aug ’58 421 · The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World · nv Dangerous Visions, ed. Harlan Ellison, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1967 439 · Along the Scenic Route [“Dogfight on 101”] · ss Adam Aug ’69; Amazing Sep ’69 449 · The Song the Zombie Sang · Harlan Ellison & Robert Silverberg · ss Cosmopolitan Dec ’70 461 · Knox · ss Crawdaddy Mar ’74 475 · Heart’s Blood · Misc. Material · si 481 · From Alabamy, with Hate [“March to Montgomery”] · ar Knight Sep ’65 493 · My Father · ar Los Angeles Free Press, 1972 499 · My Mother · ar Saint Louis Literary Supplement, 1976 507 · Tired Old Man · ss Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine Jan ’76 517 · Gopher in the Gilly · ss Stalking the Nightmare, Phantasia, 1982 523 · Strange Wine · ss Amazing Jun ’76 531 · Nights & Days in Good Old Hollyweird · Misc. Material · si 537 · The Resurgence of Miss Ankle-Strap Wedgie · na Love Ain’t Nothing But Sex Misspelled, Trident, 1968 607 · Flintlock: An Unproduced Teleplay (1972) · pl * 687 · The Man on the Mushroom · in Ellison Wonderland, Paperback Library, 1974 691 · Somehow, I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas, Toto · ar Genesis Jun ’74; revised 707 · Face-Down in Gloria Swanson’s Swimming Pool · ar Los Angeles Magazine, 1978 711 · Petards & Hangings · Misc. Material · si 715 · Soldier [“Soldier from Tomorrow”] · nv Fantastic Universe Oct ’57 735 · The Night of Delicate Terrors · ss The Paper: A Chicago Weekly Apr 8 ’61 743 · Shattered Like a Glass Goblin · ss Orbit 4, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1968 751 · At the Mouse Circus · ss New Dimensions I, ed. Robert Silverberg, Doubleday, 1971 759 · Shadows from the Past · Misc. Material · si 763 · Free with This Box! · ss The Saint Detective Magazine Mar ’58 771 · Final Shtick · ss Rogue Aug ’60 781 · One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty · ss Orbit 8, ed. Damon Knight, G.P. Putnam’s, 1970 795 · Jeffty Is Five · ss F&SF Jul ’77 813 · Contracts on the Soul · Misc. Material · si 817 · Daniel White for the Greater Good · ss Rogue Mar ’61 827 · Neither Your Jenny Nor Mine · ss Knight Apr ’64 861 · Alive and Well and on a Friendless Voyage · ss F&SF Jul ’77 871 · The Classics · Misc. Material · si 877 · “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman · ss Galaxy Dec ’65 887 · Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes · nv Knight May ’67 905 · A Boy and His Dog [Vic & Blood] · nv New Worlds Apr ’69; revised 939 · The Deathbird · nv F&SF Mar ’73 965 · Dark Liberation · Misc. Material · si 971 · The Thick Red Moment · ar The Los Angeles Weekly News, 1981 989 · The Man Who Was Heavily into Revenge · ss Analog Aug ’78 1003 · Driving in the Spikes · ar Los Angeles Magazine, 1983 1015 · Afterword · aw