Book picks similar to
Room 13 and Other Stories by Stephen Colbourn


fantasy
horror-crime
short-stories
seriously-devoured

The Masque of Vyle


Andy Chambers - 2013
    When a troupe of these deadly warrior-performers discovers a dead Craftworld festering in the webway, they are determined to find the one responsible and exact punishment. Using the ancient craft of their Shadowseer, the trail of destruction leads the troupe to the Sable Marches, a fringe realm of the dark eldar. With several possible suspects of this heinous crime, the Harlequins decide to draw out the guilty one by staging the Masque of Vyle for the archons, a performance that will expose the truth and lead, fatally, to the perpetrator.The Masque of Vyle is archaic ritual performance, used to lure out the guilty to face the fickle justice of the harlequins. Amongst the Dark Eldar however, there are plenty of guilty souls. This tale gives a fascinating insight into both the splinter realms of Commorragh, and the enigmatic rituals of the Laughing Gods followers.

Dirty Pretty Things


Michael Faudet - 2014
    His whimsical and often erotic writing has already captured the hearts and minds of literally thousands of readers from around the world. He paints vivid pictures with intricate words and explores the compelling themes of love, loss, relationships and sex. All beautifully captured in poetry, prose, quotes and little short stories.

The King's Justice


Stephen R. Donaldson - 2016
    Now he is back with an all new novella; 40,000 words of richly imagined fantasy with beautiful world building and intense characterisation. The perfect read for existing fans and new readers alike.A man on a horse, confident in his powers but alone, rides a long and lonely road through rain-soaked woods. But he is on a path that he knows and he is bringing much needed justice with him. Four guards stop him. But not for long.Stephen Donaldson has clearly loved the opportunity to write an all new fantasy and this book is a timely reminder of the power of his writing; writing that inspired a generation of readers and authors alike.

The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit


Beatrix Potter - 1906
    It is a simple tale of what befalls a rude little rabbit that doesn't say'please' before he takes something that belongs to someone else.The Story of A Fierce Bad Rabbit is number 20 in Beatrix Potter's series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows:1 The Tale of Peter Rabbit2 The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin3 The Tailor of Gloucester4 The Tale of Benjamin Bunny5 The Tale of Two Bad Mice6 The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle7 The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher8 The Tale of Tom Kitten9 The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck10 The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies11 The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse12 The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes13 The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse 14 The Tale of Mr. Tod15 The Tale of Pigling Bland16 The Tale of Samuel Whiskers17 The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan18 The Tale of Ginger and Pickles19 The Tale of Little Pig Robinson20 The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit21 The Story of Miss Moppet22 Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes23 Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes

The Haunted and the Haunters


Edward Bulwer-Lytton - 1859
    A rationalist Victorian visits a haunted house in order to explain the nature of its ghostly inhabitants.First published in Blackwood's, August 1859.

The Monkey's Paw


W.W. Jacobs - 1902
    But every wish has a consequence, and the White family finds they are completely unprepared for what comes next. The Monkey’s Paw is a classic horror tale that gives new meaning to the phrase “be careful what you wish for.”The Monkey’s Paw has become a classic horror story and has been adapted numerous times, including into episodes of such popular television series as The X-Files, The Twilight Zone, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and Tales from the Crypt.HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

The Hogwarts Collection


J.K. Rowling - 2017
    Rediscover the stories of Remus Lupin and Minerva McGonagall in Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies; delve into Horace Slughorn's early years in Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists; and venture into the Hogwarts grounds in Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide.

Caring For Justice


M.A. Comley - 2019
     Someone is intent on attacking pensioners in their own homes. Can Lorne and Pete put an end to these heinous crimes? Or will someone else intervene to give the investigation a helping hand? Other books and novellas in this series are: Cruel Justice #1 in Police Procedurals and1# Women Sleuths. Impeding Justice #1 in Police Procedurals Final justice #1 Action and Adventure Foul Justice #1 Hard-Boiled Mysteries Guaranteed Justice #1 Women Sleuths Ultimate Justice - #2 Women Sleuths Virtual Justice - #1 Hard Boiled #2 Psychological Thrillers Hostile Justice - #1 Police Procedural Tortured Justice - #1 Vigilante Justice Rough Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Dubious Justice - #1 British Detectives Calculated Justice - #2 Action and Adventure Twisted Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Prime Justice - #2 Police Procedural Shameful Justice - #1 Women Sleuths Immoral Justice - #2 British Detectives Toxic Justice - #2 Hard-Boiled Mysteries Overdue Justice - Final book. Short stories to accompany the series involving Lorne and Pete are: Blind Justice - introduction novella to the series. It's a Dog's Life - 20,000 word novella Merry Widow - a short story Justice at Christmas - a 10,000 word short story. Unfair Justice - a 10,000 word short story Mortal Justice - a 15,000 word novella. Irrational Justice - 10,000 word short story. Seeking Justice - 15,000 word novella.

Titanic!


Paul Shipton - 2001
    It was on its first voyage across the Atlantic and many people died. But what really happened? Why did the ship hit an iceberg? Why didn't another ship save the passengers? Although the disaster happened over 80 years ago, there are still people who can remember it and it still has the power to capture the imagination.

The Body Snatcher


Robert Louis Stevenson - 1884
    Jekyll and Mr. HydeMedical school students Fettes and Macfarlane are charged with the unenviable task of receiving and paying for the institution’s research cadavers. When Fettes recognizes the dead body of a woman he saw alive and well just the day before, he suspects murder. Macfarlane, however, insists that the authorities would never believe they had nothing to do with her death. Reluctantly, Fettes agrees to keep quiet, but soon regrets his decision when another familiar corpse turns up—and takes on a life of its own.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner


Samuel Taylor Coleridge - 1792
    Modern editions use a later revised version printed in 1817 and featuring a gloss. Along with other poems in Lyrical Ballads, it was a signal shift to modern poetry and the beginning of British Romantic literature.It relates the events experienced by a mariner who has returned from a long sea voyage. The Mariner stops a man on his way to a wedding ceremony and begins to narrate a story. The Wedding-Guest's reaction turns from bemusement to impatience, fear, and fascination as the Mariner's story progresses, as can be seen in the language style: for example, the use of narrative techniques such as personification and repetition to create a sense of danger, or the supernatural, or serenity, depending on the mood each different part of the poem.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street


Anonymous - 1846
    This edition offers the original story with all its atmospheric Victorian trimmings. The story of Todd's murderous partnership with pie-maker Margery Lovett--at once inconceivably unpalatable and undeniably compelling--has subsequently set the table for a seemingly endless series of successful dramatic adaptations, popular songs and ballads, novellas, radio plays, graphic novels, ballets, films, and musicals. Both gleeful and ghoulish, the original tale of Sweeney Todd, first published under the title The String of Pearls, combines the story of Todd's grisly method of robbing and dispatching his victims--by way of Mrs. Lovett's meat pies--with a romantic sub-plot involving deception, disguise, and detective work, set against the backdrop of London's dark and unsavory streets. Editor Robert Mack 'fleshes' out the story with a fascinating introduction touching on the origins of the tale, the growth of the legend, and a history of its many retellings. Mack also includes explanatory notes that point out interesting aspects, plus a full chronology of the many versions of Sweeney Todd.Since Sweeney Todd first entered the public imagination in the mid-nineteenth-century, his exploits have chilled and fascinated audiences around the world. This new edition allows modern readers to savor the ghastly original in all its gruesome glory.

The Man With the Twisted Lip


Arthur Conan Doyle - 1995
    Sherlock Holmes solves two baffling mysteries.Adventure of the Devils FootMan with the Twisted Lip

The Chemical Garden Series


Lauren DeStefano - 2014
    In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out…16-year-old Rhine Ellery is kidnapped and sold as a bride to Linden, a rich young man with a dying wife. Even though he is kind to her, Rhine is desperate to escape her gilded cage. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she is growing dangerously attracted to, Rhine attempts to break free, in what little time she has left.FEVER: Running away brings Rhine and Gabriel right into a trap, in the form of a twisted carnival whose ringmistress keeps watch over a menagerie of girls. Just as Rhine uncovers what plans await her, her fortune turns again. With Gabriel at her side, Rhine travels through an environment as grim as the one she left a year ago – surroundings that mirror her own feelings of fear and hopelessness.SEVER: Time is running out for Rhine.With less than three years left until the virus claims her life, Rhine is desperate for answers. Having escaped torment at Vaughn’s mansion, she finds respite in the dilapidated home of her husband’s uncle, an eccentric inventor who hates Vaughn almost as much as Rhine does.

Things We Say in the Dark


Kirsty Logan - 2019
    But we can visit our fears at night, in the dark. We can turn them over and weigh them in our hands and maybe that will protect us from them. But maybe not.The characters in this collection find their aspirations for happy homes, happy families and happy memories dissected and imbued with shimmering menace. Alone in a remote house in Iceland a woman is unnerved by her isolation; another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an overgrown pool. Couples wrestle with a lack of connection to their children; a schoolgirl becomes obsessed with the female anatomical models in a museum; and a cheery account of child’s day out is undercut by chilling footnotes.These dark tales explore women’s fears with electrifying honesty and invention and speak to one another about female bodies, domestic claustrophobia, desire and violence. From a talented writer who has been compared to Angela Carter, Things We Say in the Dark is a powerful contemporary collection of feminist stories, ranging from vicious fairy tales to disturbing horror and tender ghost stories.KIRSTY LOGAN WAS SELECTED AS ONE OF BRITAIN'S TEN MOST OUTSTANDING LGBTQ WRITERS by Val McDermid for the International Literature Showcase in 2019