And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium.The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night is a collection of twelve haunting stories; modern fairy tales brimming with magic, outsiders and lost souls.

    The girl detective must go to the underworld to solve the case of the tap-dancing bank robbers. A librarian falls in love with a girl whose father collects artificial noses. A dead man posts letters home to his estranged wife. Two women named Louise begin a series of consecutive love affairs with a string of cellists. A newly married couple become participants in an apocalyptic beauty pageant. Sexy blond aliens invade New York City. A young girl learns how to make herself disappear.These eleven extraordinary stories are quirky, spooky, and smart. They all have happy endings. Every story contains a secret prize. Each story was written especially for you.Stories from Stranger Things Happen have won the Nebula, Tiptree, and World Fantasy Award. Stranger Things Happen was a Salon Book of the Year, one of the Village Voice's 25 Favorite Books of 2001, and was nominated for the Firecracker Alternative Book Award.Contents:- Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose (1998)- Water Off a Black Dog's Back (1995)- The Specialist's Hat (1998)- Flying Lessons (1995)- Travels with the Snow Queen (1996/1997)- Vanishing Act (1996)- Survivor's Ball, or, The Donner Party (1998)- Shoe and Marriage (2000)- Most of My Friends Are Two-Thirds Water (2001)- Louise's Ghost (2001)- The Girl Detective (1999)Cover painting by Shelley Jackson

    In each volume lies a mini-collection of stories which gives the reader a unique peek into the mind of the writer The Google+ Insider's Guide named as one of their top 32 authors to follow.Open the Box of Darkness to delve into a nightmare world of the macabre. Within these pages lurk refugees from a madman's nightmares. From traditional terrors such as vampires and ghosts to bizarre fetish-horrors of the author's own design,this book is for serious lovers of horror.

    With eight short stories and novellas--including three original to this collection--Galactic North imparts the centuries-spanning events that have produced the dark and turbulent world of Revelation Space.

    He's the empire’s most notorious assassin. With bounties on their heads, they’re not likely candidates for heroics, but they're on a quest for redemption. Unfortunately, they'll have to pursue and conquer great threats to earn the emperor's recognition.Three short fantasy stories set in the author's "Emperor's Edge" universe.Ice Cracker II -- When wanted criminals Sicarius and Amaranthe unearth a plot against the military’s premier ice breaking ship, they may be the only ones who can thwart the saboteurs...if the soldiers don't kill them first.Through Fire Distilled -- An assignment to investigate a "haunted" distillery turns sour when mercenaries try to collect on Amaranthe's bounty.The Frozen Water Trade -- A mission to help an old friend results in a night trapped in a cabin with blizzards and underworld predators on the outside and vengeful relatives on the inside. Alas, it's bad form to kill the client's father.

    The grief of losing one of their own, coupled with their frustration at the careless behavior of newborn immortals forces Julia Agrippina to employ Samantha Moon to find out who took Alexei, find him and bring him home safely.  Sam finds that its an offer she can’t refuse. It seems The Watchers have been very active in the background of Los Angeles, ensuring that the locals don't find out too much about the various creatures of the night that live and hunt among them... but the time to pay for their services has arrived.  Sam teams up with prolific vampire hunter Veronica, a close friend of Alexei’s, to locate the boy and with a little help from his sister, the two investigators are soon hot on the trail. But, of course, neither is used to things sailing smoothly for very long. A warning from an unlikely source, reveals a deeper, sinister reason behind Alexei’s abduction and deep in the Central American jungle, Sam uncovers a mad man’s plan to destroy an entire nation.  In a display of their all-encompassing power, The Watchers move swiftly into action and while Sam and Veronica bring their lost friend home, Julia leads the others onto the battlefield for one more stand against evil and corruption.

    This collection includes a selection of his science fiction and fantasy stories from the last five years — sixteen of his best — plus a new novelette.In addition to these seventeen selections, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories also features an excerpt from the forthcoming book three in the Dandelion Dynasty series, "The Veiled Throne".Contents:- Ghost Days (2013)- Maxwell's Demon (2012)- The Reborn (2014)- Thoughts and Prayers (2019)- Byzantine Empathy (2018)- The Gods Will Not Be Chained (2014)- Staying Behind (2011)- Real Artists (2011)- The Gods Will Not Be Slain (2014)- Altogether Elsewhere, Vast Herds of Reindeer (2011)- The Gods Have Not Died in Vain (2015)- Memories of My Mother (2012)- Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit - Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts (2016)- Grey Rabbit, Crimson Mare, Coal Leopard (2020)- A Chase Beyond the Storms: An excerpt from "The Veiled Throne", Book 3 of the Dandelion Dynasty- The Hidden Girl (2017)- Seven Birthdays (2016)- The Message (2012)- Cutting (2012)

    As A.S. Byatt renders this relationship with a powerful combination of erudition and passion, she makes the interaction of the natural and the supernatural seem not only convincing, but inevitable.The companion stories in this collection each display different facets of Byatt's remarkable gift for enchantment. They range from fables of sexual obsession to allegories of political tragedy; they draw us into narratives that are as mesmerizing as dreams and as bracing as philosophical meditations; and they all us to inhabit an imaginative universe astonishing in the precision of its detail, its intellectual consistency, and its splendor.

    Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today: Ellen Hopkins Amanda Hocking Julie Kagawa Claudia Gray Rachel Hawkins Kimberly Derting Myra McEntire Malinda Lo Sarah Rees-Brennan Jackson Pearce Christine Johnson Jeri Smith Ready Shaun David Hutchinson Saundra Mitchell Sonia Gensler Tessa Gratton Jon Skrovon

    Zitora resigned from the Sitian Council over two years ago to search for her lost sister, and no one has heard from her since. The letter is probably a trick, but Opal refuses to pass up the opportunity to help her mentor, who may be in genuine trouble. Good thing Opal isn't that easy to fool. With her two soldier friends Nic and Eve providing backup, the three travel to a small town in the Jewelrose Clan. But can they rescue the Master Magician without being caught in the same trap?

    Join Hearthstone, Blitzen, Samirah, Alex, Jack, T.J., Mallory, Halfborn, and more on a hilarious and unforgettable journey through Rick Riordan's unique take on Norse mythology. While Magnus is off visiting his cousin, Annabeth, his friends find themselves in some sticky, hairy, and smelly situations as they try to outwit moronic giants, murderous creatures, and meddlesome gods. Can they stave off Ragnarok at least until Magnus gets back?

    After all, everyone in town knows about the mysterious happenings at the mansion on the hill—including the sudden disappearance of the Baldwin’s eldest son, Tate. The former football star and Golden Boy of Wellhollow Springs became a hermit at the age of sixteen, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Rumors abound as to why, with whisperings about a strange illness that has caused deformity…turned him into a real-life monster. Bellamy wants to dismiss these rumors as gossip, but when she’s told that if she takes the job she must promise to never, ever visit the 3rd floor of the mansion, she begins to wonder if there really is some dark truth being hidden there.Tate’s condition may not be the only secret being kept at Baldwin House. There are gaps in the family’s financial history that don’t add up, and surprising connections with unscrupulous characters. At night there are strange noises, unexplained cold drafts, and the electricity cuts out. And then there are the rose petals on the staircase. The rose petals that no one but Bellamy seems to be able to see. The rose petals that form a trail leading right up to the 3rd floor, past the portrait of a handsome young man, and down a dark hallway where she promised she would never, ever go…As Bellamy works to unravel the mysteries of Baldwin House and uncover the truth about Tate, she realizes that she is in way over her head, in more ways than one. Can her bravery and determination help to right the wrongs of the past and free the young man whose story has captured her heart?

    Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

    Half of the stories portray the strengths--for good and evil--of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

     1) Soul Rebel - C.J. Pinard 2) Deadly Beauties - C.M. Owens 3) Crush - Chrissy Peebles 4) Blood & Wings - J & L Wells 5) Venom - Kristen Middleton 6) Courage Runs Red - W.J. May 7) Blair (Daughter's of Darkness) Chrissy Peebles 8) Victoria (Daughter's of Darkness) W.J. May Soul Rebel - A vampire took his soul. He wants it back... Blood's Fury - The deadliest things in life are often the most beautiful... until they strike. Crush - His precious touch could prove deadly... Blood & Wings - A story of love, loss, and betrayal. Venom - Vampires, Lycan, and Rock stars? Oh my! Courage Runs Red - What if courage was your only option? Daughter of Darkness - Blair - What happens when you're forced to go on the run and hide from your own sister? Daughter of Darkness - Victoria - Only death can stop this vampire hunter from collecting a bounty... Open preview for book descriptions. Some stories have been previously published and some have cliff-hangers. Adult content. Recommended for mature readers.