They're spoken of in stories and superstitions, relics of an unenlightened age, old wives' tales, passed down through generations. And yet, no matter how wary and jaded we have become, as individuals or as a society, a part of us remains vulnerable to them. Werewolves and wendigos, poltergeists and vampires, angry elves and vengeful spirits.In this beautifully illustrated volume, the host of the hit podcast Lore serves as a guide on a fascinating journey through the history of these terrifying creatures, and explores not only the legends but what they tell us about ourselves. Aaron Mahnke invites us to the desolate Pine Barrens of New Jersey, where the notorious winged, red-eyed Jersey Devil dwells. Mahnke delves into harrowing accounts of cannibalism-some officially documented, others the stuff of speculation . . . perhaps. He visits the dimly lit rooms where séances take place, the European villages where gremlins make mischief, and Key West, Florida, home of a haunted doll named Robert.The monsters of folklore have become not only a part of our language but a part of our collective psyche. Whether these beasts and bogeymen are real or just a reflection of our primal fears, we know, on some level, that not every mystery has been explained, and that the unknown still holds the power to strike fear deep in our hearts and souls. As Aaron Mahnke reminds us, sometimes the truth is even scarier than the lore...

    Throughout Lovecraft acknowledges those writers and stories that are the very finest that the horror field has to offer: Edgar Allen Poe, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, Guy de Maupassant, and Arthur Conan Doyle, among others. Stephen Jones is the winner of three World Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards, three International Horror Guild Award, and a fifteen-time recipient of the British Fantasy Award. He lives in London.

    For the first time ever, a monster collection of 26 new original Kolchak short fiction stories by noted authors from comics, horror fiction, and film! With the advent of the new Kolchak ABC TV show, Moonstone proudly announces new contemporary prose adventures of the original Kolchak, TV's first and foremost paranormal investigator! Plus all kinds of other cool stuff, like tales from Kolchak's untold past, monster huntings, noir thrillers, and even horror stories of more cerebral type!

    Wodehouse, John Steinbeck, and Ian Rankin

    A young adventurer succumbs to the night world of a diabolic count. A man of medicine explores his darker side only to fall prey to it. They are legendary tales that have held readers spellbound for more than a century. The titles alone -- Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde -- have become part of a universal language that serves to put a monster's face on the good-and-evil duality of our very human nature. And the authors -- Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Robert Louis Stevenson -- equally mythic, are still possessed of as inventive and subversive power that can shake a reader to this day with something far more profound than fear. They gave root to the modern horror novel, and like the creatures they invented, they've achieved immortality.

    Thirty-two good stories--some previously anthologized, some hot off the press ("Beauty and the Opera" by Suzy McKee Charnas appeared in July 1996), and a few once considered classic, but now nearly forgotten (Thomas Burnett Swann is rapidly falling out of sight)--offer entertainment for every taste. Many of the stories ("The Overworld" by Jack Vance, and "The Changeling" by Michael Swanwick) also offer continuation elsewhere as part of a longer work.Gardner Dozois's emphasis is on magazine fiction. As such, it's an interesting view of the evolution and increasing sophistication of the "pulps"--and their readers. For this reason this would be an excellent text for a course on modern fantasy writing. Stories from Asimov Science Fiction Magazine, which Dozois edits, are prominent among the recent pieces. Providing a brief history of 20th-century fantasy, the introduction seems written with the new reader in mind.ContentsWalk Like a Mountain • [John the Balladeer] • (1955) • shortstory by Manly Wade WellmanScylla's Daughter • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1961) • novella by Fritz LeiberPaper Dragons • (1985) • novelette by James P. BlaylockThe Golem • (1955) • shortstory by Avram DavidsonFlowers of Edo • (1987) • novelette by Bruce SterlingBears Discover Fire • (1990) • shortstory by Terry BissonThe Changeling's Tale • (1994) • shortstory by Michael SwanwickMissolonghi 1824 • (1990) • shortstory by John CrowleyBlunderbore • (1990) • shortstory by Esther M. FriesnerInto Gold • (1986) • novelette by Tanith LeeSpace-Time for Springers • [Gummitch the Cat] • (1958) • shortstory by Fritz LeiberBeauty and the Opéra or the Phantom Beast • (1996) • novelette by Suzy McKee CharnasThe Man Who Painted the Dragon Griaule • [Griaule] • (1984) • novelette by Lucius ShepardA Cabin on the Coast • (1984) • shortstory by Gene WolfeThe Sleep of Trees • (1980) • shortstory by Jane YolenTrouble with Water • (1939) • shortstory by H. L. GoldThe Gnarly Man • (1939) • novelette by L. Sprague de CampDeath and the Executioner • [Lord of Light] • (1967) • novelette by Roger ZelaznyThe Manor of Roses • [John & Stephen] • (1966) • novella by Thomas Burnett SwannThe Overworld • [Dying Earth] • (1965) • novelette by Jack VanceExtempore • (1956) • shortstory by Damon KnightGod's Hooks! • (1982) • shortstory by Howard WaldropBuffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight • (1987) • novelette by Ursula K. Le GuinThe Tale of Hauk • (1977) • novelette by Poul AndersonA Gift of the People • (1988) • shortstory by Robert SampsonConfiguration of the North Shore • (1969) • shortstory by R. A. LaffertyTwo Sadnesses • (1973) • shortstory by George Alec EffingerManatee Gal, Won't You Come Out Tonight • [Jack Limekiller] • (1977) • novelette by Avram Davidson (aka Manatee Gal Ain't You Coming Out Tonight)The Signaller • [Pavane] • (1966) • novelette by Keith RobertsThe Troll • (1935) • shortstory by T. H. WhiteDeath and the Lady • (1992) • novelette by Judith TarrProfessor Gottesman and the Indian Rhinoceros • (1995) • novelette by Peter S. BeaglePreface (Modern Classics of Fantasy) • (1997) • essay by Gardner DozoisRecommended Reading (Modern Classics of Fantasy) • essay by Gardner Dozois

    . . and then you're undead?in this must-have collection, five of today's hottest writers—Libba Bray (A Great and Terrible Beauty), Cassandra Clare (City of Bones), Claudia Gray (Evernight), Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes), and Sarah Mlynowski (Bras & Broomsticks)—tell supernatural tales of vacations gone awry. Lost luggage is only mildly unpleasant compared to bunking with a witch who holds a grudge. And a sunburn might be embarrassing and painful, but it doesn't last as long as a curse. Of course, even in the most hellish of situations, love can thrive. . . .From light and funny to dark and creepy, these stories have something for everyone. You definitely won't want to leave this collection at home!

    But nothing prepared him for Milkwood: a fat, ugly bastard who could take a beating like a government mule, but never, ever won. So when Malcolm risks his life to discover Milkwood's secret, he convinces the fighter to stop being a punching bag and to go for broke in the local tournament. Only problem? A beautiful woman called Lash who needs Milkwood for her own purposes, and a fouler creature on her heels known only as Dizzy Colt. But for Malcolm and Milkwood? Hell, it’s just another day of Blood and SawdustPRAISE FOR BLOOD AND SAWDUST!"With wicked, playful prose that blends the best of pulp with the supernatural, Jason Ridler’s Blood and Sawdust creates an unholy, hell-raising hybrid, the kind of tale Christopher Moore and Jim Thompson might swap after a long night of drinking, trying to one-up one another with acerbic absurdity." Joe Clifford, Author of CHOICE CUTS and JUNKIE LOVEPRAISE FOR THE WORK OF JASON RIDLER!"An exciting new writer." Lucius Shepard, multiple-award-winning author of HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN PRAYER. “Jason Ridler is kind of like a bull rider who’s tossed a saddle on a Tiger tank, and he’s riding that bucking sucker for all he’s worth, because, hey, no one told him that he couldn’t do it, did they? So here he is, the Man in the Barbed-Wire Straitjacket." Norman Partridge, Award Winning Author of DARK HARVEST. "Jason Ridler’s work is intense and taut, with incredible characters and plots that keep your mind buzzing long after you’ve reached the final page." Trent Zelazny, author of TOO LATE TO CALL TEXAS, and FRACTAL DESPONDENCY. ABOUT THE AUTHORJason S. Ridler is the author of BLOOD AND SAWDUST, the Spar Battersea thrillers (DEATH MATCH, CON JOB and DICE ROLL), the short story collection KNOCKOUTS, and has published over fifty stories in such magazines and anthologies as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Brain Harvest, Chilling Tales, and more. His popular non-fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld, Dark Scribe, and the Internet Review of Science Fiction. A former punk rock musician and cemetery groundskeeper, Mr. Ridler holds a Ph.D. in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Visit him at twitter at http://twitter.com/JayRidler, Facebook ,http://www.facebook.com/Ridlerville, or his writing blog, Ridlerville, atwww.jsridler.com

    The fairy tale-based works of the tortured confessional poet, whose raw honesty and wit in the face of psychological pain have touched thousands of readers.

    Here, along with the usual monsters - vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and some of Dr Frankenstein's more freakish creations - you'll find other, less familiar ones. You'll meet the frightening Fly-by-Night, the hideous shaddy, the horrible mock, and the dreaded shadmock, perhaps the most terrible of all. When Donald McCloud offers a starving man a meal, he unexpectedly discovers that the man is a vampire - and he's the main course! Accompanying the vampire, Eramus, to The Monster Club, Donald encounters a whole host of strange monsters, who, in a series of five linked stories, recount to Donald their monstrous exploits. But as Donald is regaled with these tales of monsters and their unfortunate human victims, it gradually dawns on him that as the only human in a club full of bloodthirsty monsters, he might be in a bit of a predicament. . . . First published as a paperback original in 1976, R. Chetwynd-Hayes's "The Monster Club" was adapted for a 1981 film starring Vincent Price, John Carradine and Donald Pleasence, and both book and film have gone on to become cult classics. Told in a wry, tongue-in-cheek style, the tales in "The Monster Club" are simultaneously horrific, comical, and curiously moving. This edition is the first in more than twenty years and features a new introduction by Stephen Jones and a reproduction of John Bolton's painting from the comic book adaptation of the film.

    Reissue.

    

    Herein lie the dark legends scribed long ago. These tragic tales of myth and forbidden lore chronicle a sinister legacy, as it unfolded in the forgotten past, and the curse that yet lurks within the shadow of the Dark Tower. This lavishly illustrated anthology features 13 sinister and darkly alluring tales based upon the gothic artwork of Joseph Vargo. Each story in this unique anthology is woven together to create a new and compelling saga of vampire lore. Also look for the sequel "Beyond The Dark Tower" and "The Dark Tower"music soundtrack by Nox Arcana.

    Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose,” “Thousandfurs,” and “The Girl with No Hands,” Pullman retells his fifty favorites, paying homage to the tales that inspired his unique creative vision—and that continue to cast their spell on the Western imagination.

    Some of the stories are inspired by true events and some are inspired by ideas of my dear readers! Find out which ones inside this scary collection."BABYSITTER"Rachel was just a regular teenager living a normal life, when the new, rich family moved into town. They had 2 children and were looking for a babysitter. She thought it would be a nice way to get some money. What was in store for her, however, was a bloody and shocking night to remember."DARK SIDE"Selene and Damien seemed like a normal couple, but Damien started to act weirdly and spent a lot of time in his price room where he did his job. Damien was an artist and needed his private area. What was Damien actually doing in his private room was more terrifying than Selene could ever have imagined."THE CURSE OF HERNANDEZ"A newly married couple found the perfect home to call their own. While cleaning out the upstairs attic the husband discovers an old suitcase. Upon opening, they find the remains of documents and papers with their last name on them- Hernandez. Strange, but they decided to ignore it and throw the suitcase away. They should have never done this because that is when strange things started to happen.