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Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies
by Deborah SheldonA selection of the darkest Australian fiction. Spawn: Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies taps into anxieties, painful memories, and nightmares. Here, your worst fears come true. Penned by established authors and fresh new voices, these stories range from the gothic and phantasmagorical, through the demonic and supernatural, to the dystopian and sci-fi. Prepare for a visceral, frightening read. Featuring work by: Geraldine Borella, Jack Dann, Rebecca De Visser, Jason Fischer, Rebecca Fraser, Gary Kemble, David Kuraria, Paul Mannering, Tracie McBride, Samantha Murray, Robyn O'Sullivan, Antoinette Rydyr, Deborah Sheldon, Charles Spiteri, H.K. Stubbs, Matt Tighe, J.M. Merryt, Kat Pekin, Mark Towse, Ash Tudor, Kaaron Warren, Janeen Webb, and Sean Williams.
The Frangipani Hotel: Fiction
by Violet KupersmithAn extraordinarily compelling debut--ghost stories that grapple with the legacy of the Vietnam War A beautiful young woman appears fully dressed in an overflowing bathtub at the Frangipani Hotel in Hanoi. A jaded teenage girl in Houston befriends an older Vietnamese gentleman she discovers naked behind a dumpster. A trucker in Saigon is asked to drive a dying young man home to his village. A plump Vietnamese-American teenager is sent to her elderly grandmother in Ho Chi Minh City to lose weight, only to be lured out of the house by the wafting aroma of freshly baked bread. In these evocative and always surprising stories, the supernatural coexists with the mundane lives of characters who struggle against the burdens of the past. Based on traditional Vietnamese folk tales told to Kupersmith by her grandmother, these fantastical, chilling, and thoroughly contemporary stories are a boldly original exploration of Vietnamese culture, addressing both the immigrant experience and the lives of those who remained behind. Lurking in the background of them all is a larger ghost--that of the Vietnam War, whose legacy continues to haunt us. Violet Kupersmith's voice is an exciting addition to the landscape of American fiction. With tremendous depth and range, her stories transcend their genre to make a wholly original statement about the postwar experience. Praise for The Frangipani Hotel "In this auspicious volume, Kupersmith has reshaped and womanhandled traditional Vietnamese folktales that her grandmother told her into a wildly energetic, present-tense fusillade of short stories. . . . In perhaps the most pungent story here, a young woman who works the graveyard shift stocking shelves at Kwon's World Grocery in suburban Houston befriends an old man she finds standing naked beside a Dumpster. His problem: He occasionally turns into a fourteen-foot python. 'I am just a very old man who is sometimes a python,' the man tells the woman. 'But you, my child, are a creature far more complex.' One might suspect that Kupersmith, who is working on her first novel, is that creature."--Ben Dickinson, Elle"Violet Kupersmith has woven together culture, tradition, family, and ghosts to create a series of short stories that are as fresh as they are mesmerizing. These stories will haunt you long after the last words have drifted off the page."--Lisa See "Surgically precise and feverishly imaginative."--Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger's Wife "This first collection introduces a writer to watch and belongs in any library serving a short story readership."--Booklist"What is most haunting in Kupersmith's nine multilayered pieces are not the specters, whose tales are revealed as stories within stories, but the lingering loss and disconnect endured by the still living. . . . [A] mature-beyond-her-years debut."--Library Journal (starred review) "These polished stories mark Kupersmith, who is in her early twenties, as one to watch."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "In this impressive debut, Violet Kupersmith displays a remarkable gift for voice and setting. Using history and horror, mystery and imagination, she has created this vivid collection of haunted and haunting stories."--Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves and The Jane Austen Book ClubFrom the Hardcover edition.
The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror (Haunted Library Horror Classics)
by Arthur Conan DoyleNine spine-tingling stories from the creator of Sherlock HolmesMournful cries in an ice-bound sea, a potion that allows the user to commune with ghosts, an Egyptian priest who cannot die, and a mesmerist of unrivaled power. Brace yourself for these and other chilling encounters in The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror. Even before he created Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle terrified and delighted readers with tales of suspense, haunted by mysterious forces that defy rational explanation. These stories capture the unique draw of the uncanny and the curiosity that compels us all to ask, "Could it be true?"Presented by the Horror Writers Association, and introduced by award-winning author Daniel Stashower, this collection illuminates Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's talent for the macabre and the supernatural. The Parasite and the other stories in this collection showcase Conan Doyle at his most inventive, sure to entertain both new readers and his most dedicated fans.
Prom House (Underlined Paperbacks)
by Chelsea MuellerProm weekend at the beach turns deadly in this unputdownable thriller.A KILLER AFTERPARTY . . .When Kylie walks into the gorgeous beach house, it&’s a dream come true. She still can&’t believe she talked her parents into letting her spend the weekend down the shore with her boyfriend, Liam, after prom. Kylie, Liam, and their friends have rented the most amazing party house—and it&’s all theirs. Prom was awesome, but this is going to be even better.Except there&’s a little problem. A violent storm hits the beach and the power goes out—with no sign that it&’s coming back anytime soon. Roughing it with candles and camping lanterns isn&’t the vibe they were going for, but everyone wants to make the most of it. Until people start disappearing . . . and turning up dead. Kylie is terrified. Is somebody&’s prom date a killer?
The Betrayal (Fear Street Saga #1)
by R. L. StineNora knows the secrets behind the horrifying things happening on Fear Street and reveals the dark legacy that marked the start of the terror three hundred years earlier, when a young girl was burned at the stake.
The Unwelcome Warlock (Legend of Ethshar)
by Lawrence Watt-EvansThe Calling. Sooner or later, it claimed every powerful warlock ... a growing magical compulsion to go north to the mysterious land of Aldagmor that nothing could stop. None ever returned.Hanner the Warlock knew his days were numbered. The Calling pulled at him ceaselessly now, and his ability to resist had begun to crumble. So he determined to find a place where the Calling couldn't reach him . . . another world, located through a magic tapestry. Every warlock knew that the farther he was from Aldagmor, the weaker the Calling was - and the weaker his magic was, as well, but that was only a secondary consideration. That weakening had given Hanner the idea to find, or make, a place so distant from Aldagmor that the Call couldn't reach it at all.Unfortunately, the Call took him anyway. And that's where his story really gets interesting. Because the Calling wasn't what everyone believed. And when the warlocks who had been Called over the decades suddenly woke up again beside the object doing the calling - and found themselves without their powers - their world may never be the same!
The Hellfire Club
by Peter StraubThey are dying, one by one. THE HELLFIRE CLUB is a reissued thriller from the multi-million copy bestselling author, Peter Straub.'The Hellfire Club' moves like an express train - very fine work indeed'STEPHEN KINGWealthy, middle-aged women in an exclusive Connecticut suburb have each disappeared from blood-spattered bedrooms. Their murderer remains at large. Nora Chancel, wife of publishing scion Davey Chancel, fears she may be next. After all, her past has branded her a victim . . . .THE HELLFIRE CLUB is Peter Straub at his very best. A nerve-jangling thriller of astonishing pace, featuring one of the most hypnotic killers ever created.
The Augur's Gambit
by Stephen DonaldsonFrom the international bestselling author of The Chronicles ofThomas Covenant comes an extensive and all original new fantasy novella.Augur's Gambit is a tight and action-filled novella of more than 40,000 words. A novella with all the rich word-building and acute characterisation that readers have come to expect from the man who re-invigorated the whole genre in the 1980s and went on to write one of Fantasy's landmark series.Revelling in the sense of freedom that comes from writing a new creation after the massive, controlled effort of the ten book epic of the Chronicles this is a novella that will both delight existing fans and win new readers for Donaldson's uniquely rich and intelligent fantasies.
The Corrupted: Book 3 (The Last Immortal #3)
by Alex MarloweFollowing the shocking events of the previous book, The Immortals are disheartened and cracks are beginning to show in their alliance. Then a new face brings secrets from Luke's past to light, turning everything he thought he knew upside-down.Which makes it the perfect moment for their enemies to strike...
The Lost Vampire: Last True Vampire 5 (Last True Vampire #7)
by Kate BaxterThe Lost Vampire is the fifth novel in Kate Baxter's passionate, intoxicating and addictively dark Last True Vampire series. An unforgettable, intensely emotional, and hot series for fans of Bella Forrest, J.R. Ward, Nalini Singh and Lara Adrian.Centuries ago, the vampire race was almost destroyed. Now, salvation rests upon one - the last true vampire.Once one of the oldest dhampirs in existence, Saeed now faces a treacherously uncertain future as a vampire. He believes that the only thing that can restore his position within his coven and tether his lost soul is the flame-haired fae who is destined to be his mate.Cerys Bain is a soul thief. She is feared by those who dwell in the supernatural realm - and hopelessly bound to the ruthless mage Rinieri de Rege. The raw, sensual vampire who enters her world is both a threat and an intoxicating temptation: no one has ever made Cerys feel the way Saeed does. But to claim their fate as soulmates, Saeed must first find a way to free Cerys from Rin. Is their desire worth the risk of certain destruction - and eternal doom?Addicted to the wild world of the Last True Vampire? Don't miss the earlier books in the series, The Last True Vampire, The Warrior Vampire, The Dark Vampire and The Untamed Vampire.
The Vondish Ambassador (Legend of Ethshar)
by Lawrence Watt-EvansOnce, not so long ago, A warlock named Vond built an empire in the southern part of the Small Kingdoms. Vond is gone, but his empire survives under the rule of a seven-person Imperial Council and a young regent named Sterren. The Empire of Vond was hardly trouble-free after Vond's departure. Its neighbors are understandably wary of further expansion, there are questions about how Vond's magic became so potent, and so on. Most of the World, though, doesn't care -- Vond is off there in the southeastern corner of the World, far away from anywhere important.But one day a dockworker named Emmis watches a Vondish ship arrive in Ethshar of the Spices and finds himself hired as native guide and aide to someone who claims to be Vond's ambassador plenipotentiary to the overlords of the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars.But who is the Vondish ambassador, really, and what is his true business in Ethshar? And who has followed him to the city?
The Trembling Hills: The Turquoise Mask, The Trembling Hills, And The Quicksilver Pool
by Phyllis WhitneyThe nights of Sara's childhood had been haunted by dreams of a candlelit figure glimpsed in a mirror but by day she was bright, passionate and indomitable. In spite of her mother's opposition she decides to follow her benefactor's son Ritchie Temple to San Francisco. He had always been the man for her. But Sara could not know about the terrors that were in store for her. For it was in the towering old Varady mansion that she was suddenly to find her childhood nightmare turning into reality and her dreams turned to dust by the terrible secrets from the past.
The Hatching
by Ezekiel BooneThe first female president of the United States is summoned to an emergency briefing.Deep in the jungle of Peru, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist party whole. FBI agent Mike Rich investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Indian earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. The Chinese government "accidentally" drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. And all of these events are connected. As panic begins to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at Melanie Guyer's Washington laboratory. The unusual egg inside begins to crack. Something is spreading...The world is on the brink of an apocalyptic disaster. An virulent ancient species of spiders, long dormant, is now very much awake. But this is only the beginning of our end...
The Privilege of the Sword
by Ellen KushnerWelcome to Riverside, where the aristocratic and the ambitious battle for power and prestige in the city's labyrinth of streets and ballrooms, theatres and brothels, boudoirs and salons. Into this alluring and alarming world walks a bright young woman ready to take it on and make her fortune. A well-bred country girl, Katherine knows all the rules of conventional society. Her biggest mistake is thinking they apply.Katherine's host and uncle, Alec Campion, the capricious and decadent Mad Duke Tremontaine, is in charge here - and to him, rules are made to be broken. When he decides it would be far more amusing for his niece to learn swordplay than to follow the usual path to ballroom and husband, her world changes forever. And there's no going back. Blade in hand, it's up to Katherine to ?nd her own way through a maze of secrets and betrayals, nobles and scoundrels - and to gain the power, respect, and self-discovery that come to those who master . . . the privilege of the sword.
I Am Behind You
by John Ajvide LindqvistA supernatural superthriller from the author of Let the Right One InMolly wakes her mother to go to the toilet. The campsite is strangely blank. The toilet block has gone. Everything else has gone too. This is a place with no sun. No god.Just four families remain. Each has done something to bring them here - each denies they deserve it. Until they see what's coming over the horizon, moving irrevocably towards them. Their worst mistake. Their darkest fear.And for just one of them, their homecoming.This gripping conceptual horror takes you deep into one of the most macabre and unique imaginations writing in the genre. On family, on children, Lindqvist writes in a way that tears the heart and twists the soul. I Am Behind You turns the world upside down and, disturbing, terrifying and shattering by turns, it will suck you in.
Tales of Ethshar (Legend of Ethshar)
by Lawrence Watt-EvansEthshar, or "the World" as its inhabitants call it, is the setting for almost a dozen novels by Lawrence Watt-Evans. The dominant nation on the World is the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars, while the largest, richest city, where most of the stories are set, is Ethshar of the Spices. The name itself comes from words meaning "safe harbor." You don't need to have read any of the novels to enjoy the stories herein; each one should stand alone. And if you've read the novels, you will enjoy this return to the world of Ethshar with 11 stories...
The Dark Net
by Benjamin Percy'One of the best Stephen King novels not written by the master himself' - New York Times*******************The dark net is an online shadowland for criminals to operate anonymously, but when a demonic force begins to hack the minds of its users there is nowhere left to hide.Twelve-year-old HANNAH has been fitted with a high-tech prosthetic that restores her sight, but can't understand why she can now see shadows surrounding certain people.LELA, an emotionally shut-off, technophobic journalist stumbles onto a story nobody wants her to uncover. A story someone will kill to keep hidden.A former evangelist, MIKE, suffers demons - figurative and literal - and keeps an arsenal of weapons stored in the basement of the homeless shelter he runs.And DEREK is a hacker who believes himself a soldier, part of a cyber army dedicated to changing the world for the better.With the virus spreading throughout the net and an ancient evil threatening to break lose on the real world, it falls to these strangers to stop the rising darkness. THE DARK NET is a cracked-mirror version of the digital nightmare we already live in, a timely and wildly imaginative techno-thriller about the evil that lurks in real and virtual spaces, and the power of a united few to fight back.****************Praise for THE DARK NET'THE DARK NET is a megawatt defibrillator to the reader's heart' - Dean Koontz'An impressive, propulsive narrative velocity at work here' - Metro'THE DARK NET kicked my ass with its deft mash-up of both blackhat hacker culture and black magic. A fast, fantastic, throat-punch of a read' - Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Blackbirds and Zer0es
Wolfhound Empire (The Wolfhound Century Trilogy)
by Peter HigginsPeter Higgins' Vlast is a superbly imagined 'other' Russia, an epic land of trackless forest, sentient rain and powers deep in the Earth.Inspector Vissarion Lom is summoned to the great capital city of Mirgorod to catch the terrorist Josef Kantor. He's been chosen because he's an outsider, impartial to the capital's cruel politics - though not for long. His investigation opens his eyes to a city teeming with corruption: a murky world of secret police and revolutionaries, and a conspiracy that extends to the upper echelons of the government.But Lom soon has other concerns. Nature is turning against the city, and the horrors of war threaten everyone within its walls.WOLFHOUND EMPIRE brings this incredibly powerful trilogy together for the first time.
Black Dog
by Neil GaimanA special illustrated edition of Black Dog by bestselling storytelling legend, Neil Gaiman. This American Gods world novella will thrill Games of Thrones devotees and Terry Pratchett fans alike. Illustrations by celebrated artist Daniel Egnéus.'Original, engrossing, and endlessly entertaining' George R.R Martin on American Gods'It followed me home,' he said, conversationally. In a rural northern village, legend tells of a ghostly black dog that appears from the darkness before you die. Shadow Moon has been on the road a while now but he can't walk any further tonight, not with the rain lashing down. Gratefully, he heads home with a nice English couple, who offer a box room, hot whisky and local tales. But when the man collapses en route, Shadow realises that something about this place has been left untold. Something ancient, something within the very walls of the village. Something shadowing them all.
The Sorcerer's Widow (Legend of Ethshar)
by Lawrence Watt-EvansThe great wizard Nabal's death offers many opportunities, both for those who knew him and those who did not. For young conmen Ezak and Kel, it means a chance to loot the wizard's estate... if they can win the confidence of Nabal's widow, Dorna. But Dorna has plans of her own. She means to leave the tiny village for a better life in the city. And all of Nabal's wizardly artifacts and talismans will pay for that new life - if she can only get them there intact!
The Haunted Lady: The fifth book in a suspenseful and chilling mystery series (The Eden House Mysteries, Book Five) (The Eden House Mysteries #5)
by Bill Kitson'Loved it' ***** Reader Review'Gripping' ***** Reader Review Returning from their honeymoon, newly-weds Adam and Eve Bailey are immediately plunged into another investigation - one that poses their biggest challenge yet.After a local art dealer is found stabbed to death behind the local cricket pavilion, another killing swiftly follows.Meanwhile, Reverend Michael Phillips, vicar of the local church is beset with problems. Since the disappearance of a rare painting that hung there, his parishioners believe the church's Lady Chapel to be haunted. And, adding to his woes, Michael's fiancée has discovered her birth certificate to be forged, forcing them to postpone their wedding.Adam and Eve must race against time to uncover deadly secrets from the past to reveal the killer - secrets that others will stop at nothing to keep hidden.The Haunted Lady is the fifth novel in Bill Kitson's chilling and suspenseful Eden House mystery series. Perfect for fans of Peter James's Cold Hill series, Val McDermid and J M Dalgliesh.Readers are hooked on The Eden House Mysteries:'I couldn't sleep until I had finished this book' ***** Reader Review'The best book I have read in a while' ***** Reader Review'Captivating from start to finish. Brilliant page turner. I couldn't put it down' ***** Reader Review'Read the whole thing in a day' ***** Reader Review'One of the best authors I have come across' ***** Reader Review'More twists than a corkscrew' ***** Reader Review'The characters are brilliant and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Would highly recommend this book!' ***** Reader Review
The Fall of the Kings
by Ellen Kushner Delia ShermanGenerations ago the last king fell, taking with him the final truths about a race of wizards who ruled at his side. But the blood of the kings runs deep in the land and its people, waiting for the coming together of two unusual men. Theron Campion is heir to an ancient house - and a modern scandal. Tormented by his twin duties to his family and his own bright spirit, he seeks solace in the University. There he meets Basil St. Cloud, a brilliant and charismatic teacher ruled by a passion for knowledge - and for the ancient kings. Around these two are gathering those who believe the land still cries out for a king - and those who would do anything to stop them returning.
Girls in Contemporary Vampire Fiction (Palgrave Gothic)
by Agnieszka Stasiewicz-BieńkowskaThis book explores the narratives of girlhood in contemporary YA vampire fiction, bringing into the spotlight the genre’s radical, ambivalent, and contradictory visions of young femininity. Agnieszka Stasiewicz-Bieńkowska considers less-explored popular vampire series for girls, particularly those by P.C. and Kristin Cast and Richelle Mead, tracing the ways in which they engage in larger cultural conversations on girlhood in the Western world. Mapping the interactions between girl and vampire corporealities, delving into the unconventional tales of vampire romance and girl sexual expressions, examining the narratives of women and violence, and venturing into the uncanny vampire classroom to unmask its critique of present-day schooling, the volume offers a new perspective on the vampire genre and an engaging insight into the complexities of growing up a girl.
Midnight Movie: A Novel
by Alan Goldsher Tobe HooperThe good news: Director Tobe Hooper has been invited to speak at a screening of Destiny Express, a movie he wrote and directed as a teenager, but that hasn't seen the light of day in decades. And Hooper's fans are ecstatic. The bad news: Destiny Express proves to be a killer . . . literally. As the death toll mounts, Tobe embarks on a desperate journey to understand the film's thirty-year-old origins--and put an end to the strange epidemic his creation has set in motion. Featuring the terror, humor, and sly documentary style Hooper devotees remember from such classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Midnight Movie is vintage Tobe Hooper, again demonstrating the director's place as one of the godfathers of modern horror.
More Short & Shivery: Thirty Terrifying Tales
by Robert D. San Souci Katherine CovilleThirty hair-raising stories from around the world fill this spooky collection with delicious shivers and spine-tingling chills. Sit down and meet "The Vampire Cat," "The Draug" and "The Rolling Head"; or take a stroll with "The Thing in the Woods." You'll find favorites such as "The Golden Arm" and startling new stories such as "Knock...Knock...Knock," vividly told with plenty of ghastly details and spooky endings. There's something here for everyone who likes a good shudder...but be prepared for goose bumps!Twenty delightfully creepy illustrations by Katherine Coville and Jacqueline Rogers highlight this companion to Robert San Souci's first collection of scary stories, Short & Shivery.From the Trade Paperback edition.