Classic Literature Dark

In a darkly fantastical debut set in modern-day Britain, magic users control everything: wealth, politics, power - and you. If you’re not one of the ultimate one-percenters - the magical elite - you owe them 10 years of service. This is the darkly decadent world of Gilded Cage. In its glittering milieu move the all-powerful Jardines and the everyday Hadleys. The families have only one thing in common: Each has three children. But their destinies entwine when one family enters the service of the other. They will all discover whether any magic is more powerful than the human spirit.

This story of raging comedy and despair centers on the tempestuous marriage of an heiress and a Vietnam veteran. From their "carpenter Gothic" rented house, Paul sets himself up as a media consultant for Reverend Ude, an evangelist mounting a grand crusade that conveniently suits a mining combine bidding to take over an ore strike on the site of Ude's African mission.

American poet, critic, and short-story writer Edgar Allan Poe is universally recognized for his cultivation of the macabre in fiction. His stories are characterized by an original kind of supernatural horror, often using the awareness of death as a catalyzing force in its own right. His tales and poems brim with psychological depth and intense imagery, made vivid through his musical language and hypnotic rhythms, which are especially captivating when heard aloud.

Layla and the other survivors now find themselves caught in a war for our world, the unwitting victims of a grudge seething for eons. Surviving the zombie apocalypse has become the least of their worries as they come up against vampires, shapeshifters, and fae. When she uncovers an unspeakable horror, whom can Layla trust? The carnie girl? The doctor searching for a cure? The tarot reader? The stranger with alluring gold eyes? Or the man she loves?

Here are 23 terrifying tales, dark reflections of the silver screen from both sides of the camera. James Dean gets a second chance at life and death. The Wicked Witch is out of Oz, and she's made some very unlucky friends. When God decides reality needs an editor, what and who gets cut?

Artificer General Sebastian Nemo has faced myriad dangers while serving his king and kingdom, but none so fascinating and sinister as the Convergence of Cyriss. In the wake of an unprovoked attack on the Cygnaran town of Calbeck, Nemo and his forces hasten to confront the strange clockwork soldiers and machinery led by a young warcaster prodigy named Aurora, Numen of Aerogenesis. Nemo soon learns of the Convergence’s plans to transform Caen and its people to suit their enigmatic goddess, who favors machines over the living.

Wren, a seasoned healer, is dismayed when Somnia Online automatically assigns her character, Murmur, to the Enchanter class. Determined to overcome the unexpected setback, she assembles her guild, intent on the coveted number-one spot. Twelve keys stand between her and victory, but finding them is only part of the puzzle. Armed with telepathic abilities, Murmur rises to the challenge. However, old rivals have followed her to Somnia Online desperate for revenge.

One minute I was a courier for criminals, making ends meet so I could take care of my little brother; the next, four stunningly hot Norse gods had brought me back from the dead with wings sprouting from my back and a whole set of valkyrie powers. I guess that's just how life goes sometimes. Too bad our victory over our supernatural enemies turned out to be a farce. The divine home I thought I'd receive is a trap instead - a trap that's slowly closing in on us, dredging up every painful moment from our pasts.

Rulke the Great Betrayer is free at last, to use the deadly construct he has spent a thousand years perfecting. To succeed he needs just one thing – Karan's sensitive talent. Karan and her lover Llian are lost in the Nightland, in an alien palace that is collapsing around them. Only Rulke can open the gate and send them home to Santhenar, but Karan is terrified that he will corrupt Llian first.

Having battled and defeated every adversary in his path, Abraham and the Henchmen’s bond grows stronger when a darker fate intervenes. The King demands satisfaction. The quest to complete the Crown of Stones is far from over. The eager king thrusts another mysterious Henchmen into the group, a wizard with god-like powers, but can he be trusted?

Dinah has lost everyone she ever loved. Her brother was brutally murdered. The wicked man she believed was her father betrayed her. Her loyal subjects have been devastated by war. And the boy she gave her heart to broke it completely. Now, a dark queen has risen out of the ashes of her former life. Fury is blooming inside Dinah, poisoning her soul and twisting her mind. All she has left is Wonderland and her crown and her obsession to fight for both.

Step right up to see the oddities and marvels of The Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show! Gasp at pit wasps the size of a man's forearm. Beware the pumpkin-headed corn stalker, lest it plant its roots in you! Annie Pearl is the keeper of oddities, the mistress of monsters. Her unique collection of creatures is one of the circus' star attractions, drawing wide-eyed crowds at every small frontier town they visit. But Annie is also a woman running from her past...and the mother of a mute young daughter, Adeline, whom she will do anything to protect.

Discovering a new way to grow exponentially stronger, Lucian forms an unsteady alliance with the angel Danira, one that he hopes could grow into something more. Matters are complicated once Lucian is given a deadline by the Council of Death: produce his predecessor, who has mysteriously disappeared, or be tortured until he relinquishes his mantle.

Nate Temple has an appointment in Hell. One he can’t reschedule… After recent events, Nate took some much-deserved time off for a little rest and relaxation. But when he finally returns home to attend what should have been a celebration of love, he finds insidious fear infecting the streets of St. Louis. Paranoia. Chaos. Anarchy. It seems every supernatural family in town is sick and tired of Nate and wants to put him in his place. The worst part… all his friends seem to agree.

A spell revealed I was marked by the raven. Now what? Well, I already know day drinking isn’t the answer. And Mephisto, with his increasing interest in me and my magic, isn’t either. But what is? The secrets behind the mark keep unfolding, revealing that I’m more dangerous than anyone ever suspected and that I’m the only person preventing the demise of several powerful and dangerous magical beings. Some people want me as an ally and others simply want me dead - and I have no idea who’s on my side.

My name is Sam Ryder. I was abducted from Earth and brought to a planet called Tor, a world of dying goddesses and monsters. I was leveled up - five times now - turning me from a slightly overweight gamer into a ripped god responsible for protecting three uber-hot goddesses and a retinue of alien women warriors. At this point in the yarn, we've recovered two of the three goddesses' hearts, but still have one to go. Oh yeah, and we're about to be attacked by the largest demon horde in the history of the universe. All in a day's work.

My name is Sam Ryder. I was abducted from Earth and brought to a planet called Tor, a world of dying goddesses and monsters. I was leveled up - four times now - turning me from a slightly overweight gamer into a man-beast demigod charged with the unfortunate tasks of kicking demon ass and getting busy with gorgeous goddesses and exotic alien women. At this point in the tale, we’re about to be attacked by a massive army of shadow monsters conjured from the depths of the underworld (yeah, that part sucks), but don’t worry, there’s hope. Because we’re awesome.

Loosely inspired by the legend of Camelot, Dark Sexy Knight tells the story of dinner theater knight Colt Lane, who meets down-on-her-luck Verity Gwynn on the worst day of her life. Evicted from their home, Verity and her special-needs brother, Ryan, must find jobs or risk being separated. Colt, who is the furthest-possible thing from a white knight in real life, comes to their unlikely rescue, quickly cementing his place in Verity's heart.

Seyonne, the slave-turned-hero from Berg's highly acclaimed Transformation, returns to discover the nature of evil - in a "spellbinding" (Romantic Times) epic saga.

He is England's greatest knight, the man who saved the life of Alfred the Great and an entire kingdom from a Viking invasion. But when he is called back into service to combat a plague of monstrous beasts known as abominations, he meets a fate worse than death and is condemned to a life of anguish, solitude, and remorse. She is a fierce young warrior, raised among an elite order of knights. Driven by a dark secret from her past, she defies her controlling father and sets out on a dangerous quest.