Classic Literature Dark

Ann and John Hayward’s honeymoon at Collinwood slowly turns into a series of nightmares. Soon after their arrival, John, who is recovering from a war injury, falls victim to strange, violent spells. Meanwhile, a series of attacks on her life frighten Ann into believing John is trying to kill her. Though tormented by doubts of John’s sanity, she believes his warning that Barnabas is a vampire. Ann nevertheless accepts help from Barnabas - and unknowingly becomes the prey to the evil forces at Collinwood!

When the jury of which Roger Collins is chairman finds Harriet Barnes guilty of murder, she swears vengeance on the entire Collins family, then kills herself. Soon, Celia Dalton, a guest at Collinwood, starts suffering strange spells. Each time she does, someone at Collinwood is violently attacked. Has Harriet Barnes taken over her spirit, making the innocent girl a bloodthirsty killer? Can Barnabas and Quentin save Celia - and the Collins family - from this menace out of the crypt?

Carolyn Stoddard is knocked unconscious when the sports car she and Barnabas are riding in skids on a patch of ice. She regains consciousness in Collinwood with Barnabas and Quentin Collins at her side - but the year is 1870! And Collinwood is being terrorized by a savage killer. Carolyn likes Quentin and refuses to believe that even in werewolf form, he could be the murderer.

After falling in love with beautiful heiress Diana Hastings, Barnabas Collins makes a desperate attempt to find a cure for his vampire curse. He summons to Collinwood Dr. Rudolf Padrel, a strange scientist who claims he can develop a serum that will make Barnabas a normal man again. But as time passes, Barnabas wonders if the mysterious scientist isn’t merely using him for his own evil ends. Graves in the family cemetery are desecrated and a young girl is found murdered. Barnabas is denounced by the villagers, who try to storm Collinwood.

David Collins and Amy Jennings, two charming, innocent children are suddenly turned into demons. At first their pranks only annoy Maggie Evans, their governess. But soon she realizes they have become malicious, bent on destroying all of Collinwood. Convinced the children are possessed by a mysterious, supernatural power, and frightened for her life, Maggie turns for help to Barnabas Collins.

The arrival of a movie company at Collinwood gives Barnabas a chance to escape Angelique’s awful curse - the curse which has made him one of the living dead. Barnabas meets and falls in love with beautiful film star, Rita Glenn. In order to save him, she introduces him to the mysterious Dr. Moreno who has a cure for Barnabas. Barnabas is jubilant over his recovery - but not for long. Suddenly he is in a life and death battle with another vampire - with Rita’s life at stake.

While searching for the woman who will replace his long-lost Josette, and thus end the terrible curse upon him, Barnabas meets lovely Clare Duncan. The story, set in 1870, of their romance - and of the terror it brings to the beautiful young noblewoman - is a tale of gothic suspense which will chill and delight the legions of Barnabas Collins fans.

An incubus disguised as a high school girl puts a disturbing spin on the teacher/student fantasy. An engineer creates a robot with unexpected consequences during the end of the world. A man becomes the pet of alien invaders. From stories of aliens in other worlds to those living among us, these tales will move you out of your comfort zone and open you up to experiencing something - or someone - completely different.

A fun adventure in a Spain that never was, in the vein of Dumas and Stevenson, with more than a taste of Cervantes. Don Rodriguez is a young nobleman who is banished from the family castle, and must set out with his rapier and mandolin to win his own estate, and perhaps even a bride. Along with his trusty servant Morano, he journeys far into the heart of the mythical Shadow Valley. Echoes of The Princess Bride resonate throughout.

The borders of Lychford are crumbling. Other realities threaten to seep into the otherwise quiet village, and the resident wise woman is struggling to remain wise. The local magic shop owner and the local priest are having troubles of their own. And a mysterious stranger is on hand to offer a solution to everyone's problems. No cost, no strings (she says).

In these selections, an animal plays an important role in the action or plot of the story. The animals in these stories are real or are stand-ins for humans: Sredni Vashtar by Saki (H. H. Munro) Kholstomer, The Story of a Horse by Leo Tolstoy A Dark-Brown Dog by Stephen Crane Kashtanka by Anton Chekhov The Cat That Walked By Himself by Rudyard Kipling The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe The Fly by Katherine Mansfield The Boar-Pig by Saki (H. H. Munro) The Tiger Guest by Pu Songlbying Jackals and Arabs by Franz Kafka

Darkness rises. But so do I. The false queen has taken everything from me. My throne, my people, and worst of all, my mate. Her dark curse has stolen Tarron’s mind and compels him to try kill me. I’ll do anything to cure him and stop her. When a prophecy tells me to go find the Dragon Bloods, I know I’ll be walking into a deadly situation. It won’t stop me. Together, my friends and I will face hell itself to save the Unseelie Fae from the false queen. The question is...can we? Revolution is on the horizon, and it’s time for a new queen.

Getrude Bennet has been called the "most important woman writer of fantasy between Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1759-1797) and C.L. Moore (1911-1987)". This is a complete collection of short stories by the woman who first explored the dark fantasy worlds of the modern era. This book contains tales that were originally published in Weird Tales, Argosy, and All-Story Weekly between 1918-1923.

Gertrude Barrows Bennet is better known by her pen-name, Francis Stevens. With a career that only spanned three years between 1917 and 1920, when she stopped writing after her mother's death, she is credited as "the woman who invented dark fantasy". She was a direct influence on H.P. Lovecraft, and in the words of Sam Moskowitz was the "greatest woman writer of science fiction in the period between Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and C.L. Moore"

Excitement and sorcery mixed with blades of steel. The mysterious stranger who appears out of nowhere to avenge injustice and defend the defenseless. Robert Howard, in this early story of his, gives us Solomon Kane; the man who walks like a leopard, wears all black and is relentless in pursuing evil doers. But he is pitted against voodoo and the superbly skillful opponent - Le Loupe - The Wolfe. Has Solomon Kane met his doom?

Lacy Logan thought she had a normal life. She was healthy, happy, and about to start her own paranormal investigations business...until she met the man in black. In a matter of days, she was fighting for her life, questioning her sanity, and hoping to uncover a secret from her past that would allow her to slay a demon.

The remnant must carry the sphere to a hidden altar on the high mountain, break the Temporal seal, and open the portal before the sky light consumes their world. But the dark lord inhabits the high mountain, along with the survivors he deceived into joining his side.

Much like Lin-Manuel Miranda did in Hamilton, the New York Times best-selling author David Elliott turns a classic on its head in form and approach, updating the timeless story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. A rough, rowdy, and darkly comedic young adult retelling in verse, Bull will have listeners reevaluating one of mythology's most infamous monsters.

Transported through time to the dank streets of Victorian London, Alex Locke seeks to unravel the mysteries of the Obsidian Heart, the enigmatic object to which his fate is inextricably bound. When a string of grisly murders takes place across the capital, Alex follows a trail that will lead him through the opium dens of Limehouse, into the dark and twisted world of the Society of Blood and ever closer to unlocking the secret of the Heart.

What happens when The Firm meets Anita Blake? You get the Halls of Power - our modern world, but twisted. Law, finance, the military, and politics are under the sway of long-lived vampires, werewolves, and the elven Alfar. Humans make the best of rule by “the Spooks”, and contend among themselves to affiliate with the powers-that-be, in order to avoid becoming their prey. Very loyal humans are rewarded with power over other women and men. Very lucky humans are selected to join the vampires.