Classic Literature Dark

Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy, Frankenstein. You've lived with the stories your whole life. You've read the tales. You've watched the films. But what if the stories were different? What if the things you read about these monsters were warped and twisted? Here lie stories you may not have heard. Stories both weird and shocking. Bizarre and grotesque. Alternate versions of your favorite classic monsters you've never read and never will again. Featuring 13 stories by Jonathan Moon, The Sisters of Slaughter, Tom Lucas and more!

Luke and Amy arrive at the Messner ranch to discover not everything has gone according to plan. Reunited with his family, and bringing new friends into the fold, Luke works hard to forget the horrors of their journey and make a fresh start with Amy. But others have plans as well, and Luke discovers there is no real safety in this new world. When the lights go out, the rats come out to play.

In this dramatic novel, a large cast of characters, historical and fictional, black and white, convict and settler, brings alive the bitter years of Australia's early settlement with moments of tenderness and conciliation amid the brutality and hostility. All the while, behind the veneer of British civilisation, lies the baffling presence of Australia, a timeless land that shares with England "not even its seasons or its stars".

Gabe escaped the Ether with the ultimate prize, and he thought that meant he was done with deadly cosmic games. But the nightmares infesting his life have different plans, and they’re not asking nicely before dragging him back in. It turns out holding all the power in the universe doesn’t mean much if you have no idea what to do with it. So together with Heather, he embarks on a frantic race to collect the remaining six Iglas and stave off the coming darkness. And in the process, they discover just how much deeper their problems go.

Jebediah Skayne has been hunting husks his entire adult life, but there's something different about the trail leading to the fishing town of Portis on the shores of the Chalice Sea: no spoor, no footprints; nothing save the unmistakable feeling of wrongness. Finding a husk in Portis would be near impossible for someone who didn't have the sixth sense, but the instant Jeb arrives, all trace of the incursion vanishes.

My name is Phoebe Harkness. When I’m not trying to cure the disease that killed the world, I’m working as an ambassador between the humans of New Oxford and the Genetic Others, all the things that go bump in the night. A new power has risen, and the boy who would be King is bringing his carnival to our streets. A vampire pride march in a city fuelled by prejudice: what could possibly go wrong? Indeed, somebody, or something wants to cancel the festivities and is picking off vampires one at a time. What kind of monster hunts monsters?

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.

A story about an Demonic Angel in Heaven and an Angelic Demon in Hell. Damon always felt out of place in his surroundings and at his work. Most would consider it an ordinary problem but Damon was an angel working in Heaven. When Damon is redeployed to work on a mission on Earth, things start to become interesting. He is however dismayed to find out that he has been assigned as a shoulder Angel to the most boring man on Earth, Joe Smith.

Tallia is approaching her coming-of-age day and will finally be allowed down the ladders from the remote village high up on the plateau in the mid-lands of Zantalth. She has been haunted the last few months by disturbing dreams of monsters trying to get to the village. As she gets closer to her coming-of-age days, strange things begin to happen to her that she cannot explain.

The cosmic gods are about to strike, humanity is on the verge of losing its free will, and Carmella Hunter and her friends are the last line of defense. The task of being anchor between the witches and the skein is draining Carmella by the hour, but she isn't one to sit by and let her friends do the work. With the clock ticking toward the eclipse, Carmella is determined to wrestle a plan B into place.

Having selflessly abandoned their identities, their pasts and their futures, the Monster Aces are all that stand between humanity and the fell creatures that lurk in the shadows. Four men and one woman use their amazing abilities as a team to scour the globe for monsters and bring an end to their unholy existence - whatever the danger, whatever the cost. Through five thrilling tales crafted by some of heroic fiction's most engaging authors you will ride alongside the Aces on the trail of monsters both classic and new.

When several young girls are abducted from various locations in Edinburgh, Detective John Granger and his brother Alan, a reporter, investigate the cases from different directions. The abductor is cunning, always one step ahead, and the only clue he leaves behind at each scene are the brutalized corpses of black swans.

Dennis Short thought his tour of duty was over...but now he has stepped into another war. Short, a Navy medical corpsman stationed in Hawaii after his ordeal in Vietnam, is looking forward to his two-week excursion to the island of Kahoolawe. But from the first day, he is plagued by an oppressive sense that he is being manipulated. Each night he slips into a dreamlike world of half-human mythical creatures who tempt him, frighten him, force him to become part of their battles with one another.

In the midst of an undead invasion, Kallie is gifted powers by a dying priest. His last wish is for her to use them against the Necrolords in a way his faith would not allow. Reborn as Dirge and free of the priest's conscience, she is more than happy to do so.

Scarred from the death of his parents, young Prince Uhlrich must set aside his eagerness for revenge in order to utilize the strength of the one person who is both his worst enemy and closest ally - a death-bred executioner who cannot see or speak, and stricken of all emotion. Enter a world of torment where trust is an unlikely relic and fear dwells within every infested shadow of despair. Where the ability to control an executioner can greatly alter the tides of war.

Across the ineffable expanse of the Great Deep float billions of shattered universes: the Shards. Populated with vengeful demons and tormented humans, the Shards need Earth to survive just as plants need water. Earth itself is kept alive by 36 righteous people, 36 hidden saints known as the Lamed Vav. Kill but a few of the Lamed Vav and the Earth will shatter, and all the Shards that rely upon it will die in a horrible cataclysm.

A collection of strange and often grisly tales by some of the world's greatest writers, ranging from mildly unsettling to hair-raising.

After centuries of secret conflict, humans and parahumans have reached an uneasy truce. But unspeakable evil now threatens the tenuous peace.

Ollie Wit is the strongest Shadow Walker born in decades, but it's a gift with a steep price. Walking in the Shadowlands can bring untold powers and spells, and even greater risks. Every step into that other world brings her closer to the monsters that have haunted her since a child, destroyed her family and wreaked havoc all around her. Kane knows Ollie is the key to getting the spell he needs and he's the answer to ending her torment. But it's a bargain that brings her closer to her own destruction

It’s hard to live happily ever after when you discover your demanding and controlling mother-in-law is literally a witch, determined to steal the magical powers you didn’t even know you had. Jane narrowly avoided Lynne Doran’s clutches when she escaped on her wedding day, and has been hiding out in New York City. But she can’t hide forever. When Jane learns of the one thing Lynne wants most, she sets out to provide it, hoping her good turn will persuade her mother-in-law to stop hunting her.