Dark Fantasy Short Stories

The End is Coming. An extinction-level asteroid is cannonballing toward Earth. In humanity’s final hours, a lucky few earn a one-way ticket to the brand-new, ultra-immersive, fantasy-based VRMMORPG, Viridian Gate Online. Making that leap of faith might mean survival, but it comes with a steep price tag: “Travelers” will forever be stranded as digital avatars inside a fantastical world filled with vicious monsters, all-powerful AIs, and cutthroat players. Let the games begin....

This is a collection of the second six short stories in the Caverns and Creatures series.

Five full length books by Sharon Hamilton: Heavenly Lover, Underworld Lover, Underworld Queen, Honeymoon Bite, and Mortal Bite. These books are the entire works of Sharon's Paranormal series, her Golden Vampires of Tuscany and her Guardians. There is dark angel/vampire love waiting for you.

This is a collection of the fourth six short stories in the Caverns and Creatures series.

Janell making phone calls to demonic lovers in front of her husband is just the beginning. The horrors hit home for two young men telling ghost stories while driving through the thickest fog of the year. An aging hunter summons the spirit of the Bavarian wilderness as his abilities and will begin to fade. A teacher opens his mouth to instruct his students - and finds himself speaking in the voice of his newly deceased mentor. A young woman, pregnant out of wedlock in the late 1950s, is "sent away" only to find her new home harbors strange secrets.

Created as an homage to the 1980 classic horror anthology, Dark Forces, edited by Kirby McCauley, this collection contains 12 original novelettes showcasing today’s top horror talent. Dark Stars features all-new stories from award-winning authors and up-and-coming voices like Stephen Graham Jones, Priya Sharma, Usman T. Malik, Caroline Kepnes, and Alma Katsu, with seasoned author John F.D. Taff at the helm. An afterword from original Dark Forces contributor Ramsey Campbell is a poignant finale to this bone-chilling collection.

In this darkly comic and surreal collection from celebrated author Alissa Nutting, misfit women scramble for agency in a series of uncanny circumstances. Throughout these breathtakingly creative 17 stories spread across time, space, and differing planes of reality, we encounter a host of women and girls in a wide range of unusual jobs. A space cargo deliverywoman enlists the help of her cybersex partner to release her mother from cryogenic prison.

“Then it stopped. Its head flowed around on its shoulders, as it seemed to have discovered the crib. It loomed there motionless, examining the small cage from across the room. Then Pat knew - it was looking for her.” A true ghost story! Based on a real incident that the author's mother experienced as a child. It's a snowy night in a spooky new house and Pat fears bedtime because when the lights go out a malevolent entity stalks the dark!

An unforgettable encounter at a city bar leads Molly into a world she never knew existed. One moment she's enjoying the attention of a handsome stranger, the next she's in an unknown rustic cabin in the heart of the wilderness. The man from the bar has replaced her reality with his own—one where he calls the shots.

Discover six stories sharing one impactful message in this fantasy collection.

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.

A man who commands dragons rises. The people call him a prophet, a savior...the one who will free them from the tyranny of the wizard class. They do not comprehend the threat he presents. The dragon priest rages across the land. Cities and rulers are helpless against his might. A pair of heroes embark on a dangerous quest, seeking a lost object of power. Without it, the dragon priest and his army will destroy the world. An army of metal golems invades another wizardom. These magic-powered automatons are the weapon of the last wizard lord—a madman who desires to rule the world.

A fourth anthology from the editors of Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears presents contemporary retellings of traditional fairy tales in Gregory Frost's "Sparks", "The Dog Rose" by Sten Westgard, and other works by Jane Yolen, Joyce Carol Oates, Nancy Kress, and John Crowley.

In this remarkable collection the author has selected over two dozen of her best Lovecraftian tales ranging from 2000s “Valentia” to her more recent classic “A Mountain Walked” as well as including the complete Dandridge Cycle, as well as a new story, “M Is for Mars.” In short, this is a cornerstone volume for Kiernan fans and Mythos devotees alike.

For over 40 years, Glen Cook has been among the most well-known, influential, and widely respected authors in science fiction and fantasy. Through classic series such as The Black Company, Garrett P.I., the Dread Empire, Starfishers, Darkwar, and more, his gritty, down-to-earth style left an indelible impression on his listeners around the world, forever shifting the genre landscape and carving out his place as a pioneering icon.

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

From a childhood as an abandoned orphan to life as one of the city’s most skilled burglars, master thief Rafiq has long lived high off the wealth of Avanasia—its trade, its jewels, and its women. The vaults of Avanasia's merchants are as open to him as the legs of its most beautiful courtesans. For in Avanasia, there is but one paramount truth: There are those who have, and those who take. And Rafiq is one of the latter. But when he steals an ancient heirloom blade from a powerful merchant, he sets in motion a series of events that will shift the balance of power in the city.

When the mighty and cruel must be brought low, it's the killers and the schemers who emerge from the shadows. As plans twist and change, and our protagonists are foiled and beaten, one thing remains true: no matter the cost, the king must fall.

Featuring stories from R.L. Stine and Madeleine Roux, this middle-grade horror anthology, curated by New York Times best-selling author and master of macabre Jonathan Maberry, is a chilling tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Flesh-hungry ogres? Brains full of spiders? Haunted houses you can’t escape? This collection of 35 terrifying stories from the Horror Writers Association has it all, including ghastly illustrations from Iris Compiet that will absolutely chill listeners to the bone.

She summoned him to a desperate world. Pulled from a mundane life by a beautiful stranger, Michael is offered what he’s always wanted: something to believe in, to care about, to fight for. But he’s no warrior. The people of Vendira have been oppressed by dark magic for centuries, any spark of resistance long since extinguished. They need a symbol of hope to push back against the malevolent forces that rule the world. Could he be what this world so desperately needs?